August 06, 2007

Three's a Crowd?

By Paul Jacob In Grand Rapids, Michigan, in order to force a recall election the law requires the signatures of 16,500 registered voters on petitions. Recently, the Committee for Positive Community Change launched a recall campaign against Board of Education...
Posted by KevinRollins at 11:12 AM

August 05, 2007

The Fear Factor

By Ron Paul While fear itself is not always the product of irrationality, once experienced it tends to lead away from reason, especially if the experience is extreme in duration or intensity. When people are fearful they tend to be...
Posted by KevinRollins at 12:54 PM

December 17, 2006

Have You Lost Something?

by Richard A. Cheatham, Press Media Group, LLC Have you lost something? More precisely...has something been taken from you? The thing I’m talking about here is your voice. No, I’m not talking about your ability to form your words and...
Posted by KevinRollins at 11:06 AM

December 09, 2006

Repealing Economic Laws

by Richard A. Cheatham, Press Media Group, LLC There’s a lot of talk about, and political pressure to raise, the legal minimum wage these days. That move is supposed to help those employed at the very lowest levels of the...
Posted by KevinRollins at 01:54 PM

August 26, 2006

Why History?

by Richard A. Cheatham, Press Media Group, LLC What good is history? Why shouldn’t history be abandoned in favor of useful subjects like science and language arts? What value could history possibly have for us today anyway? Cultural amnesia is...
Posted by KevinRollins at 01:29 AM

August 19, 2006

Step Up

by Richard A. Cheatham, Press Media Group, LLC This past Saturday I went to a memorial service in North Carolina for Harry Browne whose work in promoting ideas of liberty I’ve always very much admired. I learned that Harry, who...
Posted by KevinRollins at 05:45 PM

August 13, 2006

Remembering Why We Do Things

by Richard A. Cheatham, Press Media Group, LLC Make it a practice to slow down, step back and check on your fundamentals. I was in a meeting this morning where many made presentations with lots of data and details, talking...
Posted by KevinRollins at 12:01 AM

July 31, 2006

Hoping for the Next Punch

By Paul Jacob In Nebraska, millionaire Pete Ricketts has just dipped into his pocket to add $725,000 to his U.S. Senate campaign account. He'd like to spend more to unseat the incumbent, Ben Nelson, but if he does put just...
Posted by KevinRollins at 09:26 AM

July 30, 2006

One of the Greatest Illusions

by Richard A. Cheatham, Press Media Group, LLC One of the greatest and most deadly illusions, one that’s tripped up humans for thousands of years, is this. Politics, economics, military actions, friendship and other aspects of volitional human action are...
Posted by KevinRollins at 01:06 PM

June 23, 2006

Treason or Patriotism?

by Richard A. Cheatham, Press Media Group, LLC Well, it’s finally happened. An officer in the United States Army has refused to be deployed to Iraq arguing that the war is at odds with the United States Constitution that he...
Posted by KevinRollins at 02:11 PM

June 10, 2006

Heroes and Villains

by Richard A. Cheatham, Press Media Group, LLC I’m on the road again, this time in Arkansas where I’m speaking on heroes. I maintain that the people we honor as our heroes, and detest as villains, say a lot about...
Posted by KevinRollins at 10:07 AM

May 21, 2006

Making Virtue Obsolete

by Richard A. Cheatham, Press Media Group, LLC Most people talk about virtue in glowing terms. Virtue is certainly subject to many interpretations and definitions. Most would say that virtue encompasses a number of classic human attributes listed below. I...
Posted by KevinRollins at 11:35 AM

May 17, 2006

Love Me, Hate Me: George W. Bush and the Pursuit of Presidential History

by Jonathan David Morris In his 2000 book, The O’Reilly Factor, Fox News host Bill O’Reilly wrote: “It is never too late to use the gifts God gave you. Not many things are sadder—or more darned annoying—than someone who says,...
Posted by RobertCapozzi at 07:13 AM

May 13, 2006

A Good, Yet Misguided, People

by Richard A. Cheatham, Press Media Group, LLC Lately, I’ve been speaking a great deal around the country. Matter of fact, this article is being written from Yuma, Arizona. I’m constantly impressed and amazed at what good people Americans are…for...
Posted by KevinRollins at 09:59 AM

May 06, 2006

Unintentional Malpractice or Calculated Scam?

By Richard Cheatham, Press Media Group Let’s consider two doctors. One treats your troubling symptoms but can’t figure out what the root cause of those symptoms might be even though the illness is classic, well-known to medical science for a...
Posted by KevinRollins at 09:50 AM

May 01, 2006

What "Net Neutrality" Really Means

by Chuck Muth Those who coined the term "net neutrality" are hoping the words will make the public, and especially lawmakers, believe it's a good thing. But if passed into law, this e-Trojan horse could inhibit further development of the...
Posted by KevinRollins at 12:13 AM

April 26, 2006

A Tale of Two Activists: A Vision for the Here and Now

By Michael Strong Consider Julian, Activist A: Angered by social injustice and environmentally unsustainable commerce, and inspired by earlier generations of activists, Julian graduated from college determined to make a difference in the world. He got a job as a...
Posted by KevinRollins at 10:46 AM

April 14, 2006

Lott of Baloney

By Paul Jacob Oh brother. Senator Trent Lott has declared that he is oh-so-weary of watchdog-type complaints about porkbarrel spending. About the porkbusters, Lott told reporters, "I'm getting damn tired of hearing from them. They have been nothing but trouble...
Posted by PaulGessing at 08:43 PM

April 12, 2006

The Dyson Vacuum Cleaner and Educational Innovation

By Michael Strong Three years after introducing his vacuum cleaners into the U.S. market, James Dyson’s vacuums were the largest selling vacuum cleaners with sales volumes soaring 340 percent in 2004. Global sales totaled more than $750 million in 2004....
Posted by KevinRollins at 10:14 AM

April 02, 2006

Don’t You Dare

by Richard A. Cheatham, Press Media Group, LLC The theory is that you’re protected by “your” government, right? To make sure government does that within your state, your interests are represented by elected legislators who serve in legislatures, right? In...
Posted by KevinRollins at 02:33 PM

March 30, 2006

The "No-Pay-Raise" Scam

By Paul Jacob Sometimes the best of the story comes at the tail end, twitching like the tail of a cat on the prowl. You've heard about how manipulative lobbyists are, making congressmen do things they just wouldn't ordinarily do....
Posted by PaulGessing at 07:42 PM

March 27, 2006

Public Choice Theory and Liberating Markets in Happiness and Well-Being

By Michael Strong Martin Seligman, author of Learned Optimism, is the national leader of the positive psychology movement. I recently ran across Martin Seligman's "Presidential Column," when, in his capacity as president of the American Psychological Association, he describes a...
Posted by KevinRollins at 10:27 AM

Private Enterprise Rolls Snake Eyes in Gambling Fight

By Chuck Muth While I recognize that an inordinate amount of hypocrisy is almost a prerequisite for politicians, the examples of such never cease to amaze. Which brings me this week to Rhode Island. Here's the deal. Back in 1973,...
Posted by KevinRollins at 01:51 AM

March 26, 2006

The National Guard and the 2nd Amendment

by Richard A. Cheatham, Press Media Group, LLC “A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms shall not be infringed.” That’s the wording of the...
Posted by KevinRollins at 01:14 PM

March 19, 2006

Your Call Is Important To Us

by Richard A. Cheatham, Press Media Group, LLC How many times have you gotten that message when you called some business or government office and a recorded message told you they couldn’t talk with you at the moment? Isn’t it...
Posted by KevinRollins at 12:45 PM

March 13, 2006

Getting Serious About Helping the Poor in the U.S.

By Michael Strong Call her Ishmael. She is on the margins of homelessness. Every month she begs friends and family for money to pay her rent. If she doesn’t get enough, she will be kicked out. If she gets kicked...
Posted by KevinRollins at 10:48 AM

March 12, 2006

Harry Browne: Your Loss and Mine

by Richard A. Cheatham, Press Media Group, LLC Someone died on March 1st who’s life and passing are worth noting. Harry Browne’s personal crusade was to make his own life better and happier and his choices more profitable. In addition,...
Posted by KevinRollins at 09:57 AM

March 05, 2006

The War on Big Soda

by Chuck Muth "Warning: The Surgeon General has determined that drinking soda can be hazardous to your health." Look for that warning label on bottles and cans of Coke, Mountain Dew, Dr. Pepper and even Hawaiian Punch in stores near...
Posted by KevinRollins at 01:23 PM

February 26, 2006

Arlen Specter's Tangled Web of Pork

by Chuck Muth Hey, boys and girls. It's that time of year again when Uncle Sam dons the red-suit-and-beard and hangs pork ornaments on the "Emergency Spending" tree. If you're not quite familiar with this annual congressional festival, let me...
Posted by KevinRollins at 12:38 PM

January 07, 2006

Bordering on Failure: U.S.-Mexico Border Policy

By Eneas A. Biglione * “Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free…” On a recent flight from the U.S. to Mexico, I had the opportunity to sit next to Gregorio, a 21 year old...
Posted by PaulGessing at 12:13 PM

December 24, 2005

Republican Immigration Reform: A Step Backward for Freedom?

By Paul Gessing In a recent article that was posted on this website, Congressman Ron Paul defended his vote in support of a recent immigration bill (H.R 4437). In the article, Dr. Paul claims that “despite its lack of substance,...
Posted by PaulGessing at 09:30 PM

December 14, 2005

War of the Words

by Matthew Ladner, Ph.D. Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa has launched a war of words in an effort to take over the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD). Villaraigosa has rhetorically lambasted the leaders of the LAUSD over lagging test...
Posted by PaulGessing at 03:11 PM

September 16, 2005

Eminent Moonbeam

by Paul Jacob You don't have to be weird to advocate weird notions. You can just be on the U.S. Supreme Court. The Supremes decided, in the now-notorious Kelo case, that all a local, state or federal government has to...
Posted by PaulGessing at 11:15 AM

August 09, 2005

Doctor, Heal Thyself

By Paul Jacob Senator Bill Frist got in the news the other day. He changed his mind. On stem cell research. He broke ranks with the president and with many of his fellow Republicans who have opposed this research on...
Posted by PaulGessing at 09:32 AM

August 02, 2005

Ice Cream Anyone?

by Darcy Olsen Like millions of Americans, Donald and Susan Sutherland love ice cream. In fact, they like ice cream so much they decided to open their own ice cream store in Tempe. What started out as a single Cold...
Posted by PaulGessing at 01:26 PM

July 28, 2005

May we choose life?

By Paul Jacob ABC journalist John Stossel makes a good point in a recent column about how the chance to save your own life is better than certain death. Too bad there's a government agency that often acts to stop...
Posted by PaulGessing at 05:40 PM

July 22, 2005

Who's Afraid of Freedom?

by Lady Liberty The recent terrorist bombings in London are, without question, a tragedy. Innocent people lost their lives or suffered serious injury; innocent people lost loved ones or face the hardships of recovery. Those who are claiming responsibility say...
Posted by KevinRollins at 03:15 PM

July 21, 2005

Fast Medicine

By Paul Jacob It's cheap and only takes a minute. In the olden days, it wasn't that hard to get some minor ailment or injury taken care of. People paid for that kind of thing the way they paid for...
Posted by KevinRollins at 12:12 PM

July 20, 2005

Remade in America

By Jonathan David Morris Most Hollywood remakes suck. This news shouldn’t take you by surprise. But it’s pertinent because adaptations of old shows, movies, books, and even comics have flooded theaters this summer, with no end in sight. The Bad...
Posted by KevinRollins at 10:23 AM

July 19, 2005

Ban Private Tax Collecting

By Fred Foldvary Much of what government does is better done with private enterprise, but tax collection is not one of those. Government should collect its own taxes. As stated by Llewellyn H. Rockwell, Jr. in Government Contractors versus Real...
Posted by KevinRollins at 11:32 AM

July 18, 2005

Forward into the Past: Proxy Wars and American Security

By Ali Hassan Massoud All throughout the Cold War years the Western democracies were tweaked, poked, prodded, slammed, and bled of both treasure and blood. But not by our nominal enemies however. Except for the Korea War (1950-1953) The US,...
Posted by KevinRollins at 11:52 AM

July 16, 2005

If At First You Don’t Succeed...

by Richard A. Cheatham, Press Media Group, LLC “If at first you don’t succeed, try and try again.” The message of the recent Live 8 extravaganza and the Group of Eight summit meeting in Scotland was, “If at first you...
Posted by KevinRollins at 12:39 PM

July 13, 2005

Terror, Mass Transit, and Social Soil

By Fred Foldvary The people of London have reacted to the terrorist attack with courage, fortitude, and defiance. If the aim of the bombings of the London transit system was to instill fear and change the policies of the government,...
Posted by KevinRollins at 08:57 AM

July 12, 2005

Rock Is Dead and Live 8 Killed It

By Jonathan David Morris All right, let me just get this off my chest: On Saturday, July 22, 2005, I, Jonathan David Morris, totally failed to eradicate African poverty. That’s right. Live 8 came to Philly and I stayed home....
Posted by KevinRollins at 07:35 AM

July 09, 2005

Flag Burning

by Richard A. Cheatham, Press Media Group, LLC Once again, Congress is discussing a Constitutional Amendment that would allow it to make laws preventing the desecration of the American flag. Again, symbolism is being employed to befuddle a naive and...
Posted by KevinRollins at 01:11 PM

July 08, 2005

Relegation Nation: An Idea for Reforming the Courts

By Jonathan David Morris Conservatives and liberals alike are looking at Sandra Day O’Connor’s retirement as a chance to mold the Supreme Court in their image. But if you ask me, both sides are missing the real opportunity here. This...
Posted by KevinRollins at 05:02 PM

Wrestling with a Dilemma

By Paul Jacob Jerry Conners wants to sue because boys from two private religious schools in the Puget Sound area would not get into the ring with his daughter and wrestle. The bouts were forfeited and she won by default....
Posted by KevinRollins at 04:54 PM

July 07, 2005

Land Aid for Africa

By Fred Foldvary Looted, squandered, wasted! This is what has happened to much of the aid to Africa, and this is what most African governments have done with the rich resources of Africa. Those who support the Live8 movement want...
Posted by KevinRollins at 11:06 AM

July 03, 2005

Justice To The Highest Bidder

by Richard A. Cheatham, Press Media Group, LLC American liberty suffered a serious blow on 23 June 2005. The Supreme Court in Kelo v. City of New London voted five to four against Susette Kelo Ms. Kelo thought the Fifth...
Posted by KevinRollins at 12:51 AM

July 02, 2005

Champ Against the Bit

By Paul Jacob We are losing it. The First Amendment, I mean. If we have to look over our shoulders in fear of government hounds even when talking about politics on the most democratic and easy-to-access soap box ever --...
Posted by KevinRollins at 12:49 PM

June 28, 2005

How To Remember 9/11 (Without Really Trying)

By Jonathan David Morris I like a good 9/11 memorial. I guess that statement looks weirder in print than it sounded in my head. But I think you know what I’m getting at. Many towns in the New York City...
Posted by KevinRollins at 09:28 AM

June 27, 2005

June 23, 2005: The Day Liberty Died

By Fred Foldvary On June 23, 2005, the Supreme Court of the USA voided private property rights. I mean it literally. Americans no longer have private property rights. On June 23, in the case of Susette Kelo, et al v....
Posted by KevinRollins at 11:04 AM

June 26, 2005

Neither Predator Nor Prey

by Richard A. Cheatham, Press Media Group, LLC More and more frequently we’re offered the sad choice of being a predator or prey. Many of our choices through government are framed in this language, though in a camouflaged form. We’re...
Posted by KevinRollins at 12:57 PM

June 25, 2005

The Click-it Tyranny

By Paul Jacob A friend of mine went to traffic court to defend himself. Though the judge dismissed his ticket, he still came away fuming. "You know, Paul," he told me, "we live under a petty tyranny." Another case on...
Posted by KevinRollins at 12:43 PM

June 23, 2005

A Classic Harmful Paradigm

by Richard A. Cheatham, Press Media Group, LLC I’m presently engaged in a dialogue with one of the people who claims to “represent” me in the state legislature. He emailed me his newsletter in which he included a number of...
Posted by KevinRollins at 11:42 AM

June 22, 2005

Advice for the President

By Jonathan David Morris George Bush needs help. Fast. And I’m going to give it to him. I am thoroughly convinced that if things keep going the way they’ve been going, the end is near for this president. All signs...
Posted by KevinRollins at 09:37 AM

June 21, 2005

Taxation as Charity

By Paul Jacob Voters animated by moral and religious values made a difference last election. So, it's not surprising that Democrats want to attract these voters. It's merely amusing. The Washington Post reported last October that John Kerry was "evolving"...
Posted by KevinRollins at 03:33 PM

The Health Nannies and Cherry-Flavored Cigarettes

By Chuck Muth In a recent edition of the Christian Science Monitor, an editorial called for Congress to pass bills giving the Food and Drug Administration more authority, more power, and more oversight over tobacco products. The editorial said such...
Posted by KevinRollins at 01:41 PM

June 20, 2005

Smoke For Jesus

By Jonathan David Morris Last week, the Supreme Court ruled in favor of pain. And not just pain, but severe, crippling pain—the kind of pain you wouldn’t wish on your worst enemy. For years, people in less than a dozen...
Posted by KevinRollins at 09:04 AM

June 11, 2005

CAFTA: More Bureaucracy, Less Free Trade

By Ron Paul The Central America Free Trade Agreement, known as CAFTA, will be the source of intense political debate in Washington this summer. The House of Representatives will vote on CAFTA ratification in June, while the Senate likely will...
Posted by KevinRollins at 04:13 PM

June 10, 2005

Just Smile and Pay

by Richard A. Cheatham, Press Media Group, LLC I wasn’t smiling, but I sure was paying. You may smile at my recent letter to the tax man below. Enclosed you’ll find my check for __, an amount you tell me...
Posted by KevinRollins at 12:46 PM

June 07, 2005

Welcome to New Jersey

By Jonathan David Morris New Jersey is a horrible place to do business. How horrible is it? So horrible that builder William Juliano has posted a billboard near the Delaware Memorial Bridge that reads: “Welcome to New Jersey. A horrible...
Posted by KevinRollins at 09:05 AM

June 06, 2005

Post Memorial Day Reflections

by Richard A. Cheatham, Press Media Group, LLC Once again I spent Memorial Day contemplating lives lost by those fighting for their country. No doubt, I was joined by many others, some who’ve lost family members and friends, some of...
Posted by KevinRollins at 02:52 PM

June 05, 2005

Thanks for the Memory

By Paul Jacob Thara Memory is a big name in the jazz scene in Oregon. He's a respected trumpeter with a well- known "funk" sound. Jazz afficionados in Portland and elsewhere know his work well. But what not everybody knows...
Posted by KevinRollins at 11:48 AM

June 03, 2005

Talking No, Voting Yes

By Paul Jacob Politics is pretty strange no matter who your bedfellows are. Take the case of Senator George Voinovich from Ohio. He made a big splash in the news for NOT supporting John Bolton's nomination to be the U.S....
Posted by KevinRollins at 10:46 AM

June 01, 2005

Galactic Liberty?

By Paul Jacob "So this is how liberty dies: with thunderous applause." That's just one of the several wise lines in the biggest box office tragedy in world history, "Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith." For many...
Posted by KevinRollins at 09:09 AM

May 31, 2005

The Non-Aggression Principle

By Jonathan David Morris A short time ago—okay, okay, way back in January—I began a discussion on the definition of libertarianism, which I’ve been meaning to continue ever since. The January column focused on two things: (1) the average libertarian’s...
Posted by KevinRollins at 07:55 AM

May 30, 2005

A Geoist Robinson Crusoe Story

By Fred Foldvary Once upon a time, Robinson G. Crusoe was the only survivor of a ship that sunk. He floated on a piece of wood to an unpopulated island. Robinson was an absolute geoist. He believed with his mind,...
Posted by KevinRollins at 09:54 AM

May 28, 2005

Too Eager to Use the Nuclear Option

by Richard A. Cheatham, Press Media Group, LLC The wise and rational warrior uses the right weapon for each situation. Sometimes the rifle is better than the scattergun, sometimes the reverse. It’s my belief that contemporary Americans are way too...
Posted by KevinRollins at 12:55 AM

May 26, 2005

Fossils and Fuels

By Paul Jacob Have you noticed all the news stories about dinosaurs and fossils and new species and all? With increasing frequency scientists are unearthing new species, both living and dead. Not long ago we read about a new kind...
Posted by KevinRollins at 09:03 AM

May 25, 2005

Kleptodemocracy and Klepitalism

By Fred Foldvary Today's societies and countries suffer from a politico-socio-economic disease: the "klep." This is a mental disorder; those inflicted with klep seek to steal what belongs to others, mistakenly thinking that such theft is morally justified. "Klep" means...
Posted by KevinRollins at 04:36 PM

What is the Dark Side?

By Jonathan David Morris Revenge of the Sith is a tragic story. In it, a promising Jedi warrior, Anakin Skywalker, gives in to temptation and joins the Dark Side. His collusion with the devious Chancellor Palpatine is mutually beneficial. Anakin...
Posted by KevinRollins at 10:11 AM

May 24, 2005

No Block Grant Left Behind

By Paul Jacob If you could get the federal government off your back by forking over 8 percent of your income, would you do it? That's the decision Utah made earlier this month when Governor Jon Huntsman Jr. signed legislation...
Posted by KevinRollins at 01:21 AM

May 23, 2005

Lessons Not Learned in Publik Skools

By Chuck Muth If our modern-day government re-education camps, otherwise known as public schools, actually taught our kids about our nation's founding history, perhaps they would come across this quote by Thomas Jefferson: "A person once surrendering reason, has no...
Posted by KevinRollins at 02:10 AM

May 21, 2005

Texas Cheerleader Massacre

By Paul Jacob Give me a D! What does it stand for? Dumb. The world's most famous cheerleader group, the Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders, calls Texas home. The state's voters twice sent a former cheerleader (our current president) to the governor's...
Posted by KevinRollins at 10:10 AM

May 20, 2005

Rampant Patriotism

by Richard A. Cheatham, Press Media Group, LLC There are lots of people out there loudly proclaiming their patriotism and love for America these days. You see it everywhere bumper stickers, billboards, TV and radio programs. Wars throughout history, and...
Posted by KevinRollins at 05:02 PM

May 19, 2005

Legislative Assault on Term Limits in Florida

By Paul Jacob The Florida Legislature has adjourned, thank goodness, but not before committing assault and battery against the people. First, legislators voted to undo 1992's overwhelming vote of 77 percent of Floridians for term limits. They did this despite...
Posted by KevinRollins at 05:32 AM

May 18, 2005

Real ID: A License to Kill

By Jonathan David Morris Well, congratulations, America, you finally did it. You finally collapsed into absolute tyranny. Last week, Congress defended freedom by sneaking the Real ID Act into an $82 billion military spending bill. The Real ID Act establishes...
Posted by KevinRollins at 10:33 AM

May 17, 2005

Underprivileged or Rights-Deprived?

By Fred Foldvary Poor folk are often labeled "underprivileged" and richer folk are called "privileged." For example, there is a book titled "One Nation, Underprivileged: Why American Poverty Affects Us All." But "privileged" and "underprivileged" are confused and misleading expressions....
Posted by KevinRollins at 12:36 AM

May 14, 2005

Like Taking Candy

By Paul Jacob I'm not the biggest fan of public schooling. For one thing, I worry about what kids are taught. And then I worry about all the inane politically correct rituals and practices imposed on kids. Sometimes it seems...
Posted by KevinRollins at 02:18 PM

May 10, 2005

On the Dictatorship of Relativism

By Fred Foldvary The day before he was elected pope and took the name Benedict XVI, Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger presented a homily denouncing what he termed the "dictatorship of relativism... that recognizes nothing definite and leaves only one's own ego...
Posted by KevinRollins at 07:54 AM

May 09, 2005

The Man vs. the Business

By Paul Jacob How dangerous is big business? How effective can small government be? Take the case of college student David Zamos. He bought the latest upgrades to Microsoft's Windows and Office software from his university's computer store. But he...
Posted by KevinRollins at 12:32 PM

May 05, 2005

Send in the Gnomes

By Paul Jacob The best defense is often self-defense. But in Britain, strict gun control, sword control, and even knife control has rendered peaceful citizens defenseless. Well, almost. A Cornish grandmother recently defended herself quite successfully in her home. With...
Posted by KevinRollins at 12:32 AM

May 04, 2005

The Big Red Machine

By Jonathan David Morris Life was better under Soviet rule. Well, actually, let me rephrase that. What I mean is, I liked it better when Americans lived in fear of the Soviets. It ruled. Last week, Russian President Vladimir Putin...
Posted by KevinRollins at 09:11 AM

May 03, 2005

The Ivory-Billed Woodpecker

By Fred Foldvary The bird-lover world was astonished and delighted to find out that Campephilus principalis, the ivory-billed woodpecker, thought to be extinct, in fact has been found! As reported in Science magazine, the ivory-billed bird survives in the Cache...
Posted by KevinRollins at 12:20 AM

April 28, 2005

Who Benefits from an Ownership Society? It Depends on What You Own

By Ali Massoud I had a friend in college who could have literally been the model for the Bluto character in the movie Animal House. He trashed so many rented houses, apartments, and dorm rooms that he had to work...
Posted by KevinRollins at 12:17 AM

Eight Ain't Enough

By Paul Jacob With a vengeance, Florida legislators are proving the old adage that no one's life, liberty, or property is safe while the legislature is in session. Florida's term limits law passed with a whopping 77 percent YES vote....
Posted by KevinRollins at 12:06 AM

April 27, 2005

TV Turnoff Week

By Jonathan David Morris This week, millions of Americans will—allegedly—turn off their TVs for the sake of turning off their TVs. It’s all part of an annual event called TV Turnoff Week, which urges people to get off their couches…...
Posted by KevinRollins at 01:19 AM

April 26, 2005

Red Light Cameras and Photo-Enforced Traffic Fines

by Fred Foldvary The City of Berkeley, California, is about to give an Australian company an incentive to maximize traffic citations. The red-light camera system will pay the manufacturer $48 out of every fine extracted from motorists. The city will...
Posted by KevinRollins at 12:13 AM

April 25, 2005

What's the Matter with Liberals?

By Ali Massoud Thomas Frank, founder of the Baffler.com one of the first decent original content webzines back in the day and currently the much ballyhooed author of the social critique What’s the Matter with Kansas?, has discovered and iterated...
Posted by KevinRollins at 12:36 AM

April 22, 2005

Engineer Makes Good

By Paul Jacob Every once in a while I read something that makes me want to cheer. Not long ago the Bangor News ran an op-ed by one Peter Petersen, a chemical engineer who answers the claim that we are...
Posted by KevinRollins at 11:31 AM

April 19, 2005

Punishing Flight Delays and Unintended Consequences

By Paul Jacob There's a so-called Law of Unintended Consequences that describes the negative results of well-meaning interventions in the affairs of men. However, If you know whats going to happen, can consequences ever be unintended? I think we all...
Posted by KevinRollins at 12:51 AM

April 16, 2005

Cruising on the Titanic

By Paul Jacob The trustees who oversee Social Security recently revised their predictions of when the program will hit two big icebergs. Previously, 2018 and 2042 were the accepted years in which two different kinds of insolvency were reached. Now,...
Posted by KevinRollins at 03:29 AM

April 15, 2005

"I Call it Stealing."

By Paul Jacob It's a phenomenon all across America: local governments taking homes, businesses, churches, under the doctrine of eminent domain, so they can give that land to big retail outlets, which provide a lot more tax revenue. It's economic...
Posted by KevinRollins at 01:46 AM

April 13, 2005

Senator Tom Coburn: A Clash Between Ethics and Responsibility

By Richard Sincere It was recently my pleasure to attend two performances of the musical play, 1776, as produced by the Four County Players, a community theater in the historic village of Barboursville, Virginia (named for nineteenth-century Governor James Barbour)....
Posted by KevinRollins at 01:50 AM

Google Intruders

By Jonathan David Morris Occasionally I put a damper on a column. What I mean is, sometimes I pick a topic because I think I’ll have fun writing about it, but then I write about it and turn it into...
Posted by KevinRollins at 01:45 AM

April 12, 2005

Stick To Your Guns

By Paul Jacob Many people who are touchy about groups -- who, for example, take offense at the slightest hint of any aspersion cast against a group -- insist that we think about society primarily in terms of groups, not...
Posted by KevinRollins at 02:37 AM

April 10, 2005

The Root of All Evil

By Paul Jacob Life is trouble. A Washington Post headline caught my eye: "Growing Churches Trouble Prince George's." In Prince George's county, Maryland, there is a growing rift between churches and the county government over money. Tax money. Tax money...
Posted by KevinRollins at 05:08 AM

April 06, 2005

The Gender of Ideas

By Paul Jacob Do we need gender-specific newspapers? With the flak the Los Angeles Times is taking over not having enough women writing for their editorial pages, I wonder. Michael Kinsley, a very thoughtful guy (for someone who is wrong...
Posted by KevinRollins at 01:24 AM

I'm a Heartless Bastard

By Jonathan David Morris Steven M. Warshawsky says I’m young, ignorant, immature, and breezy. This, in an essay called “On Terri Schiavo: A Response to Jonathan David Morris," published in response to my own “On Terri Schiavo," at intellectualconservative.com. The...
Posted by KevinRollins at 01:20 AM

April 04, 2005

The Human Rights Legacy of John Paul II

By Fred Foldvary It was perhaps not so much a coincidence that in 1978 Karol Wojtyla became John Paul II, the first Polish pope of the Catholic Church, just as the Polish people were bravely beginning to seek their freedom...
Posted by KevinRollins at 09:50 AM

March 30, 2005

On Terri Schiavo

By Jonathan David Morris A longtime reader emailed me after last week’s article to ask why I wrote about steroids instead of Terri Schiavo. The honest answer is, because I didn’t feel like writing about Terri Schiavo. That’s right. It’s...
Posted by KevinRollins at 12:32 PM

March 29, 2005

Billions and Billions

By Paul Jacob A million here, a million there, pretty soon you're talking real money. That's how the saying goes in Washington. In the real world, when we hear some of these financial figures tossed about, it's difficult to get...
Posted by KevinRollins at 12:25 AM

Choosing to Be or Not to Be

By Fred Foldvary Life and death have been topics of world-wide debate as the issue of whether to terminate life has aroused interest due to the sad case of Terri Schiavo. The brain-damaged woman has been in a so-called 'persistent...
Posted by KevinRollins at 12:23 AM

March 23, 2005

Congress Hates Mark McGwire

By Jonathan David Morris All right, so now that Major League Baseball has testified before Congress on the use of steroids, the time has come to answer the question: Why? As in: Why, exactly, did Congress hold these hearings? And...
Posted by KevinRollins at 10:50 AM

March 16, 2005

Congress Loves Baseball

By Jonathan David Morris Apparently our national pastime is now a matter of national security. Last week, the House Committee on Government Reform called on several players to testify about the use of steroids in Major League Baseball. If you...
Posted by KevinRollins at 11:12 AM

March 15, 2005

String Theory and Land Rent

By Fred Foldvary March 2005 marks the 100th anniversary of the publication of Einstein's theory of relativity. Einstein and other physicists spent much of the 20th century attempting to discover a grand unified theory of physics which would encompass relativity...
Posted by KevinRollins at 10:18 AM

March 12, 2005

Solvent, but Not Secure

By Paul Jacob Those of us advocating private accounts for Social Security have argued that the system is not solvent. Now, workers pay more than enough payroll taxes to cover the benefits paid out to current retirees. In fact, there's...
Posted by KevinRollins at 07:49 AM

March 11, 2005

Reparations, Freedmen, and Treaties

By Jack Forbes The conference on racism held in Durban, South Africa highlighted the issue of reparations and apologies for the use of slave (captive) labor between 1492 and the nineteenth-century. But this issue has been (as usual) discussed without...
Posted by KevinRollins at 12:48 AM

March 10, 2005

The Debtor’s Treadmill - Easy to Get on and Now Harder to Get Off

By Ali Hassan Massoud The first major overhaul of the nation's bankruptcy laws in 27 years and long sought by the nation's credit card companies and banks is likely to be approved by Congress this week. A news story regarding...
Posted by KevinRollins at 12:42 AM

March 09, 2005

The Political Economy of South Africa

By Fred Foldvary I was in South Africa from February 28 to March 6, 2005, for a conference on the enclosure and control of space. The presentations focused on the gated communities of South Africa. I had an opportunity to...
Posted by KevinRollins at 09:18 AM

March 08, 2005

Vermont Agrees to Disagree

By Jonathan David Morris You may have missed it, but roughly 50 Vermont towns passed resolutions last week calling for the return of their National Guardsmen from Iraq. “They can’t do that,” you say. Sure they can. They just did....
Posted by KevinRollins at 11:03 AM

March 07, 2005

Cruel and Unusual Logic

by Paul Jacob Most Americans favor the death penalty. Though I'm all for getting tough on crime, I've never supported capital punishment. I agree with Thomas Jefferson, who once wrote that he would support the death penalty only when the...
Posted by KevinRollins at 10:31 AM

March 03, 2005

"The Passion" vs. "Fahrenheit 9/11"

By Jonathan David Morris Only two movies had a real impact on American culture last year. One was Mel Gibson’s The Passion of the Christ. The other was Michael Moore’s Fahrenheit 9/11. Both defined whole sets of election-year social values...
Posted by KevinRollins at 12:59 AM

March 02, 2005

Attack of a Tax Proposal

By Paul Jacob It seems like just a few days ago, but it was a few months. Long enough for Congress to forget a promise, no? In mid-November, Congress extended its ban on multiple and discriminatory taxes on Internet access....
Posted by KevinRollins at 11:15 AM

February 26, 2005

The United States of Propaganda

By Paul Jacob I just read an ominous headline, "First Amendment No Big Deal, Students Say." The subhead elaborated, "Study shows American teenagers indifferent to freedoms." In an impressively large survey, a good third of students said that the First...
Posted by KevinRollins at 02:00 AM

February 25, 2005

The Brady Law Doesn’t Apply to Mrs. Brady?

By Ali Hassan Massoud The following news story caught my eye when I read it in the New York Daily News’ online edition. The headline and introduction I have excerpted here: “Gun control advocate may have violated gun laws" By...
Posted by KevinRollins at 01:46 AM

February 23, 2005

Set Thine Own House in Order

By Jonathan David Morris A few days ago, a friend told me I don’t write as angry as I used to. “You were better when you were mad,” he said. A few months ago, a reader made a similar observation....
Posted by KevinRollins at 10:21 AM

February 21, 2005

Kyoto, Global Warming, and the Economy

By Fred Foldvary The Kyoto Treaty on atmospheric pollution came into effect on February 16, 2005. The signatories have committed themselves to reduce carbon emissions below the 1990 level by 2012. Air pollution is believed to create a greater greenhouse...
Posted by KevinRollins at 08:40 AM

February 19, 2005

They Just Don't Get It

by Paul Jacob Nebraska State Senator Chris Beutler doesn't get it. "I still don't understand," Beutler confessed, "why people would want to give up their right to choose whoever they please." Chris Beutler is only one of many Nebraska politicians...
Posted by KevinRollins at 09:04 AM

February 16, 2005

Remembering Presidents' Day

By Jonathan David Morris The best American presidents are the ones whose names you can never remember—like Rutherford Hayes, Millard Fillmore, and that other guy. Now, ordinarily, these aren’t the people you’d associate with a serious discussion on America’s all-time...
Posted by KevinRollins at 10:12 AM

February 15, 2005

Democracy in Saudia Arabia

By Fred Folvary On February 10, elections to municipal councils were held in the region around Alreyad or Riyadh, the capital of Al-Mamlaka al-Arabiya as-Saudiya, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The country has a population of 21 million, of whom...
Posted by KevinRollins at 01:19 AM

February 14, 2005

What does Freedom Really Mean?

By Ron Paul “…man is not free unless government is limited. There's a clear cause and effect here that is as neat and predictable as a law of physics: As government expands, liberty contracts.” Ronald Reagan We’ve all heard the...
Posted by KevinRollins at 08:19 AM

February 12, 2005

Stossel, Super-Sharer

By Paul Jacob In John Stossel's recent 20/20 special, "Myths, Lies, and Nasty Behavior," he once again proved he's no "TV icon." He's an iconoclast. For nastiness he took on littering, add-on charges to cell phone bills, noisy intrusions, idiotic...
Posted by KevinRollins at 09:24 AM

February 11, 2005

An Unclaimed Price on his Head

By Ali H. Massoud Thomas Friedman, foreign affairs columnist for the New York Times, has an interesting take on the US government’s decision to raise the bounties on Osama bin-Laden and his top subordinate Abu Musab al-Zarqawi from $25 million...
Posted by KevinRollins at 09:51 AM

February 10, 2005

Social Security or Personal Financial Security?

by Fred Foldvary Social Security reform is now hot. The president is proposing shifting some of the Social Security taxes to private accounts. But there is much confusion about the two aspects to reforming Social Security. The first problem with...
Posted by KevinRollins at 10:20 AM

February 08, 2005

Duke, Where's My Car?

By Jonathan David Morris I have to admit the upcoming Dukes of Hazzard movie has a strong supporting cast. Seann William Scott and Johnny Knoxville will play the good old boys, Bo and Luke Duke. Willie Nelson will play Uncle...
Posted by KevinRollins at 09:41 AM

February 02, 2005

Why if there is God there is also Tragedy

By Fred Foldvary A disaster such as the earthquake and tsunami at the end of 2004 is often called an "act of God." But why would a benevolent God act to create a tragedy that kills 300,000 people? Atheists have...
Posted by KevinRollins at 02:17 PM

Make My Governor

By Paul Jacob What? We need Clint Eastwood? I thought Arnold Schwarzenegger, the Terminator, was just what California needed in the governor's mansion. After political leadership led the state to the edge of the abyss, a citizen-initiated recall brought in...
Posted by KevinRollins at 02:14 PM

Hey FDA! Lead, Follow, or Just Go Away

By Ali Hassan Massoud “Some Gene Research Just Isn't Worth the Money”, say two esteemed medical researchers in a New York Times essay recently. They go on to say, “How should we set priorities in medical research? Officials at the...
Posted by KevinRollins at 12:36 PM

January 31, 2005

What do you know about freedom?

by Fred Foldvary Most folks, if asked, say they favor a free society, but they don't know what freedom means. They vaguely favor being able to speak and move about freely, but when it comes to the crunch, they back...
Posted by KevinRollins at 08:22 AM

January 25, 2005

JDM Defines "Libertarian"

By Jonathan David Morris In last week’s column, I referred to myself as a libertarian, which I defined as “nicepeoplespeak for a ‘guy who doesn’t like government.’” After that article published, I got a letter from a guy named Mike....
Posted by KevinRollins at 10:11 AM

January 21, 2005

The "Starve The Beast" Diet Plan

By Paul Jacob Bloat. Fat. Corpulence. A billowing mass of ugly, unsustainable flesh racing - gracelessly - against time before the body gives out. No, I'm not talking about the latest obesity story put out by the health nannies. Or...
Posted by KevinRollins at 10:31 AM

A Speedy Tsunami Recovery? It's Possible!

by Fred Foldvary Amidst all the news about the aid to repair the damage from the tsunami, a small kingdom by the Indian Ocean has been utterly ignored. It's time to rectify this and let you know the good news...
Posted by KevinRollins at 09:45 AM

January 18, 2005

Propagandist For Hire!

By Jonathan David Morris In his syndicated column last week, Armstrong Williams wrote: “In 2003, I agreed to run a paid ad on my syndicated television show, promoting the Department of Education’s No Child Left Behind Act. I subsequently used...
Posted by KevinRollins at 10:22 AM

January 17, 2005

A Mime's Worth of Difference

By Paul Jacob In America, for all our political differences, we still often agree that there's not a "dime's worth" of difference between this candidate or that. So it's worth looking around the world at successful path breakers in politics....
Posted by KevinRollins at 08:02 AM

January 12, 2005

JDM: Going to California

“Better.” It’s a word we use often, but what does it mean? I spent the last week in L.A. and Santa Monica, marking the first time in 26 years I’ve been to California. My first day there, a rumor spread...
Posted by KevinRollins at 04:14 PM

January 11, 2005

Socio-Economics

The Association of American Law Schools held its annual meeting in San Francisco the first week of 2005, including several sections interested in various issues and policies. The Section on Socio-Economics held two meetings, in San Francisco and Berkeley. Socio-economics...
Posted by KevinRollins at 12:44 AM

January 06, 2005

All in Agreement--Why?

By Paul Jacob The government is horribly in debt, budgets are careening out of control. Understandably, many, many legislators like nearly every discriminatory tax" imaginable, tacking on charges here and there wherever they can. So why did Congress and the...
Posted by KevinRollins at 02:19 AM

January 04, 2005

Pay Up, Sit Still, and Damage Your Bladder: Theater Economics

By Jonathan David Morris You know how sometimes, when you’re so hungry that you’re borderline delusional, all you see when you look at someone is a nice, juicy turkey? Well, all right, I’m probably confusing real life with Looney Tunes...
Posted by KevinRollins at 09:14 AM

January 03, 2005

Aceh and the Governmental Tsunamis

By Fred Foldvary The destruction of the earthquake and tsunami dominated the news at the close of 2004. The Indonesian 'Special Province of Aceh' (Nanggroe Aceh Darussalamat) at the northern end of the island of Sumatra, was very close to...
Posted by KevinRollins at 11:58 AM

The Simplest Advantage of All

by Paul Jacob Opponents of legislative term limits often tell me that we already have term limits. "It's called the ballot box, Stupid." Sometimes they're nice enough not to add the "Stupid." My response is to note that incumbents have...
Posted by KevinRollins at 11:18 AM

December 28, 2004

2004: The Year In Headlines

By Jonathan David Morris Much of what you’re about to read is true—except for the parts I made up. These are the Top Ten Stories of 2004. Read ‘em and weep. Happy New Year. 10. James “You Think He’s Gay?”...
Posted by KevinRollins at 12:14 PM

December 27, 2004

Zero Tolerance for a Lack of Morality

By Fred Foldvary The city council of the Mexican city of Villahermosa, which means 'beautiful villa,' has passed a law prohibiting people from being naked inside their houses if they might be viewed from the outside. A councilwoman and member...
Posted by KevinRollins at 11:09 AM

December 22, 2004

Jeff Flake -- Coulda Been a Contender

By Paul Jacob When Arizona's Jeff Flake entered Congress, he had pledged to limit his stay to three terms, following in Matt Salmon's footsteps. Salmon had also limited himself and quickly gained recognition for his adherence to principle. Endorsed by...
Posted by KevinRollins at 12:55 PM

December 21, 2004

Airplane Laptops Sí, Cellphones No!

By Fred Foldvary The Federal Communications Commission and the Federal Aviation Administration of the United States have begun the process of authorizing the use of wireless devices in airplanes, including email and cellular telephones. The FCC has allocated the frequencies...
Posted by KevinRollins at 02:25 PM

My Story of "A Christmas Story"

By Jonathan David Morris It is impossible to be an American, and especially a child of the ‘80s, without having watched—a hundred times—the classic film, “A Christmas Story." “A Christmas Story” is narrated by the inimitable Jean Shepherd of pre-Limbaugh-Hannity-Savage...
Posted by KevinRollins at 02:18 PM

December 17, 2004

Knowing it All

By Paul Jacob The lights glaring at him, Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist faced the cameras on "Face the Nation" and said, "I have no earthly idea how it got in there. But, obviously, somebody is going to know, and...
Posted by KevinRollins at 11:47 AM

December 16, 2004

Ignoring Reality in Iraq

By Ron Paul A recent study by the Pentagon’s Defense Science Task Force on Strategic Communications concluded that in the struggle for hearts and minds in Iraq, “American efforts have not only failed, they may also have achieved the opposite...
Posted by KevinRollins at 06:26 PM

December 15, 2004

Why Wi-Fi?

By Paul Jacob Politicians like to promise Big Things. Even if completely nutty. We're used to this at the federal level. Unfortunately, local politics is not immune. Now, in city after city - Atlanta, Cleveland, San Francisco, elsewhere -- mayors...
Posted by KevinRollins at 12:23 PM

December 14, 2004

Pennsylvania: Come for the Sights, Stay for the… Milk?

By Jonathan David Morris You know what we don’t need? State birds. If you can convince me we need state birds, I will give you a dollar. This dare germinates from a visit I made to “Visit PA” the other...
Posted by KevinRollins at 03:55 PM

December 13, 2004

Psychiatric Totalitarianism

By Fred Foldvary An effective way for government to control its subjects is to be able to declare anyone insane on the say-so of a government doctor, and then have the power to kill, imprison, or drug the subject. That...
Posted by KevinRollins at 06:17 PM

December 07, 2004

The Spies Inside My Computer

By Jonathan David Morris I like how you can’t look up song lyrics online anymore, because whenever you do you get 69 self-installing spyware programs that pop up ads, install search “companions,” and generally kill your PC’s speed. I came...
Posted by KevinRollins at 04:56 PM

December 06, 2004

Not Enough of a Take?

By Paul Jacob How'd you like to work at a job six years and then get health benefits for the rest of your life, so long as you're at least 55 when you "retire"? Not so easy to come by...
Posted by KevinRollins at 02:44 PM

Sarbanes-Oxley: Killing Enterprise to Save It

By Fred Foldvary In reaction to corporate scandals, greed, failure, and fraud, Congress in July 2002 passed the Sarbanes-Oxley Corporate Reform Act, named after Sen. Paul Sarbanes (Democrat, Maryland), at the time chairman of the Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs...
Posted by KevinRollins at 08:29 AM

December 03, 2004

Supernatural Selection

By Jonathan David Morris When I was a kid, we would play a game called “Telephone.” Of course, I say “we” as if kids spontaneously sat down and played this game, when, in fact, that was never the case. It...
Posted by KevinRollins at 03:14 PM

November 30, 2004

Too Many Fat Kids

By Paul Jacob Too many kids are much too fat. Nearly everyone agrees. So what should we do about it? The National Academy of Sciences has come out with a "comprehensive assessment." The up shot? "We must act now and...
Posted by KevinRollins at 05:36 PM

Elections in Ukraine, Palestine, Iraq

By Fred Foldvary It's good news that more countries are turning towards democracy, but the bad news is that they are copying flawed models of mass democracy. Still, it's better than dictatorship, so the global community should support and praise...
Posted by KevinRollins at 10:19 AM

November 29, 2004

TSA -- Bullies at the Airport

By Ron Paul If you traveled by air last week for the Thanksgiving holiday, you undoubtedly witnessed Transportation Security Administration agents conducting aggressive searches of some passengers. A new TSA policy begun in September calls for invasive and humiliating searches...
Posted by KevinRollins at 06:45 PM

November 26, 2004

Democracy Here First

By Paul Jacob Columnist Jeff Jacoby says if Iraq is lucky, it will get democracy before we do. That may be rhetorical exaggeration . . . but not by much. According to Jacoby, "Thanks to modern gerrymandering; most congressional districts...
Posted by KevinRollins at 10:50 AM

November 24, 2004

Chewing Through Big Tobacco

By Paul Jacob It's hard to be a party man these days. They often don't stand for anything. Not firmly. Or rather, the political parties all too often seem to stand for one thing above all: grabbing whatever they can...
Posted by KevinRollins at 11:58 AM

The Natural Laws of Economics

By Fred Foldvary A natural law is a proposition that is universal to a subject matter. In science, a natural law consists of propositions describing and explaining observed regularities. There are in economics some basic regularities which have been designated...
Posted by KevinRollins at 02:22 AM

November 16, 2004

Accentuate the Negative

By Paul Jacob The difference between intentions and consequences is basic. In grade school the refrain "at least I tried" might carry some weight. But only among children. Adults should demand real results of each other. We pay employees to...
Posted by KevinRollins at 01:00 AM

November 15, 2004

The Middle East Quagmire

By Ron Paul The death of PLO chairman Yasser Arafat last week once again brings the Israeli-Palestinian conflict to the international forefront. The Bush administration finds itself in an uncomfortable but familiar role as peacemaker for yet another intractable, ancient,...
Posted by KevinRollins at 05:10 PM

November 11, 2004

Anybody but George

By Fred Foldvary Why did John Kerry lose the election? Possibly there was manipulation of the voting and the vote tallying in those electronic black boxes now used for unaccountable counting. But let's assume that any voting fraud would not...
Posted by KevinRollins at 10:05 AM

Mayor Hits Foul Ball

By Paul Jacob The mayor can't understand. Why? Why? How did it happen? Who? Huh? Hmm. It's Mayor Anthony A. Williams of Washington DC talking about baseball. No, not about the epochal victories of the Red Sox. The mayor is...
Posted by KevinRollins at 01:32 AM

November 09, 2004

One State, Two State, Red State, Blue State

By Jonathan David Morris John Kerry says “there are no losers” “in an American election.” There’s a part of me that finds this ironic, given that it was said during his concession speech, and given that concession, by definition, means...
Posted by KevinRollins at 09:59 AM

October 22, 2004

Cutting Pill Costs

by Paul Jacob While we wait for politicians to solve our prescription drug problem-or make it worse-there's something you can do right now to cut costs. Cut pills. No, I don't mean take less pills - I'm not dispensing medical...
Posted by KevinRollins at 10:38 AM

October 19, 2004

Who Are Kydland and Prescott?

by Fred E. Foldvary The 'Bank of Sweden Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel' for 2004 was won by Edward Prescott and Finn Kydland. Prescott is a professor at Arizona State University, and Kydland, born in Norway,...
Posted by KevinRollins at 01:19 AM

Paul Jacob: “Ich Bin Ein Hong Konger”

by Paul Jacob “Hong Kong Elections a Blow to Democrats," the headline caught me off guard. There are many differences among peoples throughout the world, but I think the similarities are stronger. One similarity is the desire to be free....
Posted by KevinRollins at 01:17 AM

October 12, 2004

The 9-11 Intelligence Bill is More of the Same

By Ron Paul Last week the House of Representative passed the “9-11 Recommendations Implementation Act,” a bill that ostensibly puts in place the ideas endorsed by the 9-11 Commission. As I related to you back in August, however, the commission...
Posted by KevinRollins at 10:12 AM

JDM: No, Seriously, Watch “Wife Swap”

By Jonathan David Morris Last Wednesday, my wife and I watched ABC’s new reality series, “Wife Swap.” I suppose there’s some irony in this. But anyway, I’m sort of agnostic when it comes to reality television. I’m not a true...
Posted by KevinRollins at 10:05 AM

Energy Problem: Solved!

By Fred Foldvary The industrial revolution, which began in the late 1700s, was fueled by abundant carbon-based energy sources: wood, peat, coal, oil, and natural gas. Oil is now the most important energy source, since it powers most vehicles and...
Posted by KevinRollins at 10:02 AM

Bum Rap

By Paul Jacob Are our politicians driven to distraction? Obsessed with personalities and attacks, they ignore issues that concern everyday citizens. Could it be because they see what happens when someone runs an issue-oriented campaign? Congressman Jim DeMint from Greenville,...
Posted by KevinRollins at 09:58 AM

October 05, 2004

On Presidents and Plant Life

By Jonathan David Morris Jonathan David Morris: Good evening. I’m Jonathan David Morris, and I’m here with two very distinguished members of the plant life community—a bush and a tree—both of which live and work in the mulch outside my...
Posted by KevinRollins at 09:59 AM

Affordable Housing Mandates and Inclusionary Zoning

By Fred Foldvary Probably the reason we get such bad economic policies is that folks are fooled by the appearance of things because they do not understand economic reality. It is the primary job of economists to uncover and make...
Posted by KevinRollins at 03:33 AM

September 23, 2004

JDM: Taxation with Representation

By Jonathan David Morris It was right around 7:30 last Friday morning when I crossed over the Delaware River Bridge on my way to work. About a minute after merging onto the New Jersey Turnpike, I noticed a large white...
Posted by KevinRollins at 01:18 AM

September 20, 2004

“I'd Rather Not”

Once upon a time there was a piece of software called Microsoft Word. Those were the days of a bitterly contested presidential election, and of a biased news show on a network that will not be named here, but which...
Posted by KevinRollins at 10:18 AM

Foldvary: Democracy Can Take Root

by Fred Foldvary Those who say democracy cannot be established in areas where it has not long been part of the culture need to explain Indonesia. Indonesia is a mostly Muslim country that had been ruled by a dictator. It...
Posted by KevinRollins at 10:12 AM

September 13, 2004

The Revolution is Now

By Paul Jacob Were we born in the wrong age? Sometimes people who bemoan the modern fate of liberty wonder where leaders like the Founding Fathers are today. People who advocate term limits sometimes express this sentiment. How can we...
Posted by KevinRollins at 09:53 AM

Foldvary: A Subsidy to Greed, Revenge, and Harassment

By Fred Foldvary The great American economist and social reformer Henry George declared that a tax on selling or on income is a tax on truth, a tax on honesty, a tax on morality. The taxpayer has to divulge all...
Posted by KevinRollins at 09:48 AM

September 09, 2004

The Trouble with Republicans

By Fred Foldvary The Republican Party of the USA has now selected its candidates for president and vice president. They have given rousing speeches, and now the voters should carefully analyze the substance of their proposed policies. The main problem...
Posted by KevinRollins at 02:27 AM

Paul Jacob: Serving Themselves

By Paul Jacob Herb McMillan is a veteran of the Navy. He is also a delegate in the Maryland legislature. He's found out that these two institutions behave quite differently. He writes in The Washington Post, "As a Naval Academy...
Posted by KevinRollins at 02:23 AM

JDM: Zell Miller, Certifiably Insane?

By Jonathan David Morris “Time after time in our history, in the face of great danger, Democrats and Republicans worked together to ensure that freedom would not falter,” said Democratic Senator Zell Miller at last week’s Republican National Convention. “Which...
Posted by KevinRollins at 02:16 AM

September 02, 2004

Paul Jacob: Arkansas Legislators' Excellent Adventures

Have a great vacation this summer, should you and your family find the time and money to get away from it all. Still, forgive Arkansans if they don't express fond wishes for their own state legislators, who are vacationing all...
Posted by KevinRollins at 03:17 AM

September 01, 2004

Saurkraut, Watermelon, and Rent

by Fred Foldvary Millions of people get heartburn, which sets the chest on fire, and to get relief, they ingest pills to block, neutralize, or prevent the acid. But the chemicals in these medications can prevent proper digestion and damage...
Posted by KevinRollins at 09:27 AM

August 31, 2004

JDM: No News is Good News

By Jonathan David Morris It feels so good to be out of touch. Last Thursday I went to Best Buy and brought home a brand new TV. Flat screen. Twenty-seven inches. I would love to say I rushed home and...
Posted by KevinRollins at 10:02 AM

August 24, 2004

The High School Reunion

By Fred Foldvary Going to a high-school reunion is like going back in time and then experiencing future shock. Suddenly there you are among the kids you knew several decades ago. Some of them, whom you have not seen since...
Posted by KevinRollins at 11:10 AM

Paul Jacob: Staying Bought?

By Paul Jacob There's an old saying that an "honest politician" is one who, once bought, stays bought. I'll bet that's not _your_ definition, though. Not mine, either. Louisiana Congressman Rodney Alexander recently switched from the Democrats to the Republicans....
Posted by KevinRollins at 11:07 AM

An Ode to Cuban Cigars

By Jonathan David Morris I should probably devote this column to New Jersey Gov. Jim McGreevey’s recent announcement that he will step down for having had a homosexual affair—that seems to be the “it” story of the moment. But I...
Posted by KevinRollins at 10:59 AM

August 20, 2004

The Governor's Whole Truth

by Paul Jacob New Jersey Governor James McGreevey surprised his state and the nation, announcing that "My truth is that I am a gay American." This may tell us a truth, just not the whole truth. I certainly feel for...
Posted by KevinRollins at 01:11 PM

August 17, 2004

Cruising in the Keystone State

By Jonathan David Morris Perhaps the hardest part about my recent move from New Jersey to Pennsylvania is trying to tell friends and relatives how to get to my new townhouse. This has more to do with Pennsylvania roads than...
Posted by KevinRollins at 11:38 AM

August 12, 2004

Common Sense: Phrases to Steal By

by Paul Jacob Usually, politicians use 50-cent words to puff up two-bit ideas. When it comes to taking away people's land, they do the opposite. They use three phrases — "eminent domain," "economic development," "master plan" — and they mean...
Posted by KevinRollins at 10:59 AM

August 10, 2004

On Marriage and Bureaucrats

By Jonathan David Morris You know what’s not easy? Planning a wedding. I’m serious. This is coming from a guy who writes about changing the world every week. I honestly think that changing the world is easy compared to planning...
Posted by KevinRollins at 12:14 PM

August 09, 2004

The Trouble with Democrats

By Fred Foldvary Originally published in the Progress Report The Democratic Party of the USA has now selected its candidates for president and vice president. They have given rousing speeches, and now the voters should carefully analyze the substance of...
Posted by KevinRollins at 02:15 AM

August 03, 2004

JDM: Hang Up and Drive, or Don't

By Jonathan David Morris All right, picture this: Killer telephone numbers. I’m not talking about easy-to-memorize digits here. Like, “Hey, man, that’s a killer number.” I’m not talking about that. I’m talking about numbers that instantly kill you the moment...
Posted by KevinRollins at 12:10 PM

July 29, 2004

Foldvary: A Half-Theory of Everything

By Fred Foldvary Originally published in the Progress Report My late friend Tertius Chandler, a geoist and historian, wrote a huge tome called Chandler's Half-Encyclopedia. He called it a 'half-encyclopedia' because although he know a lot of facts, especially about...
Posted by KevinRollins at 03:13 PM

JDM: The United States of Prohibition

By Jonathan David Morris As I've said a couple of times in this column, I'm leaving New Jersey after 26 years when I get married in August. My soon-to-be wife and I are leasing a townhouse in a magical paradise...
Posted by KevinRollins at 03:01 PM

July 20, 2004

JDM: It can happen here

By Jonathan David Morris Late last year, General Tommy Franks told Cigar Aficionado that another terrorist attack on America, especially one using WMDs, could "unravel the fabric of our Constitution" in favor of martial law. In this scenario, liberty would...
Posted by KevinRollins at 12:59 PM

June 29, 2004

JDM: The Mental State of Our Union

By Jonathan David Morris George Bush has got to go. Why am I saying this? Two articles, in particular. The first appeared in the Washington Post on June 16th. The second appeared in World Net Daily on June 21st. When...
Posted by KevinRollins at 04:39 PM

June 24, 2004

Gessing: Time for Third Parties to Get Serious

By Paul J. Gessing With Republicans and Democrats nearly in lockstep on the most important issues of the day – out of control spending especially on corporate welfare and defense, curtailed individual freedoms including free speech and privacy, and intervening...
Posted by KevinRollins at 10:19 PM

June 12, 2004

JDM: Mourning In America

By Jonathan David Morris The 40th President of the United States, Ronald Reagan, has died at the age of 93 after a lengthy battle with Alzheimer's. In the days to come, you'll read many essays attempting to capture his innermost...
Posted by KevinRollins at 03:18 AM

June 09, 2004

JDM: Ladies Night Of The Living Dead

By Jonathan David Morris Ladies Night. It's the queen of bar and nightclub promotions, and it's popular nationwide. At the Coastline in Cherry Hill, New Jersey, for example, ladies get in without a cover charge -- and pay less for...
Posted by KevinRollins at 01:52 PM

June 06, 2004

"Click It or Ticket" Sticks It To Drivers

By Jonathan David Morris Soon, I'll be leaving New Jersey -- the state in which I was born -- to live next-door in Pennsylvania. It's an I'm-getting-married-and-need-a-new-place-to-live thing. More on that in a later column. What's important to note is...
Posted by KevinRollins at 03:10 PM

May 18, 2004

The Patriot Act is a Refuge for Scoundrels

By Jonathan David Morris I've decided the Patriot Act is not an assault on our civil liberties, but rather one big practical joke. Any day now, the feds will kick down our doors in the middle of the night. They'll...
Posted by KevinRollins at 01:19 PM

May 11, 2004

Abu Ghraib Ain't No Animal House

By Jonathan David Morris By now you've probably seen the photos of Americans mistreating Iraqis at Abu Ghraib prison. It's some pretty compelling stuff. In one, there's a woman with a naked man on a leash -- like a Co-Ed...
Posted by KevinRollins at 10:37 AM

May 07, 2004

This Just In: John Kerry Is Dull

By Jonathan David Morris In the Village Voice last week, James Ridgeway suggested the Democrats should pick a new presidential candidate. "With the air gushing out of John Kerry's balloon," he wrote, "it may be only a matter of time...
Posted by KevinRollins at 01:05 PM

April 30, 2004

Grab Your Sweater: D.C.'s Feeling a Draft

by Jonathan David Morris Pictures of young men adorn the masthead on the Selective Service website. A surfer dude with his arms outstretched. A black man in a shirt and tie. A guitarist. A cowboy. A pensive wigger with a...
Posted by KevinRollins at 02:48 AM

The Rights of the Accused

Dr. Fred Foldvary questions the US Government's current policy of indefinite detainment of prisoners at Guantanamo Bay. This article first appeared in the Progress Report, of which Foldvary is Senior Editor.
Posted by KevinRollins at 02:10 AM

April 20, 2004

A Place Called Perfect

By Jonathan David Morris Walgreens. It's the self-proclaimed "Pharmacy America Trusts." Been there lately? I have. A few weeks ago, in fact, I went there to fill a prescription for Augmentin. That's the antibiotic my doctor prescribed to make my...
Posted by KevinRollins at 02:22 PM

April 14, 2004

Look, Boys! Now You Can Fight Like Real Men!

By Jonathan David Morris My editor at The Aquarian requested I gear this week's column towards the under-18 crowd. Hey, no problem. So first things first, young ones, let me say there's one golden rule in life, and it's a...
Posted by KevinRollins at 01:06 PM

March 30, 2004

The Governor is a Harsh Mistress

by Jonathan David Morris So get this: I'm getting married in August. It's true. In fact, I've been planning the wedding for more than a year; I just never thought to write about it before. So why am I writing...
Posted by KevinRollins at 01:59 PM