20 years ago in reason

"Something deeper and more important than shrinking popularity is at work. Bill Clinton'"the smart guy with a policy prescription for every ill'"has run headlong into the U.S. Constitution. Clinton is stretched too thin not because he has the wrong personality or the wrong chief of staff but because U.S. presidents just aren't supposed to do so much."

'"Virginia Postrel, "System Overload"

"Neither [former White House Press Secretary Jim] Brady nor [Acting Attorney General Stewart] Gerson suggested how many lives the Brady Bill might save. Nor did they cite studies showing how similar laws, enacted by more than 20 states, have reduced crime. That's because there are no such studies. All the scholarly research has found that laws like the Brady Bill have no statistically significant impact on crime."

'"David B. Kopel, "Gun Play"

"To judge from coverage of the Waco affair and anti-cult propaganda in general, there are clear differences between legitimate religions and groups like the Branch Davidians. A closer look reveals that the main difference is time."

'"Jacob Sullum, "A Matter of Time"

'"July 1993