Newsweek International editor Fareed Zakaria writes in The Future of Freedom: “First, a government must be able to control the governed, then it must be able to control itself. Order plus liberty. These two forces will, in the long run, produce legitimate government, prosperity and liberal democracy.” Now that Saddam’s regime is gone, the U.S. […]
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Our pride in the U.S. military’s men and women is bound to increase even further. Why? In this war their demonstrated bravery, competence, and daring are barely diminished by bureaucratic and political dishonesty. Lies from the top in any organization demoralize and diminish those below. This is true for churches and colleges as well as […]
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Many of those opposed to our military action in Iraq shout, “No blood for oil!” They believe our desire for Iraqi oil, not security, motivates our actions. Do these people think in terms of slogans, or causal relationships? If they don’t understand the driving force of allied military policy, they may be correct, but not […]
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This Christmas I got a great gift from my mom. “Longitudes and Attitudes,” by Thomas Friedman. This is a collection of his foreign affairs columns in the New York Times. He debunks the argument that Arab-Muslim hatred of America is the result of our wealth, power, and material success. He sees anti-Americanism overtaking soccer as […]
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Even the saints among us practice economics. Miracles aside, they must make choices among competing alternatives. Mother Teresa had to decide how, when, and where to allocate her time and other resources dedicated to the sick. People deliberately or subconsciously weigh the benefits and costs of alternatives. Do we go to church or ski on […]
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Ecosystems are subject to invasion, e.g. by spotted knapweed. Likewise in political systems. When governments create programs to redistribute wealth, opportunists, like noxious weeds, crowd out intended recipients. Unfortunately, any effort to aid a particular group invites those with connections and power to exploit the program. Louisiana is notorious for its corruption. I lived in […]
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Green Bag Press, 2002, preface by John Baden and Ramona Marotz-Baden. Contact FREE to purchase.
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I admire George McGovern’s good cheer — but not his understanding of political economy. Clearly, government has an important role in preventing harm, e.g., protecting human rights and the environment. It’s far more difficult to identify government investments that improve well-being. It’s not a null set but it is a relatively small set. Investments in […]
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(This column was submitted by John at 10:00 am on Oct. 10, before Mike Taylor dropped out of the race for U.S. Senate. He was attending the Mont Pelerin Society meetings in London. MPS is an international organization of scholars, journalists, and governmental officials, advancing the principles of a free society and market economies. FREE […]
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For more than a decade we’ve run a series of seminars for federal judges. We don’t teach law but rather explore contentious scientific issues with policy implications. Several hundred federal judges have come to Montana to learn about biotechnology, endangered species, climate change, and energy policy, for example. Whatever the topic, ethical concerns always emerge. […]
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