A. Barton Hinkle is senior editorial writer and a columnist at the Richmond Times-Dispatch.
The Dumbest Federal Policy You'll Read About Today
It benefits special interests, hurts consumers, and harms the planet. What could be worse?
A. Barton Hinkle
Latest from A. Barton Hinkle
Bipartisan Hypocrisy on Free Speech
From the Dixie Chicks to Mozilla, free speech is under fire from both right and left.
Zoning's Racist Roots Still Bear Fruit
The long, shameful legacy of state-sanctioned discrimination.
Zero Tolerance Hurts Kids and Ruins Schools
We need common sense in our schools, not mindless bureaucratic compliance.
Government Power Rests on Violence and Coercion
From police brutality to the events in Ukraine, we're reminded daily that government power is based on violence.
Trigger Warning: Free Speech Ahead
From college campuses to political protests, free speech is under attack.
The Legacy of Loving v. Virginia Lives On in Gay Marriage Rulings
Fundamental rights must trump the government's attempt to control private relationships
Obamacare: It Could Be Worse
Hillarycare was tossed onto the ash heap of history-but it still had profound consequences.
Let's Hear It for Price Gouging
Government has no business dictating prices in the first place.
When Eminent Domain Is Just Theft
Government bodies often will take private property for genuinely public uses, and then try to stiff the owners.
The Lovecraftian World of Obamacare
Facts are easy. You can check facts. But supporters of the health law are warping reality to such a debauched degree it looks like something out of a tale by H.P. Lovecraft.
When Faith and Politics Don't Mix
From hunting and liquor laws to public education and marriage.
In Virginia, Education Isn't Always Liberal
When "humor and jokes" become a free speech issue.
School Choice Foes Are Wrong
Opponents of school choice sincerely believe that if you make everybody stay on the Titanic, then maybe it won't sink as fast.
Protecting Kids From Predators Doesn't Require Bigotry
We can still regulate "who" and "where."
The Great Inequality Debate
Is equality of income more important than equality of justice and authority?
Can We Trust Medicaid Expansion Advocates?
What the Native Americans can teach us about the U.S. government and healthcare
Please, Congress, Do Much Less
Unpack the assumption behind the stories about congressional productivity, and you find a bias toward statism: the notion that government action is inherently good, and that more government action is inherently better.
Rights Aren't Just for Humans, Anymore
From chimpanzees to artificial intelligence, science is raising important questions about just who, and what, has rights.
More Contraception, Less Conscription
In a rational world, women in the U.S. would be able to buy birth control over the counter.
Universal Pre-K: Mozart for Babies All Over Again?
Education myths can be pervasive and costly.
Sometimes the 'Makers' Act Like 'Takers'
Could American businesses learn from foreign ones a lesson in self-reliance?
Obama Puts a Happy Face on a Federal Mess
Aside from that, Mr. President, how did you like the play?
Shaming Non-Voters Has No Place In a Free Society
People have the right to troop to the polls, or not, as they please.
Taxpayer-Subsidized Projects for the Elite
Richmond, Virginia, has already been burned on grandiose projects.
Food Police Are Gluttons for Punishment - of Others
The FDA could impose regulations that would cost an ungodly lot - while achieving absolutely nothing.
On Legalizing Weed, Virginia Should Just Say Yes
Prohibition is expensive, unnecessary, and hurts people.
Could a Small Stadium Do Big Good?
Maybe small ballparks could economically justify their existence, though not necessarily public investment.
Virginia's Libertarian Moment
Robert Sarvis will not win, but some libertarian principles will.
Obamacare Is the Latest Example of Failed Central Planning
Big government has been mismanaging economic affairs for a long time.
How Special-Interest Legislation Created a Government Behemoth
From farm subsidies to NEA grants, the federal budget is littered with needless programs.
