William Tucker: It Will Be Hot In Texas This Summer

Courtesy of federal energy policies.    Texas, the most energy-intensive state in the nation, could be facing a severe electrical shortage this summer. How could such a thing happen? Mainly, it's the result of a long series of federal interventions that have finally left the state turning in circles about what to do next. First, the gory details. Last summer  ... MORE

VIDEO: John Stossel - Saving Endangered Species

Walter E Williams: Should We Obey All Laws?

Only if we are truly a nation of sheep. Let's think about whether all acts of Congress deserve our respect and obedience. Suppose Congress enacted a law — and the Supreme Court ruled it constitutional — requiring American families to attend church services at least three times a month. Should we obey such a law? Suppose Congress, acting under the    ... MORE

Thomas Sowell: A Censored Race War?

A one-way street called 'hate crimes.' When two white newspaper reporters for the Virginian-Pilot were driving through Norfolk, and were set upon and beaten by a mob of young blacks — beaten so badly that they had to take a week off from work — that might seem to have been news that should have been reported, at least by their own newspaper.   ... MORE

VIDEO: The Jones Plantation


A parable of democracy.

Daniel Halper: $16 Billion Deficit In California

Another bad gamble by the bluest of states. California Governor Jerry Brown bet that a nascent financial recovery would lift the world’s ninth- largest economy enough to whittle down a $9.2 billion deficit. Instead, the gap has widened to $16 billion. Today the 74-year-old Democrat will unveil his revised budget and explain what additional spending must be cut.  ... MORE

Peter L Gray: Don't Board 'Fracking Banned' Wagon

Another empty scare tactic to promote green energy.  In my last column, I preached patience for those who question the safety of extracting shale gas via fracking. In this month’s column, I profile the growing trend of states and localities electing to ban fracking in response to fears that it might cause groundwater contamination. The availability of cheap  ... MORE

Jeffrey Folks: Your Money Or Your Schools

Jerry Brown's threat. As a child, I was fond of adventure stories about the exploits of pirates, highwaymen, and miscreants of all sorts.  In every such tale there was the moment when the dashing if disreputable protagonist confronts a gaggle of respectable folk and proclaims, "Stand and deliver.  Your money or your life!"  At the age of eight, armed with  ... MORE

Mike Kimel: Libertarians And Privacy

Invasions of privacy, public and private.   Over at EconLog, David Henderson berates a fellow libertarian on the difference between Facebook at the Census.  But let's grant, for the sake of this discussion, that FB is quite contemptuous of privacy and that the Census Bureau is less so. Here's the difference. Every single person who signs up with Facebook  ... MORE

VIDEO: David Henderson - Joy Of Capitalism

John Fund: Censoring Naomi Riley

She was fired for having the courage to state the obvious. The Oslo Freedom Forum is an annual event sponsored by the New York–based Human Rights Foundation, which brings together dissidents and journalists from all over the world to show that people of good will can promote basic freedoms without an overlay of ideology. Censorship, both official  ... MORE

Manon McKinnon: A Tale Of Two Julias

One of them didn't let government cook for her. This is the story of two ladies named Julia -- one real and one not -- and of their ties to the land of France. The real Julia found her fate and fortune among the Gauls when she discovered French cuisine and determined to spread the word, and the recipes, to all American cooks. For its ability to inspire and ... MORE

VIDEO: EPA's Hot Air

The Case Against Taxpayer-Funded Crop Insurance

by Baylen Linnekin.   The Farm Bill, that quintessentially quinquennial congressional replenishment of the pork trough from which many of America’s farmers indulge, is now upon us. Late last month the bill, dubbed the Agriculture Reform, Food and Jobs Act of 2012, cleared what will likely be its biggest hurdle when the bipartisan Senate Agriculture    ... MORE