Put a New Tax in Your Pipe and Smoke It
February 5, 2010
William F. Shughart II
Herald Times Reporter
I am a college professor. My job description therefore requires that, among other things, I wear a tweed sport coat with leather elbow patches, grow a beard, spend two [...]
The U.S. Can No Longer Afford Its Empire
February 3, 2010
Ivan Eland
President Obama has presented Congress with a spending request of $3.8 trillion for the next fiscal year in 2011, but with a third of it not paid for with taxes, thus resulting in a $1.3 trillion [...]
Holden Caulfield vs. Steve Jobs
February 3, 2010
Alvaro Vargas Llosa
WASHINGTON—J.D. Salinger, the author of “The Catcher in the Rye,” the great novel about adolescent alienation, died the same day that Steve Jobs launched the iPad, a manifesto on the treasures that America offers its youth.
I first [...]
Bernanke Agonistes
January 28, 2010
William F. Shughart II
The Washington Times
President Obama pulled out all the stops to clinch Senate approval of his nomination of Ben S. Bernanke to a second four-year term as chairman of the Federal Reserve. Now that the president seems to have enough [...]
Why Freeze Spending on Only Part of the Budget?
January 27, 2010
Ivan Eland
The results of the special election for the Massachusetts Senate seat once held by Ted Kennedy reverberated like a “shot heard ’round the world”—or at least one heard ’round Washington. All the spending lately in [...]
The Disappearing Private-Sector Jobs
January 21, 2010
Robert Higgs
Investor's Business Daily
Unless private employment growth resumes soon, the United States risks falling into the same long-term economic sclerosis that has plagued the welfare states of Western Europe for decades.
Large, frequent and unsettling changes in government policies already have [...]
Earthquakes and Economic Development
January 21, 2010
William F. Shughart II
San Francisco Examiner, Middletown Press, Union Daily Times, Sun Herald, Wayne Independent
Every natural disaster, like the proverbial dark cloud, supposedly has a silver lining.
Images of the devastation visited on Haiti by the major earthquake that struck the [...]
Open Letter to Sebastian Pinera
January 20, 2010
Alvaro Vargas Llosa
WASHINGTON—Your election as president of Chile is reverberating far beyond your country.
As a group of friends have had the chance to discuss with you in recent months, Latin America’s traditional enemy has been what Chilean historian Claudio Veliz [...]
The Next Crisis for Obama?
January 20, 2010
Ivan Eland
Since taking office, Barack Obama has had to deal with an economy in free fall, a self-generated health care “crisis” and his attempt at “reform,” and a rising Taliban insurgency in Afghanistan. So far, Iraq has been quiet enough [...]
Fuzzy Unemployment Math
January 15, 2010
Robert Higgs
Washington Times
2009 was a bad year, but it wasn't 1933
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With another 85,000 net jobs lost in December and the unemployment rate still at 10 percent, some in Washington are calling for additional measures to stimulate the economy.
But what makes anybody [...]
Politics Gets in the Way of Obama’s Perceptiveness
January 13, 2010
Ivan Eland
President Barack Obama recently expressed a reluctance to send U.S. forces to Yemen and Somalia, two “failed states” where al-Qaeda is active. Obama seemed to realize that such a U.S. military presence might make the terrorism [...]
Kafka’s Ordeal
January 13, 2010
Alvaro Vargas Llosa
WASHINGTON—Israel wants to expropriate the part of Franz Kafka’s manuscripts under the control of two sisters whose mother received them as a gift from the author’s executor. The courts there should prevent the government’s nationalization of a literary treasure.
Kafka, a Czech [...]
The Meat Market
January 9, 2010
Alexander T. Tabarrok
Wall Street Journal
In a race to prevent thousands of needless deaths a year, countries from Singapore to Israel are launching innovative new programs to boost organ donation. Alex Tabarrok on paying donors for kidneys, favoritism on waiting lists and [...]
Is Dick Cheney Unpatriotic?
January 6, 2010
Ivan Eland
Former Vice President Dick Cheney has been railing against President Barack Obama for being weak-kneed on terrorism and failing to interdict the BVD bomber’s recent attempt to blow up a plane. Cheney seems to want us to put aside his [...]
Latin America’s Tilt to the Right?
January 6, 2010
Alvaro Vargas Llosa
LIMA, Peru—There has been abundant talk of Latin America’s tilt to the left this past decade. But such chatter will soon become highly antiquated. Presidential contests in key countries are almost certain to move the region in [...]
Terror on Board
December 31, 2009
Charles Peña
The Baltimore Sun
The ‘system’—such as it is—didn't fail
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On Christmas Day, alleged would-be terrorist Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab managed to light his pants on fire but, fortunately, not detonate what amounted to an underwear bomb aboard Northwest Airlines Flight 253. President Barack Obama [...]
Learning the Wrong Lessons From the Attempted Bombing
December 30, 2009
Ivan Eland
The botched attempt by a Nigerian, apparently trained in Yemen by al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, to conduct a suicide bombing on a plane as it neared Detroit has highlighted the U.S. government’s overzealous, ineffective, and [...]
Lame Duck Bush Administration Continues to Inflame Islamist Terrorism for Its Successor
December 29, 2008
Ivan Eland
Although media coverage has focused on U.S. occupations and counterinsurgency/counterterrorist campaigns in Afghanistan and Iraq—which had the perverse result of further inflaming Islamist radicalism—the Bush administration has been busy stirring that same [...]
Trying to Reduce Our Only Existential Threat
December 23, 2009
Ivan Eland
Attempting to make good on his pledge to reduce the role of nuclear weapons in the U.S. and other nations’ defense postures, and eventually eliminate them, President Barack Obama seems on the verge of reaching a new [...]
Chile’s Second Transition
December 23, 2009
Alvaro Vargas Llosa
LIMA, Peru—Spain’s political transition was not completed until the heirs to those who had governed under Francisco Franco won free elections and proved that they had killed their ghosts. Chile’s own 20-year old transition will be completed if businessman Sebastian [...]
President Plans Another (Misguided) Stimulus Rush
December 21, 2009
William F. Shughart II
San Francisco Examiner
Fresh from his recent White House-sponsored jobs summit, President Barack Obama is pushing a new economic stimulus plan intended to soften the pain of a 26-year-high unemployment rate that sees one in 10 [...]
Barack Obama’s Doublespeak “Peace” Speech
December 18, 2009
Laurie L. Calhoun
In accepting the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize, Barack Obama recited the tried and true sophism parroted by U.S. presidents since 1945 in defending their wars: The Third Reich had to be defeated. As though Afghanistan bore any more resemblance [...]
Guardians of the Peace?
December 17, 2009
Jonathan Wyse
Ireland’s police force, An Garda Síochána, is threatening to take action in light of public pay cuts, as reported by theIrish Times. Although illegal according to the constitution, past examples of disobedience amongst law enforcement in Ireland include the “Blue Flu” of 1998.
The Blue [...]
The City that Went to Hell
December 16, 2009
Alvaro Vargas Llosa
CIUDAD JUAREZ, Mexico—This is known as the most dangerous city in the world and it feels like it.
Half of Juarez—just across the Rio Grande from El Paso, Texas—looks like a ghost town; the other resembles a battle [...]
Obama’s Peace Prize Continues Tradition of Dubious Choices
December 16, 2009
Ivan Eland
President Barack Obama has been primarily criticized for winning the Nobel Peace Prize so early in his term that he hasn’t yet done anything to deserve it. Only a few commentators, including the president, seemed to [...]
Climate Skeptic: We are Winning the Science Battle
December 14, 2009
S. Fred Singer
Reuters
The International Panel on Climate Change’s (IPCC) charter states that the organization’s purpose is to look for human induced climate change. The Non-governmental International Panel on Climate Change (NIPCC) does not have this problem. If [...]
Why Science Is Not Final Arbiter of Truth
December 9, 2009
David J. Theroux
Investor’s Business Daily
Regardless of what the politicians decide at the U.N. Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen, the game has changed.
Thanks to the e-mail exchanges and other documents hacked from computers at the Hadley Climate Research [...]
Ceuta's Scream
December 9, 2009
Alvaro Vargas Llosa
CEUTA, Spain—On the surface, this Spanish enclave on the North African end of the Strait of Gibraltar has integrated Muslims and Christians within a liberal democracy. The fact that Jewish and Hindu communities are part of the peaceful mix makes this [...]
More ‘Corruption’ Is Needed in Afghanistan
December 9, 2009
Ivan Eland
One of the reasons why most counterinsurgency campaigns fail is that they’re run by foreign occupiers who don’t know the culture of the invaded country. This usual cultural ignorance, latent for eight years of the U.S. war effort [...]
I was invited to be the guest on today's podcast episode of Voices of Hope, produced by Hope For Healing. From the show's website:
"Voices of Hope is THE SHOW on educate and empower victims of seuxal and domestic violence. We have had nationally recognized speakers, advocates, experts, authors and [...]
Troop Surge in Afghanistan a Losing Investment
December 4, 2009
Robert Higgs
San Francisco Examiner, Daily Sun News, Muskegon Chronicle, Herald News
President Obama’s decision to send another 30,000 U.S. troops to Afghanistan during the next six months does not make sense. Hardly anybody has real enthusiasm for the [...]
Enduring Legacy of Prohibition
December 3, 2009
Anthony Gregory
Herald News, Summit Daily News
Rarely in modern times does Washington withdraw from an area of domestic affairs. December 5 marks the seventy-sixth anniversary of the 21st Amendment, repealing alcohol prohibition.
One of the most energetic political causes in the late 19th [...]
Taking the Wind Out of Energy
December 2, 2009
Alvaro Vargas Llosa
ALGECIRAS, Spain—When driving through Don Quixote country in Spain’s Castille-La Mancha region, you are dazzled by the spectacle of wind farms proudly churning out the energy that will save Iberia and the planet, followed, once you cross [...]
Pay for the War, or Just Call It Off?
December 2, 2009
Ivan Eland
Congressman David Obey (D-Wis.), the powerful chairman of the House Appropriations Committee and an opponent of President Barack Obama’s Afghan War escalation, recently proposed a special “temporary” income surtax to fund the war. Although his intentions [...]
Obama's Wrong Road in Afghanistan
December 1, 2009
Ivan Eland
McClatchy-Tribune, Philadelphia Inquirer, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Sacramento Bee, Columbia Daily Tribune, Vindicator, Minneapolis Star Tribune
Sounding a bit like John Kerry during the 2004 election campaign, President Barack Obama plans to escalate the war in Afghanistan before de-escalating it. [...]
The Strange Case of Dr. Lula and Mr. Chávez
November 30, 2009
Carlos Alberto Montaner
Inside and outside Brazil there is a growing mistrust about Lula da Silva’s true political intentions. The recent invitation to that country of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is an appalling symptom. Iran’s defense minister, Ahmad [...]
Government Terrorism Lists Are a Holiday Turkey
November 25, 2009
Ivan Eland
As the holiday travel season rolls around again, the government’s terrorism watch list and no-fly list get ever more bizarre. Of course, for starters, the list has always been unconstitutional, because the government does not have probable [...]
Brazilian Hubris
November 25, 2009
Alvaro Vargas Llosa
WASHINGTON—The Economist magazine warned Brazilians last week against too much “hubris,” reminding them that they have a long way to go in becoming a major world power.
Many people study why some countries are poor and others rich. Less attention is paid to [...]
Coalition for Patient Privacy
November 24, 2009
David Blumenthal, MD, MPP
National Coordinator
Office of National Coordinator for Health Information Technology
U. S. Department of Health and Human Services
200 Independence Avenue, SW
Washington, DC 20201
See Letter as [...]
Go with the Savvy Investors
November 20, 2009
J. Victor Marshall
San Francisco Chronicle
As President Obama ponders his next moves in Afghanistan, he ought to heed what the experts have to say about a seemingly unrelated field: investor psychology.
Think of Afghanistan Inc. as a distressed company in which [...]
Government Needs to Loosen Grip on Insurers
November 19, 2009
Patricia H. Born
South Florida Sun-Sentinel, News-Journal
Despite this year’s calm hurricane season, the past decade of disastrous storms has made it more difficult for many homeowners to find affordable insurance. Not surprisingly, they blame the insurance companies. It’s [...]
Time to Support Honduras’ Elections
November 18, 2009
Alvaro Vargas Llosa
TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras—The presidential election that will take place Nov. 29 is the legitimate way to solve the crisis that has given this country a disproportionate international presence since President Manuel Zelaya was deposed in June.
This is an obvious [...]
Civilian Trials for 9/11 Suspects Aren’t Enough
November 18, 2009
Ivan Eland
The Obama administration’s decision to try Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the self-described mastermind behind the 9/11 terrorist attacks, and four alleged co-conspirators in civilian court is a laudable return to the rule of law from the Bush administration’s [...]
Hiding Debt Just a Juggling Trick
November 16, 2009
Scott A. Beaulier, Peter J. Boettke
East Valley Tribune, Gazette
The Treasury Department—whose mission has ostensibly expanded to include management of government finances, the promotion of economic growth and stability, and the provision of safety, soundness, and security in financial [...]
Faulty Dichotomies: Fort Hood and Reverse Racism
November 11, 2009
José Maria J. Yulo
Ignatius Insight
For neither Man nor Angel can discern
Hypocrisy, the only evil that walks
Invisible, except to God alone,
By his permissive will, through Heav’n and
Earth.
—John Milton
By liberalism I mean false liberty [...]
Why Most Counterinsurgency Wars Fail
November 11, 2009
Ivan Eland
In recent history, very few counterinsurgency wars have ended in success. Guerrillas are often outgunned by a wealthier invading power, but they do have two powerful advantages. One is that they are fighting on their home turf, which they [...]
Warren Buffett's Testament
November 11, 2009
Alvaro Vargas Llosa
WASHINGTON—Berkshire Hathaway’s Warren Buffett, the fabled investor, has announced the biggest deal of his life: He will acquire the stake he doesn’t already own in Burlington Northern Santa Fe, the railroad operator, for $26.6 billion and assume the company’s $10 [...]
Bay Bridge Holds a Lesson for Health Care Reform
November 9, 2009
Mary L. G. Theroux
San Francisco Examiner
Whether or not you like it, Congress’ health care bill ultimately comes down to one question: How much faith do you have that a politically appointed committee in Washington, D.C., [...]
Put an End to Maximum-Wage Foolishness
November 5, 2009
Randall G. Holcombe
Sarasota Herald-Tribune, Record-Journal
The United States enacted its minimum-wage law in 1938. It didn’t cover all workers, and still doesn’t. The “principle” appears to be that some wage levels are too low to be allowed, even if [...]
20 Years On
November 4, 2009
Alvaro Vargas Llosa
WASHINGTON—Historical moments are best judged from a distance, when the eye is able to focus on the whole canvas. Given the misconceptions that seem to surround the fall of the Berlin Wall, what is striking about the 20th anniversary of [...]
