When discussing individual rights, I like to borrow a concept from software engineering and say that human rights are digital in the sense that one either possesses them or they do not. All humans possess a right to property, a right to self-defense, and the right to freely contract, for example, while they do not […]
Attention all teachers! Remember this man’s name and face, because many years from now, after the Department of Education has disappeared, and our country’s education system has been completely dismantled, and you are out looking for a job, you will know who to blame. History will record that this is the man who divulged your […]
I’m currently reading Chris Anderson’s The Long Tail. It’s a very interesting book concerning how the internet has changed everything. Not just the number of books or CDs that you can order online, but all of retail economics. Its influence extends to all entertainment media, and, eventually, politics and government. I was struck by this […]
During an election year, people who would otherwise not be involved are suddenly more in tune with politics. Their thoughts turn to the candidates, and the coverage of their campaigns. They may even engage in debate about the issues of the day. But one issue is seldom ever discussed, and since it forms a foundation […]
I’ve been writing about the mismanagement of the Hurrican Katrina disaster for over two years now. First, that FEMA had no right to provide trailers to disaster victims, and then the staggering levels of fraud that they have allowed to go on. Now we are being told that FEMA has downright lied to us. According […]
Live free or die, indeed. Is that the best you can do, New Hampshire? With fourty-four percent of you claiming to be independents, with thousands of free-staters now living there, with your state’s heritage as the birthplace of the Revolution, and you hand over your delegates to a statist like John McCain, while delivering only […]
The frequency with which these types of stories are appearing is disturbing. If you read Radley Balko’s Overkill, you are left with no other alternative than to believe that the use of paramilitary raids by local law enforcement is not only on the rise, but is reaching epidemic proportions. This story illustrates the chaos and […]
Ron Paul is a candidate for President of the United States. His campaign has adopted this question on their web site and in other printed media. Those of us in the know, that is, anyone who has ever read Atlas Shrugged, recognize this as an homage to Ayn Rand‘s classic novel and the character she […]
A story in this week’s Post-Dispatch prompted me to observe that the only time you ever hear stories like these is when a 63-year-old grandmother is the one toting the gun: CARTHAGE, Mo. (AP) — A 63-year-old grandmother with a handgun stopped two burglars at her backdoor in Carthage. The Jasper County Sheriff’s Department said […]
This has been a great week for cops, not just in the St. Louis area, but all around the country. And it doesn’t seem to matter whether they are off duty or not. The biggest story, of course, that everyone is talking about is Brett Darrow and Sgt. James Kuehnlein who was fired this week […]
If I ever write a book about my conversion to anarcho-capitalism, I think this will be its title. Because this is easily the number one most-uttered response by those to whom I explain my belief that centralized government is immoral and must be abolished. What about the roads, indeed. On the one hand, it is […]
If you’re like most Americans, you haven’t been following the story of Ed and Elaine Brown, because it has enjoyed very little coverage by the major news media. But the story has been unfolding for six months now, and unless you’re from New Hampshire (where local newspapers seem to be the only outlets covering this […]