Thanks to decades of reckless spending by European welfare states, the newspapers are filled with headlines about debt, default, contagion, and bankruptcy. We know that Greece and Ireland already have received direct bailouts, and other European welfare states are…
Daily Analysis
The Case for Social Security Personal Accounts
There are two crises facing Social Security. First the program has a gigantic unfunded liability, largely caused by demographics. Second, the program is a very bad deal for younger workers, making them pay record amounts of tax in exchange for comparatively meager…
Blaming Tea Party for Giffords Attack Is Political Sleaze of the Worst Sort
A crazy nut in Arizona goes on a shooting spree, wounding a Congresswoman and killing several people – including a nine-year old child. Normal people immediately have two thoughts – grief for the victims and a visceral desire to catch and punish the thug. A lot of…
A Two-Part Quiz for Libertarians and other Advocates of Limited Government
I try to visit the Drudge Report once a day because he has a knack for finding quirky stories. One of his recent gems is a report from the UK-based Sun about an obese man who is suing the government’s healthcare system because he got close to 1200 pounds (assuming…
A French Politician Has a Strong Entry in the “Dumbest Thing Ever Said” Contest
Why hasn’t Europe fought World War III? Could it be because the Soviet Union eventually collapsed? Could it be that the NATO, the western military alliance, was effective? Could it be the mutually assured destruction kept the peace? Could it be that America’s…
Republican Sellout Watch
Grousing about the GOP’s timidity in the battle against big government will probably become an ongoing theme over the next few months, and let’s start with two items that don’t bode well for fiscal discipline. First, it appears that Republicans didn’t really mean it…
Who Knew the TSA Was so Productive?
I suppose there’s a slight possibility, perhaps asymptotically approaching 100 percent, that this is a parody rather than a real press release, so enjoy with appropriate skepticism.
Time to Shut Down the Department of Transportation and Take a Small Step to Restoring Federalism
Republicans have been spouting lots of good rhetoric, but what really matters is shrinking the burden of government. One very attractive option is federalism. There are things that perhaps should be done by government, but there is absolutely no reason why they…
How Will House Democrats React When the Constitution Is Read Out Loud Today?
House Republicans will read the Constitution today, out loud, on the floor of the House of Representatives. I’m guessing this is how some politicians will react. More accurately, this is how they would react if the Supreme Court actually upheld the Founding Fathers’…
Not-so-Great Moments in Government Regulation
I’m not a coffee drinker, but I might change my mind if I had the option to patronize a drive-through establishment featuring bikini-clad baristas. And such establishments apparently do exist in the Pacific Northwest. But some people are not happy about…