Think Tank West

I don’t know much about Arne Duncan, President-elect Obama’s choice to be Secretary of Education. But I do note this: In seven years running the Chicago public schools, this longtime friend of Obama was apparently not able to produce a single public school that Obama considered good enough for his own children.

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In the December edition of CatoAudio, I talk about some great moments in the history of liberty and libertarianism, from the ancient Hebrews to the three remarkable women of 1943 and the people fighting for freedom right now against tremendous odds. And I reply to the New York Times’s criticisms of libertarians who “claim to [...]

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When Congress lawfully exercises its constitutional powers to regulate a particular aspect of interstate commerce, states cannot also regulate in that area.  This anodyne principle, arising from the Constitution’s Supremacy Clause, is known as preemption.  Today, in its last public action of 2008 and its first 5-4 decision of the term, the Supreme Court violated [...]

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Since today is Bill of Rights Day, it seems like an appropriate time to pause and consider the condition of the safeguards set forth in our fundamental legal charter. Let’s consider each amendment in turn. The First Amendment says that Congress “shall make no law … abridging the freedom of speech.” Government officials, however, insist that they can make [...]

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Reuters reports that Obama may propose as much as $1 trillion (yes, trillion) of new spending, which would be in addition to the huge expansion of government under Bush, is it true (as Richard Nixon once remarked) that “we are all Keynesians now? Not quite. Here’s a new video that explains why Keynesian “stimulus” proposals [...]

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Some prosecutors will say or do anything to win a case.  Even if that means convicting an innocent person, letting a rapist off the hook, and smearing an 11-year old girl.  Sometimes these ambitious prosecutors run for higher office and win.  Sometimes they become judges.  In a just world, more of them would repent and then [...]

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As I noted before, the Department of the Interior recently announced that it will allow the concealed carry of handguns in national parks and wildlife refuges. New West reports that the Brady Campaign is now suing to block implementation of the rule. (H/T to David Hardy at Of Arms & the Law.) The Brady Campaign claims that the [...]

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The Bush administration has blown through the first $350 billion of your money that Congress authorized it to spend under the Troubled Asset Relief Fund. Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson is now asking for the second $350 billion. Will Congress approve the second $350 billion of TARP money? I have no special skill at political speculation, [...]

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The following howler from Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) in today’s Wall Street Journal is worth calling out: Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R., Ky.) in a statement Monday supported the idea of using federal spending to boost the economy. But he warned that the price tag, which could approach $800 billion over two years, shouldn’t [...]

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Prevailing wisdom among politicians, media talking heads, and a sizable number of economists is that a downpour of government money is needed to “stimulate” the economy into recovery. (To understand why this belief is bunk, please see Dan Mitchell’s helpful video here.) But isn’t spending tons of money exactly what government at all levels has [...]

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