Andrew Napolitano: A Government Of Secrecy And Fear

Will we get our lost liberties back?         Every American who values the rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, every American who enjoys the right to be different and the right to be left alone, and every American who believes that the government works for us and we don't work for the government should thank Edward  ... MORE

Barry Farber: Why They're After The Brilliant Ted Cruz

Why are the tree-dwellers making faces at him?       There’s something “other-worldly” about Sen. Ted Cruz. And the reaction he provokes. The whole Cruz phenomenon reminds me of the billionaire industrialist who invited 50 of his most important business friends on a hunting trip in Maine. As dusk began to set in, their guide      ... MORE

VIDEO: Ayn Rand - The Objectivist Philosophy

NSA Spied On 124 BILLION Phone Calls In One Month!

Adam Kredo on NSA's widespread data collection.          The National Security Agency recorded information about more than 124 billion phone calls during a 30-day period earlier this year, including around 3 billion calls from U.S. sources, according to a tally from top-secret documents released by multiple news outlets.        ... MORE

Froma Harrop: Scandal In Candyland

Taxpayers get not-so-sweet deal.            Ever notice how some government programs draw the ire of almost everyone? Conservatives, liberals, environmentalists, libertarians, business, labor, consumers and grouchy taxpayers are all opposed. Yet these programs go on as though directed by an unstoppable particle beam from a neighboring     ... MORE

VIDEO: Andrew Napolitano - Government Debt Addiction

T Gamble: Political Correctness Crowd Working Overtime

Avoiding the heartbreak of being offended.        The political correctness crowd has been working overtime lately, which I guess they can do considering they don’t really actually work anywhere but instead spend all their time trying to figure out a new way to be offended. They now claim great offense at the Washington Redskins         ... MORE

Ronald Bailey: Five Phony Public Health Scares

Scaremongering sells.         Health activists, nutrition nannies, medical paternalists, and just plain old quacks regularly conjure up menaces that are supposedly damaging the health of Americans. Their scares range from the decades-long campaign against fluoridation to worries that saccharin causes cancer to the ongoing hysteria     ... MORE

Veronique de Rugy: The Kids Aren't All Right

Suffocated by gov't spending, subsidies and debt.      A word of caution for kids heading off to college this year: Your degree may be worth less and cost more than you think. Your job prospects will likely be grim, whether or not you get that sheepskin. Oh, and you're on the hook for trillions in federal debt racked up by your parents and   ... MORE

ObamaCare: What If It Were Fire Insurance?

by Gary North.       What if ObamaCare were fire insurance? It would be very special. You could buy a policy after a smoke detector in your home started blaring. When you hear “pre-existing condition,” think “blaring smoke detector.” The insurance company has a sales offer: “We insure you AFTER your home catches on fire!” It’s a great offer . . . to   ... MORE

VIDEO: John Stossel - Fracking

Brian Cates: The True Purpose Of ObamaCare

A single payer Trojan Horse.        The Affordable Care Act is already doing a fantastic job at it's true purpose: taking great health insurance plans away from people and replacing them with either a much higher-priced, inferior plan or....nothing. In all the discussion about ObamaCare, many people are missing the point about the true purpose of    ... MORE

"Terrifying" Surveillance Tactics Shut Down Privacy Service

by Ryan Gallagher.        Yet another American Internet privacy service has bitten the dust, prompted by fears about broad government surveillance demands. San Francisco-based CryptoSeal, a provider of virtual private networks that can be used to browse the Internet anonymously, has closed its doors to users of its private VPN    ... MORE

VIDEO: How To Fight Global Poverty

Public Support For Marijuana Legalization Hits Record High

by Adam Wollner.        A record number of Americans are in favor of legalizing marijuana, according to a new released Tuesday. The poll, which was conducted Oct. 3-6, reports that 58 percent of the public supports the legalization of marijuana, while 39 percent opposes it. The tide of public opinion appears to be rapidly turning in favor of   ... MORE

IRS Paid Out $110 Billion In EITC To The Unqualified

One in five dollars squandered on improper payments.     The Internal Revenue Service has paid out more than $110 billion in tax credits over the past decade to people who didn't qualify for them, a Treasury report has revealed. The Earned Income Tax Credits were intended for poor working families but the report showed that one in five   ... MORE

High Court To Decide The Future Of Civil Asset Forfeiture

Don't expect gov't court to curb gov't powers.    On Wednesday October 16, the US Supreme Court heard oral arguments in the case of Kaley v. United States. This case will undoubtedly be a landmark decision on the legality of civil asset forfeiture, a “government seizure of property and cash, even when the owner isn’t charged [with] a crime.” ... MORE

Walter E Williams: Loving And Hating America

Check with those voting with their feet.      As I've documented in the past, many leftist teachers teach our youngsters to hate our country. For example, University of Hawaii Professor Haunani-Kay Trask counseled her students, "We need to think very, very clearly about who the enemy is. The enemy is the United States of America and everyone who  ... MORE

VIDEO: John McAfee - ObamaCare and Privacy Concerns

Thomas Sowell: Race-Hustling Results

Scoring the racial grievance industry.        Years ago, someone said that, according to the laws of aerodynamics, bumblebees cannot fly. But the bumblebees, not knowing the laws of aerodynamics, go ahead and fly anyway. Something like that happens among people. There have been many ponderous academic writings and dour editorials in the       ... MORE

Ira Stoll: The ObamaCare Disaster Has Arrived

Get ready for much worse.     For a sense of where the health care policy debate in America is headed, look no further than Massachusetts, where Romneycare was a state-run demonstration project for Obamacare. Here, activists with ties to the Massachusetts State Nurses Association are organizing to place a question on the 2014        ... MORE

VIDEO: The Origins Of Political Correctness

Susan Stellin: Security Check Starts Long Before You Fly

New scrutiny for air travelers.         The Transportation Security Administration is expanding its screening of passengers before they arrive at the airport by searching a wide array of government and private databases that can include records like car registrations and employment information.  While the agency says that the goal is to      ... MORE

Minimum Wage Kills Jobs For Low-Skill Workers

by Antony Davies, James R. Harrigan.     We are rarely subjected to debate over the minimum wage apart from election season, but America's painfully sluggish return to economic normalcy has politicians scrambling to do something to help the working class. While the minimum wage debate usually plays out at the federal level, there is now  ... MORE

John W. Whitehead: Who Protects You From The Police?

The rise of government-sanctioned home invasions.      It’s 3 a.m. You’ve been asleep for hours when suddenly you hear a loud “Crash! Bang! Boom!” Based on the yelling, shouting and mayhem, it sounds as if someone—or several someones—are breaking through your front door. With your heart racing and your stomach churning, all you can   ... MORE

James Grant: America's Default On Its Debt Is Inevitable

Politicians have seen to it.      “There is precedent for a government shutdown,” Lloyd Blankfein, the chief executive officer of Goldman Sachs, remarked last week. “There’s no precedent for default. How wrong he is. The U.S. government defaulted after the Revolutionary War, and it defaulted at intervals thereafter. Moreover, on the authority of   ... MORE

VIDEO: John Stossel - Government Spending and Debt

The War On Halloween Makes Case For School Choice

by Nick Gillespie.          In the latest example of small-mindedness plaguing our educational system, schools around the country are attempting to ban costumes and candy on what is surely one of most kids’ favorite days of the year. The excuses range from vague concerns about “safety” to specific worries about food allergies to—get    ... MORE

Rebecca Furdek: Do You Have A Right To Give Free Advice?

Not if licensing boards get their way.     What do we do when we want advice? Sometimes, we choose to seek out a licensed professional. Other times, we simply rely first – and perhaps ultimately – on the recommendations of those around us. Every day, we give opinions and advice to friends, family members, neighbors, and colleagues     ... MORE

VIDEO: How To Handle The Next Recession

High Taxes Could Derail Marijuana Legalization

What if costs are pushed above black market price?      When Congress banned marijuana in 1937, it did so in the guise of taxation, imposing a prohibitive levy on cannabis and created criminal penalties for those who failed to pay it. Marijuana taxes also played a prominent role in what may be the beginning of the end for pot prohibition: the   ... MORE

Megan O'Matz and John Maines: Cops, Cash And Cocaine

How Sunrise police make millions selling drugs.      Police in this suburban town best known for its sprawling outlet mall have hit upon a surefire way to make millions. They sell cocaine. Undercover detectives and their army of informants lure big-money drug buyers into the city from across the United States, and from as far north as Canada    ... MORE

Walter E Williams: The Cost Of Minimum Wage

Are policymakers naive or just stupid?      Last week’s column discussed the political tradeoffs made by black politicians and civil rights organizations that condemn whole generations of black youngsters to failing schools (http://tinyurl.com/6mmlsf). Similar political tradeoffs in labor markets condemn many blacks, particularly black youths,  ... MORE

Andrew Napolitano: Debt And Destruction

The economics of tail-chasing.       From April 1917 to November 1919, when Woodrow Wilson borrowed $30 billion to fight World War I, he was able to do so because of the promise he made to lenders that the commitment to repay them would be backed by the full faith and credit of the United States government. At the time, the          ... MORE

VIDEO: Income Disparities And Moral Injustice


Professor Williams suggests you check your premises.

John Stossel: Longing To Be A Victim

These days, being seen as a victim can be useful.           You immediately claim the moral high ground. Some people want to help you. Lawyers and politicians brag that they force others to help you. This turns some people into whiners with little sense of responsibility. Joe Biden's niece was arrested recently for throwing a punch at a cop.        ... MORE

Thomas Sowell: A Return To Keynes?

Turning a blind eye to history.        The nomination of Janet Yellen to become head of the Federal Reserve System has set off a flurry of media stories. Since she will be the first woman to occupy that position, we can only hope that this will not mean that any criticism of what she does will be attributed to sex bias or to a "war on women."       ... MORE

VIDEO: Why Are So Many Americans In Prison?

Former Police Push For Pot Legalization In Vermont

by Peter Hirschfeld.          Backers of a push to legalize marijuana in Vermont are getting help from an unlikely source: retired police officers who spent their careers enforcing cannabis laws. Just months into Vermont’s new policy of decriminalization, several high-profile politicians are already talking about moving to outright legalization.          ... MORE

Debt Ceiling Lifted; Government Borrowing Spree Resumes

by J.D. Tuccille.       When Congress saved America from the perilous clutches of a federal government compelled to live within its means without running up the credit card, it came up with a doozy of a deal. From now until February 7, 2014, the U.S. Department of the Treasury can borrow as much as it pleases. Jack Lew and company aren't      ... MORE