Paul Elias: California's Concealed Weapons Rules Tossed

Local government nannies don't trump 2nd Amendment.     A divided federal appeals court on Thursday struck down California concealed-weapons rules, saying they violate the Second Amendment right to bear arms. The 2-1 ruling of a three-judge panel of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said California counties were wrong to    ... MORE

J.D. Tuccille: U.S. Slides 13 Spots On Press Freedom Index

American liberty in free fall.     If it wasn't enough to see the United States slide in four rankings of economic freedom, Internet liberty, and government transparency last year, the Land of the Brave and Home of the Free (except where prohibited by law) is off to a swell start in 2014 by slipping 13 places on the World Press Freedom Index.          ... MORE

Can Drug Czar Be Required To Respect Science?

by Johnny Green.     A radical bill is introduced to Congress. U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen (D-TN) introduced a bill Tuesday that would change federal law so that the director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP), commonly known as the “drug czar,” is no longer prohibited from studying the legalization of marijuana and no longer     ... MORE

VIDEO: Obama Tells The Truth At SOTU

Max Borders: Rise Of The Libertarians

Why Slate, Salon and the progressive media are afraid.     A lot of people are messing with libertarianism. We get it. If you see an alternative worldview gaining currency as your own is starting to lose out: attack, attack, attack. Strategically, it’s probably smart. When Jane Mayer wrote that sloppy hit piece for The New Yorker against the     ... MORE

The Gang Of Twelve And Our Secret Government

by Andrew Napolitano.      A new assault on freedom of the press.  Last week, a little noticed clash took place on Capitol Hill involving the fundamental values underlying the First Amendment. The issue was the lawfulness of publishing the secrets that were given to reporters by former National Security Agency (NSA) contractor Edward      ... MORE

VIDEO: Behind The Scenes Of The Caswell Forfeiture Case

Obamacare Enrollment Rate Slows Markedly In January

Not that enrollment was brisk in December.     On Wednesday, the Department of Health and Human Services announced that enrollment in the Obamacare private exchanges increased by 1,146,071 in January. In December, HHS reported 1,788,000 enrollees in the month of December. That suggests a drop-off of approximately 500,000,  ... MORE

Matt Welch: The Prohibitionist Curse

Exposed by failure.           Economists specializing in international development have identified what they call the "resource curse": Contrary to expectations, an abundance of lucrative natural resources is often associated with poor economic performance. Although you'd think that sitting on trillions of gallons of oil would make your       ... MORE

Valentines For 21st Century America


John Stossel: The Privileged People

The cronies who compose the ruling class.       Politicians say, "We're all equal," and pretend that they represent everyone. But, in fact, they constantly pick winners and losers. America is now like the place described in George Orwell's book "Animal Farm": "All animals are equal," but some are "more equal than others." "Animal Farm" was      ... MORE

Barry Farber: The Latest Marxism In America

Spotlighting Obama's 'The Good Life = less income' claim. Her father stuck his tongue out at her and aggressively allowed her big sister every advantage. He even threatened to strike her with his cane. He once forced her to display her “first bra” at the dinner table. And what was her major complaint about him at the end? He wanted her  ... MORE

VIDEO: John Stossel - The State Of Our Liberty

Employers Forced To Get IRS Permission For Layoffs

by Lennie Jarratt.         President Obama has once again decided to change a law without Congress.  This time he is delaying the employer Obamacare mandate until 2016 for companies with 50-99 employees.  He also lowered the percentage of companies of 100 or more to have to offer 70% of it’s employees coverage instead of 95%. If you remember   ... MORE

ObamaCare: Repeal Is Not Impossible

by Dom Armentano.      Obamacare was sold to the American people as a humanitarian attempt to provide health insurance to the poor and to individuals with a pre-existing medical condition who had been denied coverage. If you were not poor, did not have a pre-existing condition, and already had health insurance and were satisfied with its       ... MORE

VIDEO: Are Corporations People?

Why Teaching How To Beat Polygraphs Can Land You In Jail

by Joshua Swain.      Last September, Chad Dixon was sentenced to 8 months in a federal prison for teaching clients counter-measures for polygraph tests. Federal prosecutors charged Dixon with obstructing justice—they view his business as undermining an important tool used to check the credibility of government employees and prosecute     ... MORE

Rand Paul Announces Class-Action Suit Against NSA

from Fox News.       Sen. Rand Paul on Wednesday announced what he described as one of the largest class-action lawsuits in history, taking President Obama and top intelligence officials to court over National Security Agency surveillance.  "This, we believe, will be a historic lawsuit," the Kentucky Republican said. The suit, joined by conservative  ... MORE

John W Whitehead: Putting Big Brother In The Driver's Seat

V2V transmitters, black boxes & drones.       Time to buckle up your seatbelts, folks. You’re in for a bumpy ride. We’re hurtling down a one-way road toward the Police State at mind-boggling speeds, the terrain is getting more treacherous by the minute, and we’ve passed all the exit ramps. From this point forward, there is no turning    ... MORE

J.D. Tuccille: The Right To Take (Even Really Stupid) Risks

The beauty of self-determination.         There's nothing like the feeling of a motorcycle sliding out from beneath you on a busy thoroughfare to focus the mind beautifully on the value of life. As your ass bounces from the cushioned seat toward the hard tarmac with the screech of unseen cars slamming on their brakes to your rear, you have   ... MORE

VIDEO: Happiness Is A Warm Gun

Random Thoughts On The Passing Scene

Tidbits of wisdom from Thomas Sowell.       It is amazing how many people still fall for the argument that, if life is unfair, the answer is to turn more money and power over to politicians. Since life has always been unfair, for thousands of years and in countries around the world, where does that lead us? I am so old that I can remember when   ... MORE

Walter E Williams: Dependency, Not Poverty

There is no material poverty in the U.S.     Here are a few facts about people whom the Census Bureau labels as poor. Dr. Robert Rector and Rachel Sheffield, in their study "Understanding Poverty in the United States: Surprising Facts About America's Poor", report that 80 percent of poor households have air conditioning; nearly three-quarters      ... MORE

VIDEO: Citizen Proposes "Really Safe" Local Ordinances

Full Employment Redefined By The Obama Regime

by Lee Cary.      Words matter. Presidential candidate Senator Barack Obama said that in a 2008 campaign speech. It was not news then.  And it's not news now, for as long as there have been words they have mattered. What matters most about words today is that, in politics, they are losing their core meanings as doublespeak spreads.  When a Senator    ... MORE

Jacob Sullum: Why Reschedule Marijuana?

Introducing reality into the equation.        Ever since Congress passed the Controlled Substances Act (CSA) in 1970, drug policy reformers have complained that marijuana does not belong on Schedule I, the statute's most restrictive drug category. Schedule I ostensibly is reserved for drugs with a "high potential for abuse" that have "no     ... MORE

The Terrifying Surveillance Case Of Brandon Mayfield

by Matthew Harwood.          Nobody is safe from confirmation bias. During a live Web chat in late January, National Security Agency whistle-blower Edward Snowden explained one of the least discussed dangers of bulk collection. By indiscriminately sweeping up the call records and the international communications of Americans, the government    ... MORE

How The Left Will Grow Its Power In America's Schools

by Dr. Susan Berry.          In 2012, terrorist and activist Chicago professor Bill Ayers told his followers that the left had “absolute access to the community, the school… the classroom,” and that is where it should do its “movement-building.” In October of 2009, when speculation had arisen that Ayers had been the real author of Barack Obama’s    ... MORE

VIDEO: John Stossel - In Praise Of Fossil Fuels

Robert P. Murphy: Economist Debate The Minimum Wage

Why wage regulation hurts low-skill workers.       Economists famously argue about everything. Even so, it used to be that economists across the board—whether left, right, or center—generally agreed that the minimum wage was ill-suited to help the poor. As we still teach introductory students in Econ 101, a price floor on low-skilled    ... MORE

Legal Pot Coming Soon? A 50-State Marijuana Law Roundup

by John K. Ross.       The march towards good sense and marijuana freedom continues apace. To give a glimpse of what’s in store for 2014, here’s a 50-state guide to legislation and ballot measures that are in the works thus far this year. By my count, 13 states may follow Colorado and Washington State’s lead and legalize recreational use—either at  ... MORE

VIDEO: Mind Control In American Politics

How U.S. Spying Is Killing Free Trade

by the editors of Bloomberg.      All around the world, governments are devising creative ways to torment American technology companies. It started last year after leaks revealed that the U.S. government basically uses services like Google and Facebook as arms of the surveillance state. In response, some countries - - including Germany, Brazil and   ... MORE

Voting Is A Lousy Way To Express Yourself

by Sheldon Richman.      By now we’re used to MSNBC’s adoration of government, expressed not only on its programs but also through in-house promotions. These are often heavy-handed, such as Rachel Maddow’s spots asserting that only governments can accomplish “great things.” Sometimes, however, the promos are more subtle,    ... MORE

Is Flashing Your Headlights Protected Free Expression?

by Robert Patrick.         But what if it inconveniences the state? The American Civil Liberties Union is hoping that a federal judge’s ruling Monday that temporarily barred Ellisville from punishing drivers for using their headlights to warn others of speed traps will itself serve as a warning to other cities who try to do the same. ACLU Legal Director      ... MORE

States Consider A More Libertarian Approach To Crime

by Steven Greenhut.         Leaders in the nation’s two most populous states have waged a rhetorical grudge match over their respective political approaches. In California, dominant Democrats are proud of their efforts to pioneer social and environmental policy. In Texas, majority Republicans boast about their commitment to business     ... MORE 

VIDEO: Nick Gillespie - Austerity And Reality

Robert Higgs: Getting Past Slavery And Government

A case for anarchy.       Slavery existed for thousands of years, in all sorts of societies and all parts of the world. To imagine human social life without it required an extraordinary effort. Yet, from time to time, eccentrics emerged to oppose it, most of them arguing that slavery is a moral monstrosity and therefore people should get rid of it.      ... MORE

Unemployment Is Freedom Under Obamacare

by David Harsanyi.          Obamacare will reduce American workforce participation by the equivalent of two million full-time jobs in 2017, according to a new report by the Congressional Budget Office (CBO). Work hours would be reduced by the equivalent of 2.5 million jobs in 2024, a tripling of the previous estimates. If you believe this report      ... MORE

VIDEO: Conrad The Constitution Tries To Use ObamaCare

Amanda Warren: NYPD Breaks Child's Leg For Filming Them

Cop then adds insult to injury win assault on Mom.       One morning, last January, NYPD from the 63rd precinct, showed up at Krystle Silvera's home looking for her ex-boyfriend for violating an order of protection. But protecting is not how they responded to her family. Her cancer-stricken mother answered the door, confused by what   ... MORE

1,154,000 Fewer Americans Working Than 6 Years Ago

by Ali Meyer.     The bitter fruits of hope and change. 1,154,000 fewer Americans are working today than six years ago, according to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. In January 2008, 146,378,000 Americans 16 and over were employed, and now in January 2014, 145,224,000 are employed, a difference of 1,154,000. 91,455,000 Americans 16 or  ... MORE