Writing at the Washington Post, economics columnist Robert J. Samuelson considers the president’s track record on his deregulatory agenda and sees slower progress ahead. First, though, he notes several successes of deregulation: Some regulatory cutbacks are well-known. The administration decided …
American Democracy as a Fundamentalist Religion
As America remains girded against religious fundamentalism in Iran and elsewhere around the world, consider that American democracy itself constitutes a fundamentalist religion. The distinguished economist Joseph Schumpeter noted, in 1942, the similarity between theocentric and secular religions: Marxism is …
Resisting California’s Two-One Punch Against Liberty
“First Amendment is first for a reason,” notes comedian Dave Chappelle, “Second Amendment is just in case the first one doesn’t work.” California politicians are attacking both amendments, in reverse order. As we noted, the draconian gun laws passed in …
Cinematic Excellence Gives 1917 the Brutal Realism of War
1917 has become a front runner in the race for Best Picture at the Academy Awards. Indeed, the epic movie featuring the brutal trench warfare of World War I is grand in scope and should be experienced, not just watched. Few …
Lessons of Jazz Great Jimmy Heath Go Beyond Music
Saxophonist, composer, and arranger Jimmy Heath has passed away at 93, one of the last jazz artists going back to the 1940s. Heath played with many of the greats, including Miles Davis, James Moody, and John Coltrane, according to Heath …
California’s Hidden Checkbook
California’s State Controller, Betty Yee, is responsible for paying each of the state’s bills. Unfortunately for Californians, she may have just bought the state a costly lawsuit because she has refused to account for any of the 49 million checks …
Are More Vaping Bans Coming Soon? Let’s Hope Not!
Over the past year, the Food and Drug Administration has seemed determined to “wipe out the entire vaping industry.” As former FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb, who spearheaded much of the current anti-vaping movement,” notes: “the FDA is so concerned about …
Fox News Documentary Puts Brutality of the Militarized Central State on Full Display
Back in 2012, Anthony Gregory wrote “Lessons From Ruby Ridge” on the infamous bloody siege from 1992. Gregory charted the federal efforts to entrap military veteran Randy Weaver, who had opted to live in a remote corner of Idaho. When …
Robert Klein, Davy Crockett, and the Quest for Another $5.5 Billion for Stem Cells
As this column has often noted, the 2004 ballot measure Proposition 71, the $3 billion California Stem Cell Research and Cures Act, promised life-saving cures for Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and other diseases, plus a steady stream of royalties for state coffers. …
How to Rescue the U.S. Postal Service
The government-run U.S. Postal Service began in 2020 with a dubious track record. It has lost money in each of the past 13 years. In 2019, USPS made $514 million more in revenue than it did in its previous fiscal …
Will FDA Approve Biogen’s Promising New Treatment for Alzheimer’s?
We’re only a few weeks into the new year, and the Food and Drug Administration will soon make a decision that will affect pharmaceutical regulation for decades. Last year, after failing an FDA-required futility test, Biogen abandoned its efforts to …
Iran’s Greatest Myth: Moderates Waiting in the Wings
Every time Iran is in the news, the same old myths about the country’s politics seem to fill the airwaves and the print media, fueled by politicians and commentators. By far the most important myth is the one that divides …
