A Dictatorship Disguised As A Democracy

by John W. Whitehead.     Peeling back the surface layer: What most Americans perceive as life in America—privileged, progressive and free—is a far cry from reality, where economic inequality is growing, real agendas and real power are buried beneath layers of Orwellian doublespeak and corporate obfuscation, and “freedom,” such that it is, is meted   ... MORE

How The Federal Government Betrayed Millennials

by Veronique deRugy.   Candidates running for president should take the following warning seriously: Years of bad government policies catering to interest groups have created a generation of young people facing tremendous challenges in the labor market and little chance to experience the good old American dream. We can hope that someone       ... MORE

VIDEO: Charles Murray - Lawlessness of the Legal System

Paul Rosenberg: Why You Must Dump Microsoft NOW

"they redefined their operating system to be spyware."   I’ve written about dumping Microsoft before – and I stand by those comments – but the newest outrage from Redmond forces me to it again. I don’t care how “inconvenient” you think it may be, you have to stop enriching Microsoft. NOW. Yes, I have serious issues with Apple too, but   ... MORE

How Marijuana Taxes & Restrictions Recreate Prohibition

by J D Tucille.   Are you a government official who yearns for the good old days of marijuana prohibition? Do you feel out of place in an era of voter-approved legalization, grow clubs, and pot shops? My, how the world has changed! But you can feed your nostalgia for busts and streetcorner deals even while "respecting" the public's desire to legalize       ... MORE

VIDEO: Learn Liberty - The Sharing Economy

College Codes Make 'Color Blindness' A Microaggression

Inciting hyper racial consciousness.     There are many mad and worrying things about the speech codes spreading across campuses like a contagious brain funk. There's their treatment of even everyday words as "problematic" terms of abuse. There's the branding of the most anodyne forms of friendly banter as "aggressive" (apparently it is a        ... MORE

Andrew Napolitano: The Slaughter Of Babies

Is the fetus in the womb a person?        The recent broadcast of videotapes taken of persons employed at Planned Parenthood — the prolific and notorious abortion provider — has brought the issue of abortion to the national consciousness again and front and center to the Republican presidential primary campaign. The tapes were made secretly    ... MORE

Matthew Christ: Jury Nullification Is A Moral Duty

A power for the people.   Jury nullification does not exist and no jury or defendant has the right for an instruction regarding jury nullification. I am sure that some of you have just punched your monitors, or are incensed at my hubris for speaking the truth.  In libertarian circles, some topics get so occluded with angst that we forget it is impossible   ... MORE

Ken Armstrong: How The Supreme Court Has Made It Legal For Cops To Pull You Over For Pretty Much Anything

Ignorance of the law by cops not a problem for High Court. Legal principles can be complicated, but in most courts, until eight months ago, there was a pretty simple one: Ignorance of the law is no excuse. Then came Heien v. North Carolina, decided by the US Supreme Court in December. Now the principle is: Ignorance of the law is no   ... MORE

VIDEO: John Stossel - Heroes, Real and Fake

Founded In Liberty, America Is Now Mired In Tyranny

by Richard Larsen.   “The foundation of our Empire was not laid in the gloomy age of Ignorance and Superstition, but at an Epoch when the rights of mankind were better understood and more clearly defined, than at any former period…The United States came into existence as a Nation, and if their Citizens should not be completely free and happy, the fault ... MORE

Cecil Was One Of Us. No, Wait, He Was Just A Lion

by Harry Goslin. The irrational, overly-emotional and childlike reaction to the killing of a lion in Africa is another example of why Americans will be forever in the dark about what’s important in the world and what’s not. It’s these kinds of silly, irrelevant stories that especially gets the lip-quivering left up in arms and unfortunately dominates the    ... MORE

VIDEO: 'Free Speech Is Not About Being Sensitive'

John Stossel: Gun Lies

Guns are dangerous. So are lies.      My town, New York City, enforces rigid gun laws. Police refused to assign me a gun permit. The law doesn't even let me hold a fake gun on TV to demonstrate something. But New York politicians are so eager to vilify gun ownership that they granted an exception to the anti-gun group States United to Prevent Gun  ... MORE

Jacob Sullum: Suspended Cops Say Video Of Them Eating Marijuana Edibles During a Raid Violated Their Privacy

A classic cop-out. Remember the Santa Ana, California, cops who were caught on video munching on what seem to be cannabis-infused chocolate bars after raiding an unlicensed medical marijuana dispensary in May? The Orange County Register reports that three officers who were suspended after the incident are trying to stop the Santa Ana Police    ... MORE

Peter Schiff: Currencies Depend On Faith, Gold Doesn’t

Considering the intrinsic value of paper.    In his July 17th Blog, Let’s Get Real About Gold, author and Wall Street Journal columnist Jason Zweig likened investor interest in gold with the “Pet Rock” craze of the 1970’s, when consumers became convinced that a rock in a box would provide continuous companionship, elevate their social standing,  ... MORE

Thomas Sowell: The Trump Card

But who will be its beneficiary?    With Hillary Clinton's multiple misdeeds coming to light and causing her political problems, reflected in her declining support in the polls, both she and the Democratic Party have reason to be concerned. But both of them may yet be rescued by "The Donald," who can turn out to be their Trump card. Donald Trump ... MORE

VIDEO: FOX NEWS - Clinton-Petreaus Double Standard

2/3 Of Obamacare Enrollees Unsatisfied With Coverage

by Tom Howell Jr.     Discovering the pig in the poke. Obamacare has offered insurance to millions of people, but they’re unhappy with the coverage they’re getting and are particularly upset about the costs, according to a survey released Monday that suggests the health care law continues to struggle to win over Americans. Just 30 percent of   ... MORE

Climate Change Is About Power, Not Environment

by Rick Manning.       The heartbreak of a faltering premise. Global warming alarmists must be shaking their heads in disbelief. Just when they felt they had the stars aligned to push their anti-free enterprise/capitalism agenda on the international stage and claim the power they crave, the climate and scientists have begun to turn against them. Sidney,  ... MORE

VIDEO: Surviving Wacky Gender Politics On Campus

Police Union: No 'Just Cause' For Firing Ray Tensing, The Ohio Campus Cop Who Shot And Killed An Unarmed Man

Keeping murderers on the force.    Although former University of Cincinnati police officer Ray Tensing faces murder charges for shooting and killing Samuel DuBose as the man tried to drive away from a traffic stop over a missing front license plate, Tensing believes he ought to have his job—which provided him with a firearm and the authority to    ... MORE

Stephen Moore: Five Myths About Capital Gains Taxes

Hillary's economic wrecking ball.    The late, great Jack Kemp, an architect of the Reagan tax cuts, used to say, "Without capital, capitalism is just another ism." Capital is the plants, the machinery, the computers and trucks that businesses invest in to become productive and efficient providers of goods and services. So it's strange that last       ... MORE

Walter E Williams: Legal And Academic Equality Nonsense

Disproportionality is not inequality.     A particular act or policy might not have a discriminatory intent, but that doesn't let you off the hook. If it has a disproportionately negative impact on so-called protected classes, it is said to have a disparate impact and risks being prohibited by law. The uninformed assumption made by judges, lawyers and    ... MORE

Snoop Dogg Learns One Reason Bitcoin Is Better Than Cash

by Nuno Menezes. Combating civil asset forfeiture. Calvin Broadus AKA Snoop Dogg recently had another encounter with European authorities. This Saturday, Snoop Dogg was taken by surprise by the financial police in southern Italy while carrying $422,000 in cash, an amount which needs to be declared to be legally transported across European Union   ... MORE

VIDEO: John Stossel - Global Warming Superstars

Some Americans Refuse To Give Up On Confederate Flag

by Mark Scolforo.      A symbol of rebellion to some. Many Americans assumed the Confederate flag was retired for good after governors in South Carolina and Alabama removed it from their statehouses this summer and presidential candidates from both parties declared it too divisive for official display.  But people still fly it, and not just in the South.   ... MORE

Joshua Krause: Americans Embrace Debt As New Norm

7 in 10 believe that debt is necessary.   America’s debt problem has been widely documented over past few years, and not just the public kind. The average American is swimming in trillions of dollars in medical fees, car payments, mortgage liabilities, as well as credit card statements and college tuitions. However, none of that is shocking        ... MORE

VIDEO: Charity Vs Taxation

Jeff Sharlet: An L.A. Cop Pressed His Gun Into The Chest Of An Unarmed Man And Shot Him Through The Heart

Will it matter to the LA district attorney?  Five months after the March 1 Los Angeles police killing of an unarmed black man named Charly "Africa" Keunang—a story I reported in-depth for the July issue of GQ—the Los Angeles coroner has finally released the results of its autopsy. They are profoundly disturbing. Two of the six bullets that killed Charly  ... MORE

Nitwittery Run Amok: New York Cracks Down On Toy Guns

by Elizabeth Harrington.  Expect fake murders to go down. New York is forcing Walmart, Amazon, and other retailers to pay over $300,000 for the crime of selling toy guns. The settlement stems from an investigation by the state’s attorney general office, which sent cease and desist letters to the retailers in December for breaking its strict law against   ... MORE

Jury Trials Keep The Government Under Control

by Nathan Wente.    Because justice is a result, not just a process. The 6th Amendment states: “In all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right to a speedy and public trial, by an impartial jury of the state and district wherein the crime shall have been committed…” The right to a jury trial should be, and was designed to be by our     ... MORE

D.A.R.E. Published An Op-ed Calling For Pot Legalization

by Claire Landsbaum.    It must unanimous now. The war on drugs is over, and weed won. D.A.R.E., the organization designed to plant a deep-seated fear of drugs in the minds of every late-20th-century middle schooler, published an op-ed calling for marijuana legalization. Written by former deputy sheriff Carlis McDerment in response to a letter  ... MORE

VIDEO: Walter E Williams - Common Sense

Reg-Crazed Bureaucrats Continue War On Common Sense

by Thomas Novelly.   Indian restaurant fined for wanting ‘experienced Indian waiter.’ The New York City Commission on Human Rights issued a $5,000 fine to an Indian restaurant for hiring an Indian waiter, the New York Post reported Wednesday. Shalom Bombay in Midtown Manhattan posted an ad in October of 2013 on Craigslist, asking for an   ... MORE

Michael J Hurd: Obama’s Phobia Of Ayn Rand

The philosophy of reason is not the president's ally.      In a speech at Georgetown University this past May, we learned two things about President Barack Obama. One, he loves the Catholic leader, Pope Francis. Two, he hates Ayn Rand. No, it’s not really a surprise. But the specifics of Obama’s comments — and the fact that progressives  ... MORE

VIDEO: Nanny Of The Month - July 2015

Jerry Brown, Climate Change Prophet Of Doom

by Steven Greenhut.    Moonbeam rising. On governance and budget matters, Gov. Jerry Brown (D-Calif.) has earned a reputation for being reasonable and moderate (by California standards). Even many Republicans describe him as the "last adult" in the Capitol, given his refusal to embrace far-reaching programs. Yet when it comes to global warming,   ... MORE

Occupational Licensing Hurts Just About Everyone

by Elizabeth Nolan Brown.     The White House Council of Economic Advisors gets it.  Horse masseurs.  Hair braiders.  Funeral attendants. Florists. All are subject, at least in some states, to "occupational licensing," defined by the Treasury Department as "a government permit allowing workers to legally practice." Since the 1950s, the     ... MORE