Aren't high gas prices what Democrats want? Gas prices are spiking. That's great news, right? We have to wean ourselves off the stuff. At least that's what we've been hearing for years. Oil is dirty. We import it from nations that hate our guts (like Canada!). And moreover, we're running out. Oil is "finite." Finite much in the way water is finite. So why aren't ... MORE
U.S. group warns Canada. A high-profile group of current and former U.S. law enforcement officials has sent a letter to the Harper government with a surprising message: Take it from us, the war on drugs has been a "costly failure." The officials are urging the Canadian government to reconsider mandatory minimum sentences for "minor" marijuana ... MORE
The corrosive nature of government's takeover. President Obama’s new mandate requiring all employers to purchase insurance coverage for their employees that includes abortion-inducing drugs, sterilization and contraception is an outrage, of course. But what kind of outrage is it? Most of the public outcry has understandably centered around the mandate’s .... MORE
The state gains power as individual rights diminish. Earlier this month, Congress passed House Resolution 658, the “Federal Aviation Administration Air Transportation Modernization and Safety Improvement Act,” which President Obama is expected to sign. One of the over 1,000 sections of H.R. 658 authorizes domestic use of aerial spy drones ... MORE
A bi-product of hope and change. Gun manufacturers would likely not be the first to come to mind when considering industries who have benefited the most during President Obama’s first term, but a study from Ammo.net finds that firearm sales and concealed handgun permit applications are at all-time highs since the 2008 election. Just to ... MORE
The Patriot Act is not for patriots. Ten years ago, we learned that the fastest way to pass a bad law is to call it the ‘Patriot Act’ and force Congress to vote on it in the immediate wake of a horrible attack on the United States. The irony is that there is really very little about the Patriot Act that is patriotic. Instead, it has turned out to be yet another tool the ... MORE
Small business wrapped in red tape. We keep hearing that the economy is in a “jobless recovery.” What’s holding American companies back? Why aren’t they hiring more people? High taxes draw a lot of attention, and rightly so. They depress investment and discourage innovation. But escalating regulatory costs also undermine our ... MORE
Time for academics to start pointing the finger inward. It is fascinating to see people accusing others of things that they themselves are doing, especially when their own sins are worse. Academics love to say that businesses are not paying enough to people who work for them. But where in business are there people who are paid absolutely nothing for ... MORE
Your privacy is gone, and it’s never coming back. A report that Target accidentally disclosed a teen girl’s pregnancy to her father shows the logical extreme to which retailers can take the search for more information about their customers. This is what happens when you hand the cashier at your local drug store or grocery store any of a zillion plastic reward ... MORE
Only system know to increase both growth and freedom. At the height of the financial crisis in late 2008 and early 2009, a wave of articles declared the end of capitalism. A half-dozen reporters writing about the issue called Allan Meltzer, who since 1957 has been teaching about capitalism at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh. ... MORE
Emerging strategy to restore lost gun rights. Chuck Michel's strategy for crime-fighting rests on the element of surprise: Keep the bad guys guessing who's armed and who's not. "If 5% of the ducks could shoot back, you're not going to go duck hunting," said the Long Beach lawyer representing many Californians denied concealed weapons permits and, in his view, their ... MORE
Like handing out condoms on the Titanic. Have you seen the official White House version of what the New York Times headline writers call “A Responsible Budget”? My favorite bit is Chart 5-1 on page 58 of their 500-page appendix on “Analytical Perspectives.” This is entitled “Publicly Held Debt Under 2013 Budget Policy Projections.” It’s a straight through your ... MORE