The Jack Abramoff scandal has put political corruption front and center in Washington but this particular scandal, or even this particular kind of scandal, barely scratches the surface of corruption in government. It is not that all members of Congress, or even most...
What were the cause(s) of the high death rate in the first half of the century – and of its diminishment in the second half?
Advocates of "intelligent design" are gearing up their fight to teach the controversial theory now that U.S. District Judge John E. Jones III has ruled that the religious-based explanation for the formation of the universe and human evolution may not be taught in...
I both laughed and cried when I heard the United Nations was going to decide what to do about Iran ["Israel praises Europe's plan to refer Iran to UN", Jerusalem Post, January 13)]. I'm sure the neo-Nazi Mahmoud Ahmadinejad would just laugh. The UN has proven impotent...
The rise in health care costs is exactly what one should expect from the government’s long-standing policy of collectivizing the cost of medical care.
The Virginia Military Institute (VMI) is a curious institution--it is both a military academy and a state-supported college. Its history draws back to before the US Civil War (future confederate general Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson served as a professor) and all of its...
Millions going to the campaign coffers of Washington politicians lies in the awesome growth of government control over business, property, employment and other areas of our lives.
If you own stock in Wal-Mart Stores, be afraid -- be very afraid. Yes, it wasn't all that long ago that I was recommending buying shares of the giant retailer. But things have changed. Right after I recommended Wal-Mart last October it rallied by as much as 15%. But...
Many consumers are angry about alleged price gouging at the pump, and politicians are listening. States with anti-"price gouging" laws are investigating and prosecuting complaints, while Washington is discussing a federal anti-"price gouging" law. Senate Majority...
The Senate confirmation hearings for Judge Samuel Alito told us more about the Senators than it did about Judge Alito. First, there were those long-winded preambles to "questions" for the judge. Then there were the Mickey Mouse maneuvers and insinuations, spiced here...
From claims that we've won the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq simply because locals there can now vote, to recent "Get Out the Vote" campaigns, our leaders -- democrats and republicans alike -- consistently imply that the most fundamental American political idea is that...
During the American Bicentennial, my family hosted a cadre of Polish sailors as part of Buffalo, New York's contribution to "Operation Sail." While they were here, the Poles wanted to see an Indian reservation. Being close to several, my family gladly obliged. There...
Some of the most interesting aspects of the war against terrorism are found not in coverage about the war in Iraq, but from coverage of talk in the United States. Consider this recent news report: Christian broadcaster Pat Robertson suggested Thursday that Israeli...
"We [the Iranians] have a right to have nuclear technology. We are a nation with an ancient civilization and rich culture. I think it's really hypocritical of Mr. Bush to criticize Iran for having nuclear technology while Pakistan, India and Israel have nuclear...
Republican and Democratic big government advocates whine about President Bush's proposed tax cuts, particularly cuts in the capital gains tax. They say it's a $70 billion giveaway to the rich. Listening to demagoguery about the rich, I've sometimes wished that we...
Recent news that school children in Charlotte, North Carolina, had the highest test scores among children in big cities across the country had a special impact on me. Back in the late 1930s, I went to school in Charlotte and, while I don't know what the test scores...
"China is lifting a million people a month out of poverty." It is just one statement in an interesting new book titled "The Undercover Economist" by Tim Harford. But it has huge implications. I haven't checked out the statistics but they sound reasonable. If so, this...
Not often do Rush Limbaugh and New York Times columnist Paul Krugman agree on anything but recently both of them pointed out the same pattern in the prices of housing -- and both were correct. The pattern is this: Despite hysteria over high home prices, in most parts...
Despite claims that the rich get richer and the poor get poorer, poverty is nowhere near the problem it was yesteryear -- at least for those who want to work. Talk about the poor getting poorer tugs at the hearts of decent people and squares nicely with the agenda of...
When you are boating on the Niagara River, there are signs marking the point at which you must go ashore or else you will be sucked over the falls. With Iran moving toward the development of nuclear weapons, we are getting dangerously close to that fatal point of no...
Philosopher David Hume warned that, "It is seldom that liberty of any kind is lost all at once." That's why we should guard against any encroachment on liberty, no matter how small. Let's look at a couple of instances where, at our peril, we've failed to do so. The...
I don't make a million dollars a year but I think every member of Congress should be paid at least that much. It's not because those turkeys in Washington deserve it. It's because we deserve a lot better people than we have in Congress. The cost of paying every member...
There was a significant defeat for the whole Intelligent Disguise--excuse me, Intelligent Design (ID)--movement today, when a Harrisburg, PA judge ruled against its being taught in the schools of a local school district. CNN reports: HARRISBURG, Pennsylvania (CNN) --...
Ever since Karl Marx wrote about communism as "the end of history,"[1] there have been historians fascinated by his suggestions on how they should be working towards that end. Many have studied and taken up his methods of looking at the past, implicitly accepting...
Latest pro-Capitalism goodness sent weekly to your email box.
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.