Can a gun control law keep some weapons out of the hands of criminals? The concept of a gun control “law” sounds pointless, because criminals, being criminals, ignore laws. But the history of the machine gun in the US is an example of gun control … [Read more]
Venezuela: The Latest Case for Free Markets
People need to be reminded more often than they need to be instructed. -- Samuel Johnson VENEZUELA IS STARVING: Hobbled by economic policies, Latin America’s once-richest country can no longer feed its people -- Wall Street Journal headline, May … [Read more]
Work, Disability, and Human Capital
To tell the truth, I don’t want a job. But since people are selfishly unwilling to give me food and shelter and clothing without something in return, I have to work. Lucky for me. In order to hold a job, I have to show up on time, get along with … [Read more]
Word Ploy: Segregation*
If you do nothing else this week, read George Orwell’s Politics and the English Language. It will change how you read about political issues – and as Orwell notes, “all issues are political issues.” Vague and sloppy language, Orwell points out, … [Read more]
Resisting Free Speech
The peculiar evil of silencing the expression of an opinion is, that it is robbing the human race; posterity as well as the existing generation; those who dissent from the opinion, still more than those who hold it. If the opinion is right, they are … [Read more]
CEO Pay vs Worker Pay
Is there a causal connection between the compensation paid to Chief Executive Officers and the wages paid to workers? At first glance, the numbers seem to suggest a correlation. Between 1978 and 2013, the inflation-adjusted compensation paid to … [Read more]