POLITICS

America’s foreign policy has led to a bizarre contradiction. President Bush claims to be pursuing freedom in the world, so that Americans will be safer. Yet this campaign’s results–a more zealous proponent of terrorism in the Palestinian Authority,...

At even $3.50 a gallon, gas is no more expensive now than in the 1950s, when it was in the range of 20 to 30 cents a gallon. Not if you use the Binswanger deflator of 15-fold to 20-fold. Nonetheless, we would expect gas to be considerably cheaper, like almost every...

On August 6, 1945 the American Air Force incinerated Hiroshima, Japan with an atomic bomb. On August 9 Nagasaki was obliterated. The fireballs killed some 175,000 people. They followed months of horror, when American airplanes firebombed civilians and reduced cities...

While Americans struggle to comply with one of the world’s most complicated tax codes, it’s worth noting that about one-dozen nations have adopted simple and fair flat-tax systems. Hong Kong has had a flat tax for nearly 60 years, and has gone from being...

Re: Pay Less, Drive More Dear Editor: The Bush Administration’s new light truck fuel economy standards save record amounts of fuel, reform an outdated system, preserve vehicle choice, and increase safety. The fact is that in less than three years, this...

This morning I heard that President Bush should not fire Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld because when one member of the cabinet goes there is a “blood in the water” effect in Washington that will demand that more heads role. This is not a reason for...

Let’s push back the frontiers of ignorance about the federal deficit. To simplify things, I’ll use round numbers that are fairly close to the actual numbers. The nation’s 2005 gross domestic product (GDP), what the American people produced, totaled...

Four and a half years after September 11–which was supposed to awaken us to the threat of devastating attacks by state-sponsored terrorists–America is finally beginning to confront the world’s largest and most dangerous state sponsor of terrorism:...

So the reacted airing of “South Park” on Wednesday was no joke; Comedy Central did in fact refuse to broadcast Trey Parker and Matt Stone’s representation of Mohammad “in light of recent world events.” At the same time Comedy Central was...

As the April 15 tax deadline edges closer, taxpayers frantically completing their 1040s may be wondering just what their hard-earned federal tax dollars pay for, anyway. Washington will spend $23,760 per household in 2006 — the highest inflation-adjusted total...

Does morality depend upon religion? Most people believe it does, which is a major reason behind the appeal of the religious right. People believe that without faith in a supernatural authority, we can have no moral values–no moral absolutes, no black-and-white...

OK, so “Cartoon Wars Part II” of Comedy Central’s “South Park” aired last night and I’m still scratching my head trying to figure out what was what. The broadcast seemingly never shows Muhammad, claiming that the scene that featured...

The massive cost overruns on the aerial tram have been a source of much embarrassment to the Portland city council recently, but problems with the South Waterfront project go far beyond the tram. The city also has a major funding shortfall for other infrastructure...

Last Wednesday the Bush administration announced new fuel economy standards for light trucks and SUVs. Transportation Secretary Norman Mineta asserted that the new regulations, which will affect vehicles sold from 2008 to 2011, will save 10.7 billion gallons of fuel...

The Coca Cola Co. has instituted a significant new plan for compensating its directors: they will not receive payment unless the company meets its financial targets. But even if other corporations adopted similar arrangements, it would do nothing to dispel the rampant...

Like the 2002 case of “American Taliban” John Walker Lindh, the current case of Australian “Jihad Jack” Thomas–who was charged with being a terrorist “sleeper” agent, convicted of having received money from al-Qaeda and...