Medical pot in 17 states, penalties rolled back in 14. Catharine Leach is married and has two boys, aged 2 and 8. She has a good job with a federal contractor and smokes pot most every day. While she worries that her public support for marijuana decriminalization and legalization could cost her a job or bring the police to her door, the 30-year-old ... MORE
by Bryan Hyde. Most of us remember our first minimum wage job with a sense of fondness. Mine was delivering prescriptions for Magic Valley Drug for a whopping $3.35 an hour. As far as I was concerned, that was pretty decent pay for driving my boss’s Thunderbird and singing along with the radio. At the time I was too young to vote, so the thought of lobbying politicians ... MORE
And, twice as likely to back the Big Gulp ban. Democratic voters are more than twice as likely as Republicans to back a proposal by New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg (I) to ban super-sized sugary drinks in the Big Apple, according to a new poll for The Hill. Amid national scrutiny over Bloomberg’s so-called Big Gulp ban plan, the national survey found ... MORE
You're as likely to be killed by furniture as terrorism. Today, the National Counter Terrorism Center (NCTC) released its 2011 Report on Terrorism. The report offers the U.S. government's best statistical analysis of terrorism trends through its Worldwide Incidents Tracking System (WITS), which compiles and vets open-source information about ... MORE
Just like freedom itself. Engraved large on one of the walls of the Korean War Veterans Memorial on the National Mall in Washington, DC are the words “Freedom is not free.” It is sad that so many are unable or unwilling to appreciate the truth of this simple phrase or are ready to heed those who have or seek power who distort it. I cannot think of ... MORE
When politics trump national security. President Obama takes umbrage at the idea that a spate of leaks of highly classified national-security information is somehow purposefully intended to bolster his leadership credentials. His resistance to an independent investigation will only make things worse for him. The Obama White House is leaking ... MORE
End of the world predictions lay the groundwork. Notice all the horrendous news about our environment? That’s a sure sign that the UN is about to throw another mega-gabfest where global leaders will shake their heads and shake down the U.S. for monies that Congress will wisely refuse to fork over. Two weekends from now, the UN is holding its “Rio+20 ... MORE
Lessons among the ruins. The Left’s answer to the deficit: raise taxes to protect spending. The Left’s answer to the weak economy: raise taxes to enable new spending. The Left’s answer to the looming sovereign-debt crisis: raise taxes to pay off old spending. For the Left, every deficit is a revenue-side problem, not a spending-side problem, and the ... MORE
Remembering the late science fiction writer. Ray Bradbury won’t “live forever,” as he wished, but he may well live on as the most-read critic of the state in America’s public schools. It was in public school that I first encountered Bradbury’s magnum opus, Fahrenheit 451, which is required reading in the government schools that made him shutter. ... MORE