They fear good jurors may nullify bad laws. The illuminated billboard in the Judiciary Square Metro station near the F Street entrance was strategically placed. Prospective jurors who take the subway to D.C. Superior Court and exit near the National Building Museum see these words: “Good jurors nullify bad laws” and “You have the right to ... MORE
by Jacob Sullum. In their 2012 book Marijuana Legalization: What Everyone Needs to Know,
Jonathan Caulkins and three other drug policy scholars identify the
impact of repealing pot prohibition on alcohol consumption as the most
important thing no one knows. Are cannabis and alcohol complements, so
that drinking can be expected ... MORE
by Sheldon Richman. Web problems can be fixed. The problems inherent in the
so-called Patient
Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) are another
story. Let’s stipulate that most people who favor the ACA have honorable intentions: they want everyone, including people in ill health, to have access to good and affordable medical care. ... MORE
Consumer choice trumps coercion every time. You can't keep your insurance if you like it under Obamacare,
because you're too ignorant to understand what's good for you. That's the argument we've been hearing from a lot of folks on
the left -- an argument that pivots from "common good" to soft
authoritarianism. President Barack Obama ... MORE
When the public shudders, government grows. Many libertarians and Austrian economists consistently preach that the battle we are engaged in is a battle of ideas. Education is paramount. In other words, those who subscribe to this point of view believe strongly in winning the long-game. He who wins the long-game, wins. ... MORE
The latest asset forfeiture outrage. It sounds like a plot ripped straight from Grand Theft Auto V.
Police conduct “reverse” sting operations, posing as drug dealers to
lure buyers with promises of cheap cocaine. Once the deals go down,
cops bust the buyers, and using state and federal forfeiture laws, seize
their cash and cars. For years, ... MORE
Obamacare problems deeper than implementation. Wellpoint and Aetna's decision to not educate the public on its choices doesn't sit well with two experts. "There is no reason to keep that quiet. It's not going to be a good secret for very long when people want to use the plans," Wilensky said. "In many cases, consumers are shopping ... MORE
Why should government be allowed to counterfeit? I've always avoided reporting on the Federal Reserve. I know it's more important than much of the stuff I cover, but it's so boring. How can I succeed on TV reporting on the Fed? Fed chairs even work at being dull. Alan Greenspan said he tried to be obscure because he didn't ... MORE
An unwitting dupe or a totalitarian micromanager? When German Chancellor Angela Merkel celebrated the opening of the new U.S. embassy in Berlin in 2008, she could not have imagined that she was blessing the workplace for the largest and most effective gaggle of American spies anywhere outside of the U.S. It seems straight ... MORE
They know bad medicine when they see it. New York doctors are treating ObamaCare like the plague, a new survey reveals. A poll conducted by the New York State Medical Society finds that 44 percent of MDs said they are not participating in the nation’s new health-care plan. Another 33 percent say they’re still not sure whether to ... MORE
by Stephen Dinan. The Republican author of the Patriot Act in the House and the senior Democrat in the Senate teamed together Tuesday to write a bill that would stop the National Security Agency’s
bulk collection of phone records and require a court order if the
government wants to search through Americans’ communications. ... MORE