Why Aren’t Liberals Embracing Federalism?
The overwhelming victory of Bill DeBlasio in NYC's mayoral race is being hailed (or decried, depending on your political beliefs) as the ushering in of a new era of liberalism in NY City. DeBlasio has already indicated some of what he intends to do, including taxing...
The Theory is Good, the Implementation Failed
As ObamaCare continues to train-wreck, I expect we will hear, nestled in among the litany and cacophony of excuses, misinformation, lies, historical revisions and assurances of future success the eternal excuse of statists - that the theory is good but the...
Stater vs Statement
Consider this quote: There are two sides to every issue: one side is right and the other is wrong, but the middle is always evil. The man who is wrong still retains some respect for truth, if only by accepting the responsibility of choice. But the man in the middle is...
Musings on Communism and Human Nature
One of the Facebook pages I follow posted the sarcastic statement "I just wish someone had already tried communism to see if it really works." I knew immediately, before even reading the comments, that there would be at least one twit who'd come forth and declare that...
Conspiracies and Skepticism
While flipping through a book of aphorisms by the American philosopher Eric Hoffer, I came across this little ditty: Rabid suspicion has nothing in it of skepticism. The suspicious mind believes more than it doubts. It believes in a formidable and ineradicable evil...
Sin Taxes and the Black Market
The nation is moving, in fits and starts, baby steps and backslides, towards legalizing marijuana. Why pot became illegal and has remained so for 75 years is a head-shaking and toe-curling story that few are aware of, a story full of lies, hysteria, ignorance and...
Government Nannies vs Independent Testers
In October 2012, the WSJ ran an interview with Ron Johnson a small-government-minded businessman who got elected Senator in Wisconsin in 2010. Therein, he stated: The government isn't here to solve our problems. We need government. It's necessary. But by and large,...
A Healthcare Red Herring
One of the big drivers of health care costs, we are told, is the extraordinary effort the system puts into extending the lives of people with late-term cancers and other terminal illnesses. Look around and you will find plenty of stories about this or that person...
Billionaires and Taxes
I came across a bit I wrote back in 2003, that I dubbed "Billionaire Socialists:" What's with all the billionaire socialists? Bill Gates' dad said some time ago that the rich should be taxed higher, Mike Bloomberg is hell-bent on not only soaking the taxpayers of...
How Incompetence is Saving Us From Statism
A joke I've heard and repeated is that government incompetence is the only thing that has saved us from totalitarianism. There's a ring of truth to the gag, which makes it more than just a throwaway dig at big government. But it seems especially apt as we watch the...
The Social Security Lie
A couple years back, when the Tea Party movement was in full force and the 2010 mid-term election process was in full swing, there was a common complaint about Tea Partiers regarding their opposition to taxes but their refusal to forego entitlements. This criticism...
Rules for Thee But Not For Me
Senator Rand Paul has recently tilted at another windmill by sponsoring an amendment that requires politicians to be subject to the same rules and laws as the people they govern. It's a great idea, but I think the nation has gone too far down the wrong path for this...
The Cost of Tax Cuts
There was a story on FoxNews.com today about how Alaska has lost its pre-eminence as an oil producing state as the domestic oil boom continues (thank you hydraulic fracturing, no thanks to you Mr. President). The story suggests that an unfavorable taxation structure...
Liberty vs Security – A False Dichotomy
A false choice fallacy, also known as a false dilemma or a false dichotomy, occurs when someone presents two (or more) alternatives as the only options when there are other, unstated options. It's a cheap debating tactic, meant to constrain an argument or redirect a...
Ideate, Self-Congratulate, and Move On
President Obama, with Biden and some other dignitaries at his back, is now standing up and calling on Congress to pass immigration reform. Meanwhile, the ObamaCare train wreck remains unresolved, Kathleen Sebelius has been called to the Hill to testify, an "A-Team" is...
A Billion A Day To Fight Global Warming
Today, Drudge briefly headlined a report that about a billion dollars a day are being spent to combat global warming. I searched the headline out and found it plastered all over right-wing websites, so I got a bit suspicious. But, when I clicked through to the...
Occupational Licensing and Certifications – Why Should We Trust Them?
I had lunch with an old friend the other day. Among our musings, which ranged from family to cars, we engaged in some political discussions (imagine that, me talking politics). We hit the subject of government licensing and certifications and he, being a professional...
I’d Love to Change the World
I'd love to change the world But I don't know what to do So I leave it up to you" Thus sang Alvin Lee of Ten Years After in 1971. Driving along one morning, as I was clicking through the satellite radio channels, I landed on Classic Vinyl and caught the song in...
Zero Tolerance Policies – The Real Reason
There's a recent story bouncing around about how a Boston area teen girl got a call from a friend at a party who was too drunk to drive. She drove to the party, but just after she arrived the police showed up and rounded the kids up, netting her in the process. She...
Shutdown Winners and Losers
There's been much hand-wringing and caterwauling within the Republican establishment about the damage done by Ted Cruz and the liberty movement's quixotic efforts to derail ObamaCare. They tell us that Cruz did enormous harm to the GOP by fighting an unwinnable fight,...
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