Now that the Supreme Court has given its narrow blessing to the Affordable Care Act, the big question is whether it will deliver the benefits that its proponents promise. Unfortunately, as it is now constructed, the plan will backfire causing fewer healthy people to...
A strong country militarily and defense-wise presupposes a strong country economically. Simply put: There is no way to fund a system of defense without a strong, vibrant private economy. A strong and vibrant economy presupposes rational economic policies. Rational...
Barack Obama, America’s 44th president, loped into the arena last night applauding himself. When he stepped up to the podium, his eyes looked tired and his eyelids were heavy. He said next to nothing, really, which is what he stands for. It’s what his presidency...
Advocates of individual rights sometimes debate whether it’s better to vote for the Republican, or to abstain altogether (or vote for a third-party candidate with zero possibility of victory.) I like the way Ayn Rand put it back in 1972, the last time (other...
You’ve heard it millions of times, and you heard it throughout the Democratic National Convention: There are the “haves” and the “have nots.” Those who have are duty-bound to give to those who do not have, based on the supposedly moral imperative of redistribution....
Politicians and intellectuals are always talking about how businesses “should” act, for the supposed sake of the greater good. The notion that businesses operate and make decisions only with the consent of the government is known as fascism. There are already many...
I don’t know how the ex-president Bill Clinton will be remembered, though I suspect his main legacy may be how he embodies the narcissism of our times. Tonight’s speech at the Democratic National Convention, in which he nominated a lousy American president whom he...
Today, the Democratic Party opened its convention in Charlotte, North Carolina by appealing to those who hate capitalism, Jews and the rich. It started with news of a refusal to acknowledge Israel’s capital in the party platform and ended with a scathing speech which...
I recently saw a pro-Obama bumper sticker. It reads: “Obama Cares.” Oh, really? Cares about … what? Based on his actions, Obama cares about: 1) Raising income taxes on those who make more than $250,000 a year. Never mind that people’s right to...
A reader in Great Britain defends national health care as follows: “The free market [under Obamacare] will still exist. We have private healthcare here as well as the National Health Service … The National Health Service does have its flaws but we probably...
Former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney’s acceptance speech last night at the Republican National Convention was an apt preview of his prospective presidency, which at this point – and I say this barring any major developments such as an Obama smear or Romney...
In every state of the union, individuals are required to obtain a driver’s license in order to legally operate a motor vehicle. Further, specialized licenses are also required to operate specific types of vehicles, such as large trucks and motorcycles. To obtain such...
U.S. Rep. Paul Ryan, caricatured in political ads last year and again this month as pushing Granny off the cliff of Medicare, is now the running mate of the maker of RomneyCare, who is running against the maker of ObamaCare. With the consequent renewed debate over...
Let us say that you are one of the millions of unemployed Americans. Unable to find a job, you decide to start your own business. Perhaps you’ve always done your own home repairs and decide to offer a handyman service. You start installing ceiling fans, replacing...
Government makes ‘investments’ in us that we can’t refuse. Many, including me, have identified the socialist premises in President Obama’s remarks on July 13 in Roanoke, VA. But are Obama’s actual policies as socialist as his socialist rhetoric? The answer is yes, but...
The federal government in general, and the Food and Drug Administration in particular, increasingly inject themselves into direct control of every medical practice. The FDA is aggressively moving past its lock on the approval of every medication and all medical...
In 2007, I served as a consultant to a group of citizens opposed to an attempt to bring zoning to Hobbs, New Mexico. During that time, I wrote a series of articles that were published in the local newspaper. This is one of those articles. In a referendum, zoning was...
What do the United States Postal Service (USPS) and America’s educational system have in common? Most Americans are aware that both are government monopolies, neither is meeting its stated goals, and both are huge money pits for taxpayers. Fewer Americans are...
In her essay, “The Anatomy of Compromise,” Ayn Rand wrote: “When opposite basic principles are clearly and openly defined, it works to the advantage of the rational side; when they are not clearly defined, but are hidden or evaded, it works to the advantage of the...
In 2007, I served as a consultant to a group of citizens opposed to an attempt to bring zoning to Hobbs, New Mexico. During that time, I wrote a series of articles that were published in the local newspaper. This is one of those articles. In a referendum, zoning was...
Since 1886, the Statue of Liberty has stood in New York Harbor as a beacon to individuals from around the world seeking the freedom to live their lives as they choose. On the pedestal of the statue is a plaque with the sonnet “The New Colossus”: Not like the brazen...
Those who benefit from government coercion seldom like it when the gun is turned around and pointed at them. They have no hesitation to demand that government use compulsion for their benefit, but complain when compulsion is directed at them. As an example,...
There was a time when business owners competed on the basis of their products or services. They would try to be more innovative than competitors. They would develop new products, offer better service, or charge lower prices in order to win market share. Today, it...
Long ago, Thomas Paine wrote in Common Sense, “We have it in our power to begin the world anew.” In that spirit the time has now come for Congress to throw out government medical policy and start over. We can at least take comfort that the U.S. Supreme...
In 2009, I delivered a talk to the Houston Property Rights Association. I had previously spoken to that group in 1993 during the debate over Houston’s last attempt to implement zoning. In my earlier talk, I cautioned that we might win the referendum on zoning, but...
This is perhaps my favorite line from Ayn Rand’s Atlas Shrugged with regard to doctors who support, or tolerate, socialized medicine: “Let them discover, in the operating rooms and hospital wards, that it is not safe to place their lives in the hands of a man they...
According to the Congressional Budget Office’s figures, extending the Bush tax rates will only increase the deficit by 4 percent. Actually, critics of the way the CBO figures this out are saying the 4 percent number is too high. They charge that the CBO does not take...
It has happened before. The Supreme Court, back in 1857, issued a ruling so controversial, and so divisive, that four years later it led to Civil War. The decision involved slavery. It ruled that black individuals (even freed slaves) were not legal individuals under...
Now, thanks to our President, Congress and even Supreme Court—who was supposed to protect us—we’re about to turn over the practice of medical care to the least capable, and least morally qualified, to handle anything.
One of the primary justifications for zoning is to prevent “incompatible” land uses, such as keeping industrial facilities out of residential areas. Such “incompatible” uses are regarded as an inherent nuisance, and rather than wait for the nuisance to occur, the use...
Obama and advocates of socialized medicine have won. But have they, really? I was talking with a waitress I know just today. She asked me, “Can you explain, in terms that I’ll understand, what Obamacare actually means — to me?” I told her:...
Despite the celebrations among Democrats, yesterday a majority of Supreme Court justices ruled that the Constitution does not allow the government to force Americans to buy health insurance. However in providing the swing vote to uphold the Affordable Care Act (aka...
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