Potomac Principles
Terrorism: The Price of Bad Energy Economics?
Fear of losing access to Saudi oil prompted the U.S. government to intervene in the Persian Gulf a decade ago, to maintain troops in Saudi Arabia ever since, to ignore Riyadh’s role in underwriting terrorism even after September 11, and to confront Iraq again. In short, America has been paying a high price for its [...]
1Mar2003 | Doug Bandow | 0 comments | ContinuedSeeing the World Plain
Doug Bandow, a nationally syndicated columnist, is a senior fellow at the Cato Institute and the author and editor of several books. Washington, D.C., is filled with professions of good intentions by politicians and bureaucrats as they steadily strip away Americans’ liberty and money. The political class uses even the most serious social problem to [...]
1Feb2003 | Doug Bandow | 0 comments | ContinuedPatriotic Tax Avoiders
Doug Bandow, a nationally syndicated columnist, is a senior fellow at the Cato Institute and the author and editor of several books. Little upsets politicians more than people attempting to escape their control. So it is with U.S. companies that have fled overseas, now attacked as being unpatriotic and worse by Washington pols. Over the [...]
1Jan2003 | Doug Bandow | 4 comments | ContinuedThe Constitution According to George Bush
White House lawyers have reportedly told President George W. Bush that he doesn’t need congressional authority to go to war. For political reasons, the President says he will seek “congressional support for U.S. action” in Iraq. But will he agree to be bound by a no vote? If not, his request is meaningless. The Constitution [...]
1Dec2002 | Doug Bandow | 0 comments | ContinuedWashington’s Inadvertent Support for Cuban Communism
Havana, Cuba—Roberto Alarcón, well-dressed but of unexceptional appearance, is thought to be the No. 3 man in Cuba, after only Fidel and Raúl Castro. He lazily sprawled in his chair before eight American journalists, fondling his cigar. Asked about Havana’s willingness to negotiate with the United States over its embargo against his country, Alarcón responded: [...]
1Jul2002 | Doug Bandow | 0 comments | ContinuedThe War on Charity
“Congress is going to rebuild Afghanistan for billions, and they can’t take care of 3200 people,” complained Kenneth Foster, husband of one of the September 11 victims, at a public hearing earlier this year. In his view, and that of many other victims’ families, who vigorously applauded his remarks, the September 11 Victims’ Compensation Fund [...]
1Jun2002 | Doug Bandow | 1 comment | ContinuedA War to End All Banditry
Even before the United States wound down its military operations in Afghanistan, it began looking for targets elsewhere. But policymakers must remember that Washington’s primary interest is thwarting transnational terrorists who target Americans, not combating local criminals and insurgents around the globe. After just three months, the Taliban was overthrown, the al Qaeda network was [...]
1May2002 | Doug Bandow | 1 comment | ContinuedFree to Be Stupid
America is a great country. What better evidence is there than the opportunity for people to say the stupidest, most witless things? Many people probably think that Washington, D.C., has a monopoly on idiocy. Not true. While the nation’s capital is often, indeed usually, void of common sense and good judgment, dumb comments sometimes rise [...]
1Mar2002 | Doug Bandow | 1 comment | ContinuedMaking Terrorists Pay
If there is one lesson the United States must teach after the September 11 atrocities, it is that terrorism does not pay. Washington should allow, indeed encourage, victims of terrorism to go after the assets of the perpetrators. A pregnant widow of one of the victims of the World Trade Center attack was the first [...]
1Feb2002 | Doug Bandow | 0 comments | ContinuedDemonizing Drug Makers
Doug Bandow, a nationally syndicated columnist, is a senior fellow at the Cato Institute and the author and editor of several books. The pharmaceutical industry is under siege. Congress is considering various measures to control drug prices and use. More than 40 states are debating proposals to do the same. Demonstrators around the world are [...]
1Sep2001 | Doug Bandow | 0 comments | ContinuedLetting Competition Reign
Doug Bandow, a nationally syndicated columnist, is a senior fellow at the Cato Institute and the author and editor of several books. Postage rates rose at the beginning of the year. It costs another penny for regular first class. And an extra 20 cents to send a letter overseas. Bulk-rate mailing is also a lot [...]
1Aug2001 | Doug Bandow | 0 comments | ContinuedPotomac Principles
Doug Bandow, a nationally syndicated columnist, is a senior fellow at the Cato Institute and the author and editor of several books, including Tripwire: Korea and U.S. Foreign Policy in a Changed World. Potomac Principles: Institutional Immortality, Washington Style “Don’t count on your budget surplus before the check clears.” That should be this year’s motto [...]
1Jun1998 | Doug Bandow | 0 comments | Continued-
The Latest
Contraception: Insuring the Uninsurable
Update below. Controversy rages over the Obama administration’s mandate that all employers – including... Read More
The Snow Plowers’ Petition
The following might have happened in a small college town in upstate New York… In a cold and snowy... Read More
Super Bowl versus Education?
In the spirit of Super Bowl weekend I’d like to deconstruct a Facebook status update that a friend... Read More
Capitalism, Corporatism, and the Freed Market
When a front-running presidential contender tells the country that thanks to Barack Obama, “[w]e are... Read More
Creating Jobs versus Creating Value
Picking on New York Times columnist Paul Krugman is one of the largest participation sports on the Internet.... Read More
