Past Crises Have Ratcheted Up Leviathan. The COVID-19 Pandemic Will Too.
People sometimes regret actions taken hastily during a crisis but find reversing them diabolically difficult.
Big Government
For Better Health, Find a Cure for Government
In a time of health crisis, government has proven to be a crippling underlying condition.
Pushy Politicians Make Stay-at-Home Protests Necessary
Government officials’ disdain for personal liberty and economic pain drive Americans to the streets.
The Coronavirus Has Exposed Governmental Failures. It Might Also Offer Hope for Change.
Government agencies and public utilities are the most preposterous examples of stasis. The coronavirus might force them, finally, to innovate and join the modern world.
From Drafting Doctors to Stealing Equipment, Politicians Violate the Limits of a Free Society
A pandemic becomes an excuse for treating people as playing pieces in a game.
The Coronavirus Outbreak Is Exposing Government Follies on Many Levels
Most serious approaches to the crisis, however, are decidedly libertarian. They involve reducing regulations that keep industries from responding rapidly in an emergency situation.
How the Government Bungled the Coronavirus Response
"We have the capacity to keep this contained," Mayor Bill de Blasio told New Yorkers on March 2.
With COVID-19, That Which Is Not Forbidden Is Mandatory—and Subsidized
When this is all over, don’t expect politicians to lose their taste for ordering us around.
Australia Moves To Restrict Cash and Build Up Its Surveillance State
It’s all part of the international push by officials to monitor the public. You’re next.
Pot, Guns, Tampons, Narwhals, Bail, Bags, and More Face New Rules in 2020
Plus: Libertarianism in the 2020s, Trump's flavored vape ban, and more...
Give, Don't Govern
Philanthropy helps others. Government controls them instead.
More Americans Want Bigger Government—If It's Free
A more active government wins growing approval, but only so long as it doesn’t raise taxes, require tradeoffs, or interfere with private enterprise.
Rand Paul Wants Whistleblower Outed. Libertarians Want the Old Rand Paul Back
Plus: Intent "doesn't matter" on social media?, an interesting productivity experiment, prostitution arrests, PragerU's lawsuit, internet access progress, and more...
When Government Lobbies Government for More Government
For all their harrumphing about the evils of corporate influence-peddling, left-wing demagogues are willfully blind to the biggest influence-seekers in state and federal capitols.
Sen. Chuck Schumer Proposes Billions in Government Handouts to Kill Gas-Powered Cars
Say hello to "Cash for Clunkers 2.0."
The Department of Homeland Security Is a Mess of Misconduct and Ineptitude
Longstanding discipline problems at DHS provide a glimpse of what fans of bigger government on the right and left would inflict on us.
New Hampshire Woman Can Keep Her 'PB4WEGO' Vanity Plate
The state attempted to recall the vanity plate on the grounds that it referenced "excretory acts or functions."
A 79-Year-Old Woman Receives a Jail Sentence for Feeding Stray Cats
"I'm an animal lover, and I feel guilty that they're wandering around out there and they have nothing to eat."
Government Bullies Want to Seize This Man's Home Because of Overgrown Grass
If governments can oppress, they usually will.
Utah Karaoke and Ax-Throwing Bars Are Using Pool Tables To Circumvent Stupid Liquor Laws
Karaoke and beer? No. Karaoke, pool, and beer? OK!
Georgia's Department of Public Health Is Going After a Charity That Feeds Hungry Kids for Using 'Uncertified' Kitchens
MUST Ministries has provided millions of children with free lunch sandwiches, but an old rule could change their program.
Everyone Agrees Government Is a Hot Mess. So Why Does It Keep Getting Bigger Anyway?
When libertarians dole out blame for the growth of government, perhaps we should take a look in the mirror.
Sen. Warren Has a Plan to Socialize Pharmaceuticals: Reason Roundup
Plus: Tumblr porn filters catch company's own examples of permitted content and how the GOP learned to love bailouts.
Reporters Become Participants in Tribal Political Warfare
Journalists, like other Americans, will have an easier time only when the struggle for control of government stops mattering so much.
Our Infrastructure Is Not 'Crumbling.' Repeat: Our Infrastructure Is Not 'Crumbling'
The number of structurally deficient bridges, never high to begin with, has been dropping over the past 30 years.
Keep Government Closed
Government shutdowns are opportunities to reveal how unnecessary much of government is.
Don't Register Anything
Putting yourself on a registry of people who engage in activities, or own goods, that are even mildly controversial makes you vulnerable to abusive officials.
'Administrative State Is THE Leading Threat to Civil Liberties of Our Era.'
Columbia's Philip Hamburger says this "monarchical" system of government grew in power just as blacks and women saw an expansion of their voting rights.
The GOP Died at the Border Wall
The Republican Party hates immigrants more than it hates big government.
Chris Christie Enjoying a Public Beach During a Government Shutdown Is What Politicians Do
It shouldn't surprise you when politicians show their true nature.
More Immigration Does Not Mean Less Economic Freedom
Conservatives who claim that immigrants import anti-liberty attitudes are wrong.
Britain Is Turning Into a Welfare State Dystopia
Theresa May wants to go after seniors' homes to pay for their long-term care
The Scoop on 'Frozen Dessert' Licenses
You got a permit for that ice cream machine?
When Laws Become Partisan Weapons
Many of our intractable policy disputes are little more than rumbles between battling political tribes.
Why Do D.C. Evictions Require Rifle-Wielding U.S. Marshals?
How many movers-and armed federal agents-does it take to evict a D.C. tenant? Too many, thanks to weird government regulations.
Facial Recognition? There's an App for That, and U.S. Law Enforcement Has Been Helping Private Companies Use It
Soon shopping malls and theaters can run surveillance images through an app to access state, federal, and international law enforcement watch-lists.
The Basket Case for Smaller Government
Has the possibility of a Trump presidency caused progressives to reflect on the wisdom of an all-powerful State?
As Marijuana Prohibition Winds Down, What Will Control Freaks Ban Next?
It isn't enough to end just one restrictive law, we have to disempower the prohibitionists.
Sheriffs' Offices Have More Than Doubled in Size Since 1993
For better or worse, the role of U.S. sheriffs' offices has been expanding and getting more complex.
Senator Mike Lee: Give More Power to Congress (and Take it Away from Federal Agencies)
The constitutional conservative has an ambitious plan to rebalance the separation of powers
Another Lesson from the Iraq War
Liberals and conservatives are short-sighted even when claiming to have learned their lessons.
Ham-Handed Arrest at Pediatric Clinic Highlights Official War on the Powerless
Forget that "war on cops." Unaffordable penalties, incompetent courts, and heavy-handed tactics are all evidence of an official assault on regular Americans.
The Rise of Potentate Trump Shows That "Real" Americans Are the Big Threat to Limited Government
Can we quit blaming Hispanics for Big Government?
What If There Is No Difference Between the Presidential Candidates?
All major candidates in both major political parties promise a federal government that can right any wrong.
