Topic: Government

The Justice of an All-Volunteer Military

– April 17, 2024

“A person who voluntarily enlists in the military obviously believes that that employment option is the best one for him or her. In exchange for his or her performance of military duties, that soldier or sailor is paid.” ~Donald J. Boudreaux

Books, Crisis, Government, Leadership

Principleless, Panicked and Power-Hungry

– April 3, 2024

“The authoritarian response to COVID amounted to the biggest inroads on our civil liberties in two hundred years… the judges were as frightened and panicked as most everyone else.” ~James Allan

Books, Economic History, Government, Socialism

Government Project: The Eternal Folly of Central Planning

– April 1, 2024

“Edward Banfield’s careful case study of the Casa Grande project, based on his review of the detailed government records, is a sobering critique of government planning and social engineering.” ~Mark Pulliam

Government, Leadership, Regulation

Reforms for West Virginia’s Future

– February 15, 2024

“You could say the state is mired in the economic theories and nostrums of the past, a Great-Depression-era philosophy of government jobs and ‘managed’ competition.” ~William Ruger and Jason Sorens

Government, International, Regulation

The Manure Lobby: Farmer Fury in Europe

– February 13, 2024

“When a motivated and adequately organized group combines to concentrate its lobbying power on government, it generates foreseeable incentives for the ruling legislatures.” ~Paul Schwennesen

Fiscal Policy, Government, Immigration

Rules over Discretion Provide a Path Forward

– February 9, 2024

“Averting an impending fiscal crisis requires substantial debate about these issues rather than the current partisan-fueled fire drill over continuing resolution funding.” ~Vance Ginn

Government, Leadership, Taxation

Not a Very Virtuous Virtue Signal

– February 2, 2024

“Calling the extraction of resources from one group to give to others an investment, rather than wealth redistribution that reduces others claims on their own property, is a massive misrepresentation.” ~Gary M. Galles

Classical Liberalism, Government, History

A Statue Worth Preserving; A Man Worth Honoring

– January 25, 2024

“William Penn’s 1682 ‘Frame of Government’ for Pennsylvania included elected representatives, a separation of powers, religious freedom, and fair trials, all since incorporated into our Constitution.” ~Gary Galles

Fiscal Policy, Government, Leadership

Presidents May Want a Line-Item Veto, but Citizens May Not

– January 17, 2024

“The main story being told around the line-item veto focuses on congressional special interests. But Presidents have plenty of special interests, too.” ~Gary M. Galles

Authoritarianism, Government, Regulation

As Some Workers Try to Free Themselves from Unionization, Biden Officials Try to Dragoon More In

– January 3, 2024

“This case is destined for the Supreme Court, which might take another look at the constitutionality of compulsory unionism. The Court might even decide that the freedom to decide whether you want someone else acting as your representative is a fundamental right.” ~George Leef

Classical Liberalism, Economic History, Government, Philosophy

When Liberal Became a Political Adjective

– December 24, 2023

“Before the 1770s, liberal meant generous, munificent, as in “with a liberal hand,” or tolerant and befitting a free man, as in liberal arts and liberal sciences. Those meanings were not political.” ~Daniel Klein

Economic Education, Fiscal Policy, Government, Taxation

Time is on Government’s Side

– December 20, 2023

“Politicians get the credit for creating the program, but bear only a small part of the cost of paying for it, leaving the vast majority of the costs to future generations.” ~Gary M. Galles