All Posts Tagged With: "government power"

Libertarianism Today

Libertarianism is attracting more attention than ever. As the economic and social damage done by Leviathan increases exponentially Americans are coming to understand that government power is the root of our many troubles. The idea that a consistent philosophy based on freedom and peaceful cooperation among all people is the only path out of the [...]

26Oct2011 | George C. Leef | 5 comments | Continued

Nullification: How to Resist Federal Tyranny in the 21st Century

How can Americans restrain an out-of-control federal government that won’t recognize any constitutional limits on its power? In Nullification: How to Resist Tyranny in the 21st Century, Thomas Woods argues that state invalidation of federal laws could be the answer. First, though, Woods identifies what almost certainly won’t work: trying to effect change by sending [...]

21Sep2011 | Jacob H. Huebert | 26 comments | Continued

The Struggle to Limit Government: A Modern Political History

Today’s most crucial policy battles are about federal spending and the scope of government power. Cato Institute scholar John Samples reminds us in this book that those battles have their origins in the Progressive era, the New Deal, and the Great Society. Early in the twentieth century Herbert Croly (cofounder of The New Republic) argued [...]

24Aug2011 | Greg Kaza | 0 comments | Continued

Federalism Means Carte Blanche for States?

Federalism is an important concept in the political structure of the United States—or at least it is supposed to be. Under the Constitution the national (or as it is now almost invariably called, federal) government was given certain responsibilities. Beyond those limited functions the federal government was not to go. The Tenth Amendment makes the [...]

1Jul2010 | George C. Leef | 0 comments | Continued

Anti-Force Is the Common Denominator

Allow me to alter something the great humorist Will Rogers said: “I’m not a member of any organized group. I’m a libertarian.” I wince a bit as I say that, though. Let me explain. Labels such as “libertarian” aren’t always illuminating. Sometimes they serve as expedient substitutes for thought—as in, “Oh, he’s one of those!” [...]

24Mar2010 | Lawrence W. Reed | 14 comments | Continued

Influence-Peddling

Since the New York Times published its page-one story alleging an inappropriate link between Senator John McCain and telecommunications lobbyist Vicki Iseman, we’ve heard much more about the evil of “influence-peddling.” The day the Times story ran, Senator Barack Obama debated Hillary Clinton, saying, “Washington has become a place where good ideas go to die. [...]

1May2008 | John Stossel | 0 comments | Continued

Property Protects

Opponents of authentic liberalism have long held that the state must be powerful enough to protect the powerless from the ravages of private property. The Supreme Court’s decision in the Kelo eminent-domain case last summer shows what that principle is worth. To recap, the city of New London, Connecticut, condemned 15 working-class homes for an [...]

1Sep2005 | Sheldon Richman | 0 comments | Continued

"Corporate" Power Alone Is the Problem?

One of the tried and true formulas for giving a speech is the “loss of the golden days” approach. The speaker contrasts an imagined time in the past when things were good with present conditions. The present, of course, is bad and rapidly getting worse. Some evil force that the listeners are bound to dislike [...]

1Apr2005 | George C. Leef | 0 comments | Continued

No More Czars, Please

For hard-pressed, taxpaying citizens who believe in limited government, April is not a favorite month. But something really good and worth noting happened a couple days before our taxes were due this year. On April 13 in Michigan, a Democratic governor chided a Republican legislature for trying to create a state “manufacturing czar.” In fact, [...]

1Oct2004 | Lawrence W. Reed | 1 comment | Continued

The Economic Causes of War

Ludwig von Mises (1881–1973) was the foremost Austrian economist of the twentieth century, an adviser to FEE from the time of its founding in 1946, and the author of Human Action, Socialism, and The Theory of Money and Credit. This is the major part of a lecture delivered in Orange County, California, in October 1944. [...]

1Apr2004 | Ludwig von Mises | 0 comments | Continued

To the Medical Socialists of All Parties

British Prime Minister Tony Blair’s Labour Party created a small furor in Great Britain recently when its National Policy Forum issued a paper suggesting changes that might be made in the National Health Service (NHS) if the party holds power. The paper, “Improving Health and Social Care,” covers a lot of ground, but the item [...]

1Sep2003 | Sheldon Richman | 1 comment | Continued

The Financial Century: From Turmoils to Triumphs by Reuven Brenner

Stoddart • 2001 • 214 pages • $39.95 Reviewed by Pierre Lemieux In his latest book, McGill University economics professor Reuven Brenner argues that when private sources of capital are not easily available through financial markets, governments or criminals become financial intermediaries, which is not conducive to prosperity and liberty. He draws on a large [...]

1Jun2002 | Reuven Brenner | 0 comments | Continued

Some Questions

I’m writing these words in the early-morning serenity of my home, two weeks after the September 11 terrorist attacks. All appears peaceful, fine, and as it was before September 11. My son, Thomas, is upstairs sleeping the sweet sleep of a child too young to comprehend what is happening. The world that he understands is [...]

1Jan2002 | Donald J. Boudreaux | 0 comments | Continued

The Ultimate Externality

Pick an economist at random and ask him or her, “What is government’s chief role?” The likely answer will be, “To correct market failures.” Economists have long understood that markets aren’t textbook perfect. Sometimes they fail, most notably when part of the cost of a person’s actions is shifted onto others who don’t consent to [...]

1Dec2001 | Donald J. Boudreaux | 1 comment | Continued

Feeling Your Pain: The Explosion and Abuse of Government Power in the Clinton-Gore Years by James Bovard

St. Martin’s Press · 2000 · 426 pages · $26.95 Reviewed by George C. Leef The battle over the history of the Clinton presidency is on and the early reports from the battlefield indicate that the fight is going in favor of those who prefer truth to spin. The jaw-dropping last-minute pardons seem to have [...]

1Sep2001 | George C. Leef | 0 comments | Continued

Imperfect Opponents

“Microsoft and the government were the perfect opponents. The government has some power, but Microsoft has at least as much. Anyone else facing either one of them would be overmatched.” That is not some comedian’s line. It was spoken in all seriousness, I presume, by David Boies, who led the Justice Department’s antitrust case against [...]

1Oct2000 | Sheldon Richman | 0 comments | Continued

The Right of Resistance

Many politicians talk as if citizens were obliged both to revere and obey their government. But there are few things more dangerous than swallowing the notion that government is entitled to boundless obedience from the people under its power. Throughout history, governments have occasionally overstepped the bounds of their legitimate power. What should be done [...]

1Aug2000 | James Bovard | 3 comments | Continued
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