by John W. Whitehead, Rutherford Institute. “I never thought I would see the day when a Justice Department would claim that only the most extreme infliction of pain and physical abuse constitutes torture and that acts that are merely cruel, inhuman and degrading are consistent with United States law and policy, that the Supreme Court would have ... MORE
Focused on the next big scare. America’s massive and well-funded environmental industry is always in need of new worlds to conquer, or at least to attack with broom and dustpan. But the irony behind the modern-day environmental movement in America is that the more successful the movement is, the more petty subsequent goals necessarily ... MORE
by Steven Greenhut. Not many of my friends or neighbors are sitting on pins and needles, worrying that the world as we know it will end as the federal government “slashes” spending as part of the automatic sequester cuts mandated by a previous budget bill. And not many people have been thinking, “Geesh, there’s nothing we need more than ... MORE
from the Washington Examiner editorials. A month before the final passage of his health care law, President Obama convened a summit the Blair House. During the staged event, which was aimed at resurrecting the bill, he touted the legislation's insurance exchanges. Obama said, "[I]f you join one of these exchanges, you will have choice and you'll ... MORE
A clenched fist cannot create. If we asked what we want government to do to advance the general welfare, the answer boils down to determining what advantages accrue from organizing people and resources via government power as opposed to allowing them to organize voluntarily. Of course, government has no resources it has not ... MORE
Secrecy frustrates challenges to counterterrorism tactics. Back in 2007, when he was running for president, Barack Obama
criticized George W. Bush's expansive vision of executive power,
saying, "I reject the view that the president may do whatever
he deems necessary to protect national security." The day after
taking office in 2009, Obama ... MORE
Why are they so scared of competition? Shortly after I did my first TV special on education, "Stupid in America," hundreds of union teachers showed up outside my office to yell at me. They were angry because I said union rules were a big reason American kids don't learn. The union is a big reason kids don't like school and learn ... MORE
Government subsidizes citizen defenselessness. For more than a year, New York state has maintained a tip line allowing people to report illegal gun owners and collect a $500 reward. CBS-6 news reported the existence of the tip line on Wednesday. It was previously a “well-kept secret” that received little promotion from state officials or ... MORE
Violations of liberty named the Patriot Act. In 1798, when John Adams was president of the United States, the feds enacted four pieces of legislation called the Alien and Sedition Acts. One of these laws made it a federal crime to publish any false, scandalous or malicious writing -- even if true -- about the president or the federal government, ... MORE
by Yaron Brook and Don Watkins. The sequester debate is a national embarrassment - though not for the reasons you might think. We are debating whether shaving a few percent off the government's bloated budget will bring the country to its knees. It's a good thing the Founders are long dead, because if George Washington or James Madison ... MORE
by Marcella Robinson. Texting and driving is dangerous and in many cases, deadly. The Virginia General Assembly recently passed a bill that would make texting and driving a primary offense, but a Charlottesville civil rights group wants you to know the law would be devastating to your Fourth-Amendment rights. A press release issued the Rutherford ... MORE
by Amesh Adalja. In England, heroin—a potent pain-killer—is available for use by healthcare providers. But in the U.S., the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) classifies it as a schedule I drug which legally stipulates that it has no clinical use. Marijuana is another Schedule 1 substance that, according to the DEA, has no clinical use. ... MORE
A strong incentive for more unemployment. Wondering why the unemployment rate has been near or above 8 percent for nearly four years? The Federal Reserve has an answer for you: Obamacare. Earlier this month, the Fed released its latest “beige book” – a monthly report on economic conditions across the country. The book noted that employers ... MORE
Big Brother seeks to learn everything about you. Rage over the waste and injustice of agents sent by the federal government
to bang on doors of law-abiding citizens to ask probing, creepy
questions is normally something that bubbles up only every 10 years. But
ever since the federal government became a cancerous leviathan, the outrage is now ... MORE