POLITICS

Trump’s Fantasy World

Producers are forced to trade on terms Trump dictates rather than terms of their own choosing.

The Tragedy of Africa: Foreign Aid and Debt Forgiveness

The Tragedy of Africa: Foreign Aid and Debt Forgiveness

The official declarations coming out of the G8 meetings in Scotland, as well as the raucous demonstrations surrounding those meetings, talk about saving Africa. But, looking back over the decades and generations, Africa has been “saved” so many times that...

The London Terrorist Attacks and the Stock Market

Why did stocks finish the day higher after Thursday’s tragic terrorist bombings in London? There are several very simple reasons. To begin with, the market wasn’t surprised. Ever since September 11, 2001, markets have been braced for terrorist attacks....

Pro-Israel Palestinians

For all their rhetoric about Israel’s “vicious” and “brutal” occupation, Palestinian Arabs — including their leaders — sometimes let down their guard and acknowledge how they prefer Israel to the Palestinian Authority. Here...

Palestinians Who Cling to Israel

Israel’s interior minister recently declared that after their release from long jail sentences, four Palestinian Arabs convicted of helping with suicide bombings in 2002, killing 35, will be expelled from Israel. They would, the Associated Press reported,...

Black Rednecks and White Liberals: Who’s a Redneck?

Black Rednecks and White Liberals: Who’s a Redneck?

In this era, when indignation has replaced thought for many people, it should not be surprising that the very title of my book “Black Rednecks and White Liberals” should have provoked angry reactions and bitter denunciations, even from people who never...

Lessons for the Terrorist Attacks in London

The attack on London demonstrates, once again, that terrorists are not afraid. In order to understand why, you have to suspend all diplomacy and political correctness for a moment. Fanatical religious terrorists are people who are not afraid of dying because they...

Judicial Havoc, Part 3

Judicial Havoc, Part 3

In addition to the havoc wrought by the judiciary in our times, there is the havoc wrought on the judiciary itself by others. Some have blamed the murders of a judge not long ago, and the murder of another judge’s family, on critics of judicial activism. But, in...

Judicial Havoc, Part 2

Judicial Havoc, Part 2

When it comes to judicial nominees, especially nominees to the Supreme Court, you might think that the only thing that matters — the thing that trumps all other considerations — is whether the nominee is for or against legalized abortions. Many people are...

Dependency on Government

William Beach has just written a report for the Washington, D.C.-based Heritage Foundation titled “The 2005 Index of Dependency.” Between 1962 and today, American dependence on government has more than doubled and shows little sign of abatement. The growth...

Live 8: Bob Geldof’s Immoral Sense of Entitlement

In the tradition of modern celebrities, Bob Geldof has decided to lecture the world on the virtues of altruism and sacrifice. That lecture is Live 8. The website states that there are, “10 concerts, 100 artists, a million spectators, 2 billion viewers, and 1...

Judicial Havoc

Judicial Havoc

Our era might be described in the famous phrase used to describe the era of the French Revolution — “the best of times and the worst of times.” It is the best of times in terms of life expectancy and a level of economic prosperity exceeding anything...

Foreign Law is Not Law

Foreign Law is Not Law

One of the ironies of our time is that economists have been discovering the importance of law, as such — as distinguished from the specific merits of particular laws — while judges seem increasingly to be losing sight of the rule of law. “I can...

Supreme Quotas?

Supreme Quotas?

My reaction to Justice Sandra Day O’Connor’s retirement was almost as positive as my reaction in 1981 was negative when the Reagan administration announced that they were going to appoint a woman to the Supreme Court. It wouldn’t matter if all nine...

Another Nail in the Coffin for Property Rights

The U.S. Supreme Court last week ruled that it’s perfectly legitimate for a local government to seize private property, pay a below-market price and hand it over to another private citizen or company that claims it can do more with the property — i.e.,...

“Mainstream” Judges

“Mainstream” Judges

Recent shocking Supreme Court decisions may at least wake up those people who have been saying glibly that the Senate has been spending too much time fighting over judicial nominees, instead of getting back to the “real” issues. What is more real than the...

Government Confiscates Property

Last week’s U.S. Supreme Court 5-4 ruling in Kelo v. New London helps explain the socialist attack on President Bush’s nominees to the federal bench. First, let’s look at the case. The city government of New London, Conn., has run upon hard times,...

Property Rites

Property Rites

You may own your own home and expect to live there the rest of your life. But keep your bags packed, because the Supreme Court of the United States has decreed that local politicians can take your property away and turn it over to someone else, just by using the magic...

No Apology to Indians

No Apology to Indians

American Indians should refuse to be regarded as a race of helpless victims entitled to a collective apology from their fellow citizens.

75 Years Old

75 Years Old

Three-quarters of a century! It is hard to believe that I am that old but arithmetic is uncompromising. This means that I have lived through nearly one-third of the entire history of the United States. The changes in my life — and still more so in the life of...

Refining Your Oil Strategy

On Thursday afternoon crude oil futures hit $60 a barrel, and investors hit the panic button. Apparently $59 was fine. $60, for some reason, was a big problem. There’s nothing fundamental about $60 a barrel. There’s no reason to think that the economy will...

Prescription Drug Advertising is Good for All of Us

Prescription Drug Advertising is Good for All of Us

When you see a commercial for a new car, a new movie, or a new brand of breakfast cereal it’s because the manufacturers of those products want to incur as much advertising expense as possible so they can pass the cost along to you. Then you can’t afford to...

“Public” Use vs. Property Rights

In another heavy blow to property rights, the Supreme Court has ruled against the homeowners in the New London, Connecticut, eminent domain case, and further entrenched the legal principle that government can seize an individual’s property for “public...

Summer Reading

Summer Reading

Summer vacations are used for many things. Some parents use the long summer vacation from schools and colleges to get their children to read books that are different from the steady diet of a liberal-left view of the world that they get during the school year. These...

We Are All Budweisers

We Are All Budweisers

Back in the days of the Hapsburg Empire, there was a town in Bohemia called Budweis. The people in that town were called Budweisers and the town had a brewery which produced beer with the same name — but different from the American Budweiser. Like many...

Why Canadians Purchase Private Health Insurance

America’s socialists advocate that we adopt a universal healthcare system like our northern neighbor Canada. Before we buy into complete socialization of our healthcare system, we might check out the Canadian Supreme Court’s June 9th ruling in Chaoulli v....

Stocks vs. Bonds: Stocks Win

Here are two investments I’d like you to consider. The first is a Treasury bond maturing in 10 years. The second is the Standard & Poor’s 500. Think you already know everything there is to know about them? Think again. Let’s start with the bond....

The Sky Isn’t Falling

A generation of investors has been converted to the gospel of equities: Stocks may rise or fall over the short term, but over many decades a diversified portfolio will be the ticket to retirement heaven. The chief prophet of this belief has been Wharton professor...

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