by Jeffrey Dorfman. Income inequality is dominating the economic news cycle at the moment with multiple stories about rising income inequality, the need to raise the minimum wage, and anecdotal stories designed to make the more fortunate feel sorry for the less so. There are, however, two big problems with this narrative. First, most of the ... MORE
This Smartphone Is Making Privacy A Priority
Lily Hay Newman on a new innovation: Blackphone. The national conversation about privacy is in high gear, and services
for things like secure messaging have been popping up everywhere to try
to meet demand. But most consumers aren't really in a position to
evaluate whether these services can actually deliver on their ... MORE
Andrew Napolitano: The Nuns and the President
Government's assault on natural rights. When the Framers were putting together the Constitution in
Philadelphia in the summer of 1787, they knew the states would not adopt
it without written guarantees that the new central government would
respect natural rights. The supporters of the Constitution promised
political leaders in the ... MORE
Labels:
Bill Of Rights,
Constitution,
government,
individual liberty,
ObamaCare,
politics,
religion,
rights
NSA Devises And Deploys Radio Pathway Into Computers
by David E. Sanger and Thom Shanker. The National Security Agency has implanted software in nearly 100,000 computers around the world that allows the United States to conduct surveillance on those machines and can also create a digital highway for launching cyberattacks. While most of the software is inserted by gaining access to ... MORE
Labels:
government,
NSA,
probable cause,
snooping,
spying,
surveillance,
tyranny,
warrantless search
Civil Asset Forfeiture Means No Presumption Of Innocence
by Ken Braun. It’s easy to understand why police chiefs don’t receive hefty commissions for traffic tickets. If they did, then traffic stops for trivially small speeding violations would multiply like weeds, and eagle-eyed deputies would be on the lookout to pounce on every technical failure to signal a turn. Changing the law enforcement ... MORE
Jacob Sullum: Uncle Sam's Drinking Game
The mixology of medicine and moralism. Does your doctor nag you about your drinking? The federal government wishes he would. Last week the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
(CDC)
noted with alarm that most Americans
say they have never discussed alcohol consumption with a health
professional. Physicians' ... MORE
Roger Kimball: The Evils Of Capitalism
There is a link between limited government and prosperity. What’s the one thing everyone knows about capitalism? Why, that it started out as a mean, nasty tool of greedy industrialists. “The Industrial Revolution,” we all learned, was a terrible Moloch that devoured children, put profits before people, and though it made great fortunes ... MORE
Labels:
capitalism,
economics,
freedom,
history,
poverty,
prosperity,
standard of living,
wealth,
workers
VIDEO: Legalize Prostitution To Fight Sex Trafficking?
Sex workers say, "yes."
Labels:
business,
morality,
politics,
prohibition,
prostitution,
restrictions,
sex,
victimless crimes
John Stossel: Bitcoin Revolution
Why Stossel chose to invest. The big online retailer Overstock.com now accepts payment in Bitcoin. That's good news for lovers of liberty because Bitcoins give us an alternative to government-controlled money. Bitcoins are a currency created by anonymous, private tech nerds, not by government. Governments don't like ... MORE
No Surprise Here: NSA Chief Denies Spying On Congress
from USA Today. The National Security Agency's director, responding to questions from independent Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont, says the government is not spying on Congress. But
a two-page letter from Army Gen. Keith Alexander to Sanders goes on to
state that the agency can make no guarantee that representatives or ... MORE
Jerry Brito: Escape From Political Control
Buying time to secure exit paths. Frustrated with
their political prospects, many libertarians are coming to the
conclusion that instead of trying to change government, a better
strategy might be to simply sidestep it entirely. Even
self-described Democrats and Obama supporters, like startup
founder and venture capitalist Balaji ... MORE
Labels:
coercion,
control,
government,
individual liberty,
libertarian,
politics,
prohibition,
regulation
Walter E Williams: Income Inequality
Let's think about fairness and justice. Democrats plan to demagogue income inequality and the wealth gap for political gain in this year's elections. Most of what's said about income inequality is stupid or, at best, ill-informed. Much to their disgrace, economists focusing on measures of income inequality bring little light to the issue. ... MORE
How Legal Pot Could Be The Next Great American Industry
The new gold rush. As legalized marijuana sales take off in Colorado, here's what a pot business model and mature marketplace might look like. Twenty states and the District of Columbia allow medical marijuana—and
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced a medical marijuana plan in his
State of the State speech last week. ... MORE
Labels:
business,
cannabis,
drug war,
invest,
legalize,
marijuana,
medicine,
opportunity,
prohibition
Christopher Chantrill: What Is Going On With Jobs?
Unemployment rate depends on job seekers giving up. Everyone agrees that the employment report last Friday was very bad. Unemployment went down to 6.7 percent, but that was because the Household Survey showed that 347,000 people left the labor force in December while only 144,000 found jobs. In a healthy growing ... MORE
ObamaCare's Top 12 False Premises And Broken Promises
by Peter Suderman. On November 7, President Barack Obama made a first tentative stab at an apology for the fact that, despite his often-repeated assurances to the contrary, millions of Americans were losing their health insurance plans as a result of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA). "I am sorry that they are finding ... MORE
Thomas Sowell: Christie, Hillary and Obama
A contrast in leadership. The first time I saw New Jersey Governor Chris Christie on television, a few years ago, my first reaction was astonishment: "A talking Republican!" It would scarcely have been more astonishing if there had been a talking giraffe. For reasons unknown, most Republican leaders seem to pay very little attention to ... MORE
Labels:
Chris Christie,
deception,
dishonesty,
Hillary Clinton,
leaders,
Obama,
politics,
Republican
Radar Detectors for Speeding & Camera Protection
The pretense of safety and the pursuit of revenue. As budgets are still stretched states are always looking for new ways to raise additional revenue. Red Light cameras are popping up all across the country and new photo radar cameras are spreading to capture your every move on the roads. While all deployed as additional safety ... MORE
Labels:
authority,
automobile,
cameras,
fines,
government,
policy,
politics,
revenue,
spending,
traffic
The Ugly Reality of the Chris Christie Bridge Scandal
by Rachel Alexander. It came to light last week that New Jersey Governor Chris Christie’s administration plotted with transportation officials to create traffic gridlock in Fort Lee, N.J., after its Democratic Mayor Mark Sokolich refused to back Christie’s reelection bid. Lanes were closed for several days in September on the George Washington ... MORE
Labels:
Chris Christie,
deception,
dishonesty,
government,
politics,
power,
roadblocks,
scandal,
traffic
ObamaCare And The Assault On Individual Liberty
by Peter Berkowitz. From the beginning, opponents of the 2010 Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act argued that its arrogation of responsibility to the federal government for administering health insurance, and consequently overseeing one-sixth of the nation’s economy, damaged the public interest and contravened sound ... MORE
Quin Hillyer: Kill The Corporate Tax To Help Workers
To increase wages and shrink the tax loopholes. It was a former top Democratic staffer on the House Budget Committee, not some Kemp-Laffer supply-sider, who first convinced me that one of the most dynamic and worthwhile tax reforms, and one of the least costly (to the federal government’s revenues), would be the complete ... MORE
Civil Forfeiture Powers Expanded In Human Trafficking Bill
Police to profit more from property seizures. Proposed legislation to tighten Pennsylvania’s law against human trafficking would also expand law enforcement’s ability to seize the assets of people simply accused of the crime. Greg Rowe is with the Pennsylvania District Attorneys Association, which helped write the measure that passed the ... MORE
Advocates Lay Groundwork For Pot Legalization In Mass.
by Joshua Miller. Advocates of marijuana legalization, emboldened by successes with ballot questions in Colorado and Washington state, are laying the groundwork for such a battle in Massachusetts in the next presidential election year. “In 2016, Massachusetts will find itself in the crosshairs for cannabis reform,” said Allen St. Pierre, ... MORE
Labels:
cannabis,
individual liberty,
law,
legalize,
marijuana,
politics,
pot,
prohibition,
reform,
voting
Ileana Johnson Paugh: America's Expanding Police State
How free are we anymore? In the increased police state around us and the amplified NSA surveillance everywhere, citizens are feeling more and more like they are guilty until proven innocent. The police in Fairfax County, Virginia, cannot stop many people for speeding since the interstates and highways are constantly partially blocked by ... MORE
Pot Legalization Hurts Policing For Profit Practices Bigtime
by Zusha Elinson, WSJ. A drug task force in Washington's Snohomish County has historically been funded in part by cash, cars, houses and other assets seized from marijuana purveyors. But with recreational pot becoming legal in the state, this funding is going up in smoke. Snohomish's 22-officer drug-fighting operation, one of ... MORE
Labels:
asset forfeiture,
cannabis,
civil forfeiture,
drug war,
marijuana,
police state,
pot,
revenue
Ronald Bailey: The President Is Wrong On Inequality
It is not the "defining challenge of our time." Are the rich getting richer?
Yes. Are the poor getting poorer? No. In fact, over the past 35
years most Americans got richer. Has income inequality increased in
the United States? Yes. Does it matter? Well, President Barack
Obama thinks so. In a December speech at the Center for American ... MORE
Labels:
economics,
income,
inequality,
mobility,
Obama,
poverty,
prosperity,
rich,
standard of living
Detroit Police Chief: Legal Gun Owners Can Deter Crime
by George Hunter. If more citizens were armed, criminals would think twice about attacking them, Detroit Police Chief James Craig said Thursday. Urban police chiefs are typically in favor of gun control or reluctant to discuss the issue, but Craig on Thursday was candid about how he’s changed his mind. “When we look at the good .... MORE
Labels:
citizens,
crime,
guns,
law enforcement,
police,
politics,
protection,
security,
self-defense
VIDEO: Dumbest New Ban Of 2014
The winner is incandescent light bulbs (the one that casts a warm glow).
David Harsanyi: Opposing Things Without Banning Them
A case for persuasion over force. As a Denver Post columnist from 2004-11, I spent a considerable amount of time writing pieces advocating the legalization of pot. So I was happy when Colorado became one of the first to decriminalize small amounts of "recreational" marijuana. I believe that the war on drugs is a tragically ... MORE
Labels:
coercion,
drug war,
force,
freedom,
government,
incentives,
law,
marijuana,
pot,
prohibition
EPA Overrides Congress, Gives Town To Indian Tribes
by Michael Bastasch. Have you heard the story of the residents of Riverton, Wyo.? One day they were Wyomingans, the next they were members of the Wind River tribes — after the Environmental Protection Agency declared the town part of the Wind River Indian Reservation, undoing a 1905 law passed by Congress and angering state ... MORE
Labels:
bureaucracy,
EPA,
government,
indian affairs,
law,
motivation,
politicians,
representation,
ruling
Total Privacy = Total Destruction Of The State
by Michael Suede. The state cannot exist without invasions of privacy. Without invasions of privacy, taxes could not be imposed. If all transactions and accounting records were private, incomes and revenues could not be verified. Tax evasion could not be prosecuted because no proof of incomes could be obtained. Further, state currencies ... MORE
Labels:
freedom,
government,
individual liberty,
privacy,
statism,
surveillance,
totalitarian,
tyranny
Brian Doherty: Petty Law Enforcement Vs. The Poor
The state against the poor. The New York Times recently noted a new trend in Los
Angeles:
strict enforcement of jaywalking laws downtown, including the
little-known regulation that makes it a crime to enter a crosswalk
after the red crosswalk light is flashing—even if that red light,
as it often does in L.A., is counting down the seconds ... MORE
Andrew Napolitano: Spying On Congress
The lawlessness continues. Happy New Year. Just when you thought the NSA spying scandal couldn't get any worse, it has. Last week, Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., wrote to Gen. Keith Alexander, director of the National Security Administration (NSA), and asked plainly whether the NSA has been or is now spying on members of Congress or other ... MORE
Marijuana Legalization In Alaska Gets One Step Closer
by Hunter Stuart. Alaska just got one step closer to fully legalizing marijuana. But ultimately, like in Colorado and Washington, it will be voters who make the final call. Activists in Anchorage delivered a petition with over 45,000
signatures to Alaska Lt. Gov. Mead Treadwell on Wednesday, organizers
confirmed to The Huffington Post ... MORE
Labels:
freedom,
individual liberty,
initiative,
legalize,
marijuana,
petition,
policy,
pot,
prohibition
Capitalism: The Solution To Mass Poverty
by Jaana Woiceshyn. In a recent Vancouver Province column “Capitalism has a role in fighting poverty,”
Mark Milke takes Pope Francis to task, rightfully, for attacking
capitalism while at the same time calling for eradication of poverty.
Milke is correct in recognizing the role capitalism plays in eradicating
poverty. However, capitalism ... MORE
Labels:
capitalism,
free enterprise,
free market,
incentives,
liberty,
poverty,
production,
prosperity
Your CAR Could Be 'Spying' On You!
Gathering data, tracking: the new vehicle realities. As if Facebook, Google and the federal government squirreling away your personal information wasn't enough, now it seems your car could also be spying on you. According to a new report from the Government Accountability Office, several major automakers and GPS ... MORE
Labels:
automobile,
data mining,
monitor,
snooping,
spying,
surveillance,
tactics,
tracking,
vehicles
The Ways You’re Being Tracked, Catalogued & Controlled
John Whitehead on our electronic concentration camp. What is most striking about the American police state is not the mega- corporations running amok in the halls of Congress, the militarized police crashing through doors and shooting unarmed citizens, or the invasive surveillance regime which has come to dominate every aspect ... MORE
Labels:
government,
monitor,
police state,
privacy,
snooping,
spying,
surveillance,
tracking,
tyranny
National Review: The Fifty Year War On Poverty
Great for Democrats, not-so-good for the poor. This year marks the 50th anniversary of President Lyndon Baines Johnson’s proclamation of a “war on poverty,” and the progress in this theater has not been encouraging. Trillions of dollars have been spent, and the number of Americans living in poverty is higher today than it was ... MORE
Andrew Thomas: The Global Warming Tipping Point Is Near
Al Gore Closes Climate Protection Field Offices. Malcolm Gladwell's great book The Tipping Point presents the case that sudden seismic shifts in society can result from small events, if the right factors are present. Tipping points happen when momentum toward an idea builds and finally crosses a threshold where it is evident that a ... MORE
John Stossel: Equality Versus Liberty
A more subtle lie from the chief. President Barack Obama says income inequality is "dangerous ... the defining challenge of our time." The pope is upset that capitalism causes inequality. Progressives, facing the failures of Obamacare, are eager to change the subject to America's "wealth gap." It's true that today, the richest 1 percent of ... MORE
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