Restoring Freedom, Peace, and Prosperity, Part 3
During the war, the Pentagon commissioned a study on the probable
effects of bombing Iraq’s water- and sewage-treatment plants. The report
indicated that if such plants were bombed, countless Iraqis would die
from infectious diseases arising from drinking polluted water.
Restoring Freedom, Peace, and Prosperity, Part 2
by
Jacob G. Hornberger
Today, many Americans have come to accept that Iran is an official enemy of the United States. Most people know about the animosity between the Iranian government and the U.S. government. Since many Americans often conflate the Iranian government and the Iranian citizenry, the entire country is usually viewed as an enemy.
Some might say, “But Jacob, the Iranian government is a cruel and brutal dictatorship, one that jails critics of the government, tortures them, and even executes them. Surely it doesn’t surprise you that the U.S. government opposes the Iranian dictatorship, especially given the ardent devotion to freedom and democracy that has long characterized the U.S. government.”
Today, many Americans have come to accept that Iran is an official enemy of the United States. Most people know about the animosity between the Iranian government and the U.S. government. Since many Americans often conflate the Iranian government and the Iranian citizenry, the entire country is usually viewed as an enemy.
Some might say, “But Jacob, the Iranian government is a cruel and brutal dictatorship, one that jails critics of the government, tortures them, and even executes them. Surely it doesn’t surprise you that the U.S. government opposes the Iranian dictatorship, especially given the ardent devotion to freedom and democracy that has long characterized the U.S. government.”
Restoring Freedom, Peace, and Prosperity, Part 1
by
Jacob G. Hornberger
Now that the celebrations over the killing of Osama bin Laden have died down, reality is setting in for the American people. It is slowly dawning on them that the killing won’t make any difference whatsoever and, in fact, might even make things worse for them. The occupations of Iraq and Afghanistan continue, as does U.S. foreign aid to Middle Eastern dictatorships and the Israeli regime. The war on terrorism continues, including the assassinations, indefinite detentions, kangaroo tribunals, kidnappings, renditions, secret prison camps, intrusive searches, and Guantanamo Bay. The infringements of fundamental rights and liberties also continue and almost certainly will expand, given the threat of terrorist retaliation for the killing of bin Laden.
What did bin Laden’s killing accomplish? It accomplished nothing good for the American people because government officials will continue to trample upon their fundamental rights and liberties in the name of gaining safety from the terrorists and in the name of national security. Americans will also continue to bear the burden of ever-increasing federal spending, taxes, debt, and inflation that come with an imperialist foreign policy and a perpetual war on terrorism.
Now that the celebrations over the killing of Osama bin Laden have died down, reality is setting in for the American people. It is slowly dawning on them that the killing won’t make any difference whatsoever and, in fact, might even make things worse for them. The occupations of Iraq and Afghanistan continue, as does U.S. foreign aid to Middle Eastern dictatorships and the Israeli regime. The war on terrorism continues, including the assassinations, indefinite detentions, kangaroo tribunals, kidnappings, renditions, secret prison camps, intrusive searches, and Guantanamo Bay. The infringements of fundamental rights and liberties also continue and almost certainly will expand, given the threat of terrorist retaliation for the killing of bin Laden.
What did bin Laden’s killing accomplish? It accomplished nothing good for the American people because government officials will continue to trample upon their fundamental rights and liberties in the name of gaining safety from the terrorists and in the name of national security. Americans will also continue to bear the burden of ever-increasing federal spending, taxes, debt, and inflation that come with an imperialist foreign policy and a perpetual war on terrorism.
Thank Goodness for WikiLeaks
by
Sheldon Richman
In October WikiLeaks released close to 400,000 U.S. classified military documents relating to the Iraq war. The American people, the theoretical masters of the government, were not supposed to see them. The government preferred that they not know. So just as when the website released 77,000 documents on the Afghan war in August, government officials and apologists for the empire’s war policies roundly condemned WikiLeaks. Apparently, the greatest breach of decorum is to let the American people know how their government conducts its wars. In November WikiLeaks began to release more than 250,000 secret diplomatic cables, creating even more heat for the organization.
In October WikiLeaks released close to 400,000 U.S. classified military documents relating to the Iraq war. The American people, the theoretical masters of the government, were not supposed to see them. The government preferred that they not know. So just as when the website released 77,000 documents on the Afghan war in August, government officials and apologists for the empire’s war policies roundly condemned WikiLeaks. Apparently, the greatest breach of decorum is to let the American people know how their government conducts its wars. In November WikiLeaks began to release more than 250,000 secret diplomatic cables, creating even more heat for the organization.
Libertarianism versus Statism
by
Jacob G. Hornberger,
All of us have been born and raised within a statist box, one in which the federal government’s primary roles are to take care of people, regulate their economic activities, and maintain an overseas military empire that intervenes in the affairs of other countries.
Both liberals and conservatives have come to accept this statist box as a permanent feature of American life. Even worse, they have convinced themselves that life in this statist box is actually freedom.
What makes libertarians different from liberals and conservatives is that, although we too have been born and raised within the statist box, we have broken free of it, in an intellectual and moral sense. Moreover, unlike liberals and conservatives, we recognize that statism isn’t freedom at all. It’s the opposite of freedom. Genuine freedom, libertarians contend, entails a dismantling of the statist box in which we all live.
All of us have been born and raised within a statist box, one in which the federal government’s primary roles are to take care of people, regulate their economic activities, and maintain an overseas military empire that intervenes in the affairs of other countries.
Both liberals and conservatives have come to accept this statist box as a permanent feature of American life. Even worse, they have convinced themselves that life in this statist box is actually freedom.
What makes libertarians different from liberals and conservatives is that, although we too have been born and raised within the statist box, we have broken free of it, in an intellectual and moral sense. Moreover, unlike liberals and conservatives, we recognize that statism isn’t freedom at all. It’s the opposite of freedom. Genuine freedom, libertarians contend, entails a dismantling of the statist box in which we all live.
The Student Loan Debt System. Posted by Keith Taylor
Student loan debt is the latest economic crisis du jour. The
standard pundit blames the students, and in some respects their vitriol
has a semblance of validity.
Myself, I have yet to see students getting rich off of the system. I see students who have unexpected medical emergencies, family problems, and worst yet: administrations who callously tack on unexpected fees. Where does all the money to pay for this come from? Well, unless you have rich parents, student loans are probably the answer, and those student loan debts are just getting worse.
Myself, I have yet to see students getting rich off of the system. I see students who have unexpected medical emergencies, family problems, and worst yet: administrations who callously tack on unexpected fees. Where does all the money to pay for this come from? Well, unless you have rich parents, student loans are probably the answer, and those student loan debts are just getting worse.
Davos and disconnected elites
The organizers of the World Economic Forum were self-critical enough to organize panels this year on such dark topics as “Is Capitalism Failing?” and “Global Risks 2012: The Seeds of Dystopia.” And these were just the latest in a series of annual ruminations here on the troubles of the globalization movement the conference symbolizes.
Will Romney's Strengths Prove Moot Against Obama?
Mitt Romney is winning the GOP race for two reasons: big money and
weak competition. That should distress Republicans. Romney cannot rely
on either advantage if he faces Barack Obama.
Gingrich's Grandiose Claims About Authoring The Supply-Side Revolution
Gingrich's Grandiose Claims About Authoring The Supply-Side Revolution
Image via Wikipedia
Whenever Newt Gingrich has been asked to explain why he is supposedly more “conservative” than other Republican presidential candidates, he has repeatedly replied that he “helped Ronald Reagan and Jack Kemp develop supply-side economics.” If that were true, I think I would know about it.
Tax "Reform," RIP?
By Robert Samuelson
WASHINGTON
-- Almost everyone favors "tax reform" in the abstract: Broaden the tax
base by reducing deductions, credits and other tax breaks; and then cut
top tax rates. But this sort of sweeping tax reform is usually a
political nonstarter, and if you want to understand why, take a look at
the tax proposals in President Obama's State of the Union address.
His recommendations include: a new corporate tax credit to subsidize moving jobs from abroad back to the United States; a tax credit for companies locating in communities that were "hit hard when a factory left town"; extension of "temporary" tax credits to promote U.S.-produced windmills and solar panels.
His recommendations include: a new corporate tax credit to subsidize moving jobs from abroad back to the United States; a tax credit for companies locating in communities that were "hit hard when a factory left town"; extension of "temporary" tax credits to promote U.S.-produced windmills and solar panels.
Obama Vs. The Clergy
By Michelle Malkin
President
Obama and his radical feminist enforcers have had it in for Catholic
medical providers from the get-go. It's about time all people of faith
fought back against this unprecedented encroachment on religious
liberty. First, they came for the Catholics. Who's next?
This weekend, Catholic bishops informed parishioners of the recent White House edict forcing religious hospitals, schools, charities and other health and social service providers to provide "free" abortifacient pills, sterilizations and contraception on demand in their insurance plans -- even if it violates their moral consciences and the teachings of their churches.
This weekend, Catholic bishops informed parishioners of the recent White House edict forcing religious hospitals, schools, charities and other health and social service providers to provide "free" abortifacient pills, sterilizations and contraception on demand in their insurance plans -- even if it violates their moral consciences and the teachings of their churches.
Obama's Enemies List
David and Charles Koch have been the targets of a campaign of vituperation and assault, choreographed from the very top.
By THEODORE B. OLSON
How would you feel if aides to the president of the United States singled you out by name for attack, and if you were featured prominently in the president's re-election campaign as an enemy of the people?What would you do if the White House engaged in derogatory speculative innuendo about the integrity of your tax returns? Suppose also that the president's surrogates and allies in the media regularly attacked you, sullied your reputation and questioned your integrity. On top of all of that, what if a leading member of the president's party in Congress demanded your appearance before a congressional committee this week so that you could be interrogated about the Keystone XL oil pipeline project in which you have repeatedly—and accurately—stated that you have no involvement?
Morning Bell: Federal Workers Overpaid, and CBO Agrees. Mike Brownfield
Here’s some news that federal bureaucrats in Washington — and
indeed around the country — don’t want to hear: According to a
Congressional Budget Office (CBO) report released this week, federal workers are paid higher than their private-sector counterparts.
The “alarming news” hit the national media yesterday, but there’s a funny thing about the report. None of it is really “news” — in fact, The Heritage Foundation long ago uncovered the truth about federal pay. The CBO’s report this week was spurred in part by two years of work on federal compensation conducted by Heritage and the American Enterprise Institute.
The “alarming news” hit the national media yesterday, but there’s a funny thing about the report. None of it is really “news” — in fact, The Heritage Foundation long ago uncovered the truth about federal pay. The CBO’s report this week was spurred in part by two years of work on federal compensation conducted by Heritage and the American Enterprise Institute.
In Negotiating Missile Defense with Russia, Obama Could Learn from Reagan’s Example. Scott Erickson
In 1987, the United States and the Soviet Union negotiated the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF),
which was designed to eliminate their nations’ respective intermediate
range, ground-based ballistic and cruise missiles with ranges between
500 and 5,500 kilometers. In discussing INF negotiations with the Soviet
Union, President Ronald Reagan famously summoned upon one of his
guiding principles: Trust but verify.
Thirty-five years later, the Obama Administration has adopted an entirely different tack in dealing with ongoing missile defense negotiations with Russia. Rather than negotiate from a position of informed strength, this Administration has deferred to a far less preferable alternative: capitulation.
Thirty-five years later, the Obama Administration has adopted an entirely different tack in dealing with ongoing missile defense negotiations with Russia. Rather than negotiate from a position of informed strength, this Administration has deferred to a far less preferable alternative: capitulation.
Pentagon’s Preview of Defense Budget Indicates Future Military Will Lack Important Capabilities. By Baker Spring
On January 26, Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta provided the public
with a preview of the defense budget request the Obama Administration
will submit February 13. The full details of the fiscal year (FY) 2013
defense budget request will be released next month, but Panetta’s
presentation makes it clear that the budget will not provide the U.S.
military with the resources it needs. With inadequate resources come
inadequate capabilities, which the Secretary described in general
terms.
Lessening the Overall Readiness of the Force
As was the case following the Vietnam War in the 1970s, defense budget reductions of the scope previewed by Panetta generally lead to reduced combat readiness and, ultimately, a hollow force. This is because a force that is too small has to endure higher operating tempos and rotation cycles. It also results in a reduction in the technological edge that permits the U.S. military to achieve victory on the battlefield quickly and with fewer casualties. Finally, it becomes more difficult to man the force with high-quality personnel and maintain high morale.
Lessening the Overall Readiness of the Force
As was the case following the Vietnam War in the 1970s, defense budget reductions of the scope previewed by Panetta generally lead to reduced combat readiness and, ultimately, a hollow force. This is because a force that is too small has to endure higher operating tempos and rotation cycles. It also results in a reduction in the technological edge that permits the U.S. military to achieve victory on the battlefield quickly and with fewer casualties. Finally, it becomes more difficult to man the force with high-quality personnel and maintain high morale.
CFPB Wields New Powers with Director. By Diane Katz
Within hours of Richard Cordray assuming the role of director[1]
at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), agency officials
began exercising their newly expanded powers. Their immediate target is
all manner of “nonbank”[2]
financial services used by millions of households. While proponents
contend that the new regulations will benefit consumers, the structure
of the bureau—its unparalleled power magnified by an absence of
accountability—bodes ill for most Americans.
Getting Nowhere, Very Fast. by Thomas Sowell
California
has a huge state debt and Washington has a huge national debt. But
that does not discourage either Governor Jerry Brown or President
Barack Obama from wanting to launch a very costly high-speed rail
system.
Most of us
might be a little skittish about spending money if we were teetering
on the brink of bankruptcy. But the beauty of politics is that it
is all other people's money, including among those other people
generations yet unborn.
The Bishops Are Wrong and Have No One But Themselves To Blame for Obama’s Persecution of Catholics. by Eric Giunta
This past
Sunday, bishops around the United States delivered to their congregations
a
short pastoral letter urging prayer, fasting, and legislative
lobbying against the Obama administration’s announcement
that all employers, most religious institutions included, will soon
have to subsidize their employees’ contraceptives, sterilizations,
and abortion-inducing drugs.
Given the terribly
low expectations most Catholics have of their bishops, it is no
surprise that many of my co-religionists, surveying the now-daily
condemnations by clerics and laymen (on both the orthodox
"right" and the dissenting
"left") speak of a proverbial "waking"
of "the sleeping giant." But I’m afraid a dose of
ecclesiastical realism is in order. All indications are that the
bishops’ approach to these events is woefully off the mark and cannot
but backfire against them in the long run.
Obama Sandbags the Archbishop. by Patrick J. Buchanan
At the end
of Sunday mass at the church this writer attends in Washington,
D.C., the pastor asked the congregation to remain for a few minutes.
Then, on the instructions of Cardinal Archbishop Donald Wuerl, the pastor proceeded to read a letter.
In the letter, the Church denounced the Obama administration for ordering all Catholic schools, hospitals and social services to provide, in their health insurance coverage for employes, free contraceptives, free sterilizations and free "morning-after" pills.
Parishioners were urged to contact their representatives in Congress to bring about a reversal of President Obama's new policy.
Then, on the instructions of Cardinal Archbishop Donald Wuerl, the pastor proceeded to read a letter.
In the letter, the Church denounced the Obama administration for ordering all Catholic schools, hospitals and social services to provide, in their health insurance coverage for employes, free contraceptives, free sterilizations and free "morning-after" pills.
Parishioners were urged to contact their representatives in Congress to bring about a reversal of President Obama's new policy.
Ben Bernanke: The Official Counterfeiter. by Gary North
Back in 1969, a Disney cartoonist sat down at his story board
and produced a booklet that the Disney organization never saw:
The Official Counterfeiter. It was a presentation of fractional
reserve banking and the role of the Federal Reserve System.
His name was Vic Lockman. As far as I know, he was the first cartoonist ever to do a booklet based on the Austrian theory of the business cycle. He revised the booklet in 1974. It is now back online.
It is a shame that he did not do a version of this booklet for one of the Scrooge McDuck comic books. He wrote stories for Uncle Scrooge. Of course, the Disney organization would not have released it. Too controversial.
His name was Vic Lockman. As far as I know, he was the first cartoonist ever to do a booklet based on the Austrian theory of the business cycle. He revised the booklet in 1974. It is now back online.
It is a shame that he did not do a version of this booklet for one of the Scrooge McDuck comic books. He wrote stories for Uncle Scrooge. Of course, the Disney organization would not have released it. Too controversial.
Don't Trust Your Instincts
Don't Trust Your Instincts
By John StosselSimple answers are so satisfying: Green jobs will fix the economy. Stimulus will create jobs. Charity helps people more than commerce. Everyone should vote.
Well, all those instinctive solutions are wrong. As Friedrich Hayek pointed out in "The Fatal Conceit," it's a problem that in our complex, extended economy, we rely on instincts developed during our ancestors' existence in small bands. In those old days, everyone knew everyone else, so affairs could be micromanaged. Today, we live in a global economy where strangers deal with each other. The rules need to be different.
Policing the World
By John Stossel
With
an election approaching and at least some Americans upset about
irresponsible spending, the president has finally expressed a political
interest in cutting something. He says the Pentagon will spend "only"
$525 billion next year. That's slightly less than the current $531
billion.
A cut is good, but this will barely dent the deficit. We could save much more if America assumed a military policy designed for defense rather than policing the world.
A cut is good, but this will barely dent the deficit. We could save much more if America assumed a military policy designed for defense rather than policing the world.
Libertarianism, Rightly Conceived. by Trevor Burrus
Economist Jeffrey Sachs has joined the critics who,
over the last year or so, are dismissing libertarianism as a
simple-minded philosophy. In "Libertarian Illusions," Sachs takes
libertarians to task for "championing liberty to the exclusion of all
other values." "Libertarians," Sachs writes, "hold that individual
liberty should never be sacrificed in the pursuit of other values or
causes. Compassion, justice, civic responsibility, honesty, decency,
humility, respect and even survival of the poor, weak and vulnerable —
are to take a back seat."
In fact, most libertarians believe that the "other values or causes"
listed by Professor Sachs are best promoted by promoting liberty. We
believe so strongly in liberty because we believe that all those values
are vital to humanity. At bottom, what ties libertarians together is the
notion of a "presumption of liberty" — that state action needs
justification, not human freedom. This idea is far from controversial
and, in fact, it is the founding principle of the modern liberal state.No More Bipartisan Bailouts by Michael D. Tanner
One of the few lines in President Obama’s State of the
Union address that actually received bipartisan applause was his vow of
“no bailouts, no handouts, and no cop outs.” Of course the president
then went on to claim credit for his bailout of the auto industry and
promise additional handouts to the “green energy” industry.
No comments:
Post a Comment