What's going on here? Earlier this week, the federal government's National Science Foundation, an entity created to encourage the study of science — encouragement that it achieves by awarding grants to scholars and universities — announced that it had awarded a grant to study what people say about themselves and others in social media. The ... MOREAndrew Napolitano: Chilling Free Speech
What's going on here? Earlier this week, the federal government's National Science Foundation, an entity created to encourage the study of science — encouragement that it achieves by awarding grants to scholars and universities — announced that it had awarded a grant to study what people say about themselves and others in social media. The ... MOREFederal Forfeiture Program: What Is It Funding?
by Nick Sibilla. Cops are increasingly looking and acting more like soldiers. How are they paying for all this militarized equipment? One source of funding is particularly disconcerting for Americans’ constitutional rights: equitable sharing. Under this federal forfeiture program, local and state law enforcement can seize—and keep ... MORECarl Sagan Wanted An Honest Drugs Debate 24 Years Ago
by Matt Ferner. His questions remain spot on. Carl Sagan, a titan of scientific thought and communication, assumed many different roles in his life -- from science's "gatekeeper," to television star on the original "Cosmos," to marijuana user and advocate. Tom Angell, chairman of Marijuana Majority, recently posted a handful of Sagan's letters ... MORE
UK Gun Owners Subject To Warrantless Home Searches
Previews of coming attractions? Registered gun owners in the United Kingdom are now subject to unannounced visits to their homes under new guidance that allows police to inspect firearms storage without a warrant. The new policy from the British Home Office went into effect Oct. 15, permitting police and constabularies to conduct surprise ... MOREMarijuana Midterms: 3 states and DC Vote On Legalization
by German Lopez. On November 4, voters in several states could break down restrictions on a drug once known for Reefer Madness. In Alaska, Oregon, and Washington, DC, voters will decide if they want to usher in marijuana legalization. In Florida, voters will decide whether to amend their state constitution to allow medical marijuana.
Here's a ... MOREThomas Sowell: Predatory Journalism
Exploiting the ignorant. The New York Times is again on the warpath against what it calls "predatory lending." Just what is predatory lending? It is lending that charges a higher interest rate than people like those at the New York Times approve of. According to such thinking — or lack of thinking — the answer is to have the government set an interest ... MOREHow America Can Regain Its Economic Freedom
by A. Barton Hinkle. If you’ve been wondering why the nation’s so-called economic recovery seems so weak, here’s one partial explanation: The United States has been moving in the wrong direction on measures of economic freedom. The Cato Institute, a Washington think tank, produces an annual report examining economic liberty around the globe. ... MOREThe Hidden Privacy Threat of … Flashlight Apps?
by Robert McMillian. When I downloaded the Flashlight app to my iPhone, I was in a jam. I was camping, I think. Or maybe a pen had rolled under my couch. I remember that smug sense of self-congratulation after I downloaded the software, which converted the iPhone’s LED flash into a steady and bright beam of light. But I shouldn't have been so ... MOREThe People Now Realize: America Is Out Of Control
by Wynton Hall. A devastating new Politico poll reveals voters believe America has spun off its axis and is "out of control." "An overwhelming majority of voters in the most competitive 2014 elections say it feels as if events in the United States are 'out of control' and expressed mounting alarm about terrorism, anxiety about Ebola and harsh skepticism ... MORECalifornia Cops Become Mind Readers, Seize Your Guns
by Steven Greenhut. Gun-control efforts often center on hardware,
such as limiting or banning the ownership of particular firearms
and ammunition. But in California this year, the
most significant new gun-related law is less about the
guns and more about identifying people who might be too dangerous
to own them. A.B. 1014, which goes ... MOREWalter E Williams: Embarrassing Economists
The first fundamental law of demand. So as to give some perspective, I'm going to ask readers for their guesses about human behavior before explaining my embarrassment by some of my fellow economists. Suppose the prices of ladies jewelry rose by 100 percent. What would you predict would happen to sales? What about a ... MORESon Of Draconian Drug Warrior Fails Drug Test
by Jesse Walker. Vice President Joe Biden has been one of the most
strident drug warriors of my lifetime. Mandatory minimum sentences,
the crack/powder disparity, federal asset forfeiture, the RAVE
Act—they all have Biden's fingerprints on them. The man may
be responsible for
the very phrase "drug czar." If the Drug War had its own Mount ... MOREDo People Really Hand Out Pot-Laced Halloween Candy?
by Jacob Sullum. The urban legend continues. Last week the DPD posted a video in which Patrick Johnson, proprietor of Denver's Urban Dispensary, warns that "there's really no way to tell the difference between candy that's infused and candy that's not infused" once the products have been removed from their original packages. ... MOREHave Entitlements Become More Attractive Than Work?
A new food stamp pattern. The food stamp program (more formally, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP) is intended to help low-income Americans with their food bills. Traditionally, the number of Americans receiving SNAP benefits rises during poor economic times and falls during good ones. But that is not what is ... MOREIs the NSA Grabbing All Americans' Phone Call Content?
by Thomas R. Eddiem. The NSA and the National Director of Intelligence have consistently denied that they listen to the content of Americans' telephone calls, but the history of intelligence agency claims about the scope of its spying on Americans is one of lies and more lies. So the question must be asked: Are they lying again with respect ... MORE
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