by Sheldon Richman. I admit I’m amused by the unceasing economic and political malarkey that flows from the pundits at MSNBC. Many of these gems come during its promos, which, as viewers of the network know very well, promote not its programs but all-pervasive government. The two I have in mind today are from Lawrence ... MORE
Profit-driven economy beats political favoritism. President Obama is no fan of Mitt Romney-style "vulture" capitalism. So what's his alternative? All those Republicans grousing about the president's attacks on private equity might instead be seizing on this beautiful point of contrast. Mr. Obama, after all, is no mere mortal president. Even as he's ... MORE
Good for ye, but not for me. A forthcoming biography on President Obama is making headlines, with new details about the president smoking marijuana with his teenage friends in Hawaii. David Maraniss' book, Barack Obama: The Story, describes Obama as a marijuana enthusiast: "When a joint was making the rounds, he often elbowed his way in, out of turn ... MORE
The lesson should be obvious. Ken Langone, a co-founder of Home Depot, said the other morning on the business show Squawkbox that in 10 years, the United States would be energy independent. On Friday, Rich Karlgaard, publisher of Forbes Magazine, observed that "the seeds are being planted now" for America's economic revival, never mind our ... MORE
Harry Reid's Senate seems to think so. It’s one of the clearest, easiest-to-understand provisions in the Constitution. And Harry Reid’s Senate flouts it routinely. The Origination Clause in Article I, Section 7 states: “All Bills for raising Revenue shall originate in the House of Representatives; but the Senate may propose or concur with Amendments as on other Bills.” ... MORE
If religious institutions truly want to be left alone .... “I don’t believe in an America where the separation of church and state is absolute,” Republican presidential hopeful Rick Santorum declared in a February 26 interview with ABC’s This Week. “What kind of country do we live in that says only people of nonfaith can come into the public ... MORE
Too many Americans today are "born without a skin." There’s a uniquely American ritual that has so far escaped the attention of cultural anthropologists. A group of people huddle, near a water cooler perhaps. One of them lowers his head, looks nervously from side to side, and then begins to speak softly, so that no one else might hear. You’ve ... MORE