A Decaying Joe Biden Underlines the Need for a Less Powerful Presidency
The power of the office is excessive, and we don’t even know who is wielding it.
Government
Regulations' Enormous Costs Give DOGE an Enormous Opportunity
By one account, regulations cost American households over $15,000 per year. Here's hoping DOGE can help.
It's Time To End Double Taxation for Americans Living Abroad
Most people don't realize it, but if you're a U.S. citizen, the IRS wants to know about all the money you earn, no matter where in the world you earn it.
Congress Is Fiscally Reckless. Will Lawmakers Step Up?
Trump is talking about cutting government spending, but that's mostly in Congress' hands.
Mining Is Safer, Cleaner, and More Ethical in America. So Why Do Environmentalists Stand in the Way?
The U.S. now ranks second to last in the time it takes to develop a new mine—roughly 29 years. Only Zambia is worse.
The Empty Promises of Industrial Policy
Despite decades of bipartisan attempts, industrial policy keeps failing to deliver on promises from both the left and the right.
Countries With Economic Freedom Are Far Better Off
Even the poorest citizens of free countries fare better than the middle classes in economically repressive nations.
Smaller Government Can Protect Against a Vengeful President
Whether through policy or prosecution, the president's ability to punish his political enemies should be sharply constrained.
This Mom Was Arrested and Jailed for Making Her Son Walk a Half-Mile Home
Media hysteria and overzealous governments have led many to believe that childhood independence is a form of abuse.
Biden and Harris' Record on Spending and Debt Is a Tragedy of Epic Proportion
When they entered the White House, the budget deficit was a pandemic-influenced $2.3 trillion, and it was set to fall to $905 billion by 2024. It's now twice what it was supposed to be.
Americans Grow Increasingly Dependent on Government Payments
Many citizens of the land of the free are hooked on government checks.
Held Hostage Overseas? The IRS Wants Your Back Taxes.
The IRS fines hostages for taxes they couldn't pay while they were detained. A bill in Congress is trying to fix this.
In a Victory for the Free Market, FDA Approves New Schizophrenia Drug
Despite billions of taxpayer dollars spent on mental illness research, Cobenfy was developed by a private biopharmaceutical company.
Most Chinese E.V. Firms Are Unprofitable. Local Governments Keep Propping Them Up Anyway.
China has dominated the market—thanks in part to a robust industrial policy.
Urban Living Would Be Better if Big City Governments Were Less Incompetent
Unions and other special interests seem to get what they want before many urban residents get basic services.
An Efficiency Commission Led by Elon Musk Would Be Good for the Government
The idea, proposed by former President Donald Trump, could curb waste and step in where our delinquent legislators are asleep on the job.
The Government's Permitting Regime Is Choking the Economy
Housing costs, job availability, energy prices, and technological advancement all hinge on a web of red tape that is leaving Americans poorer and less free.
An Arizona Mom Was Arrested for Criticizing Public Officials at a City Council Meeting. Now She's Suing.
Rebekah Massie criticized a proposed pay raise for a city attorney. When she refused to stop, citing her First Amendment rights, the mayor had her arrested.
Season 2 Podcasts
Trailer: Why We Can't Have Nice Things Season 2
A new season brings six new stories about how the government is making Americans poorer and sicker.
This Nebraska Man Almost Lost His Home and All of Its Equity Over a Small Tax Debt. He Just Won in Court.
Kevin Fair fell behind on his property taxes in 2014. The local government eventually gave a private investor the deed to his home.
Trump and Harris' Economic Plans Are Depressingly Similar
Both campaigns represent variations on a theme of big, fiscally irresponsible, hyper-interventionist government.
The U.S. Can't Afford To Cut Taxes on Social Security Benefits
The campaign promise from Donald Trump sounds nice, but it would be disastrous when considering the program is already racing toward insolvency.
RFK Jr. Pays Lip Service to the Debt While Pushing Policies That Would Increase It
It's good to hear a candidate actually talk about our spending problem. But his campaign promises would exacerbate it.
She Underpaid a Property Tax Bill. So the Government Seized Her Home, Sold It—and Kept the $102,636 Profit.
Chelsea Koetter is asking the Michigan Supreme Court to render the state's debt collection scheme unconstitutional.
'The Problem Is Spending': Libertarian Presidential Nominee Chase Oliver's Vision for the Future
The candidate supports gun rights, wants to privatize government programs, and would radically reduce the number of federal employees.
The DOOBIE Act Would Limit Government Discrimination Against People Who Have Smoked Weed
Under the law, the feds couldn't deny you a job or security clearance just because you've used marijuana in the past.
Trump Promises To Get Rid of Bad Regulations. Can He Deliver?
Growth of regulation slowed under former President Trump, but it still increased.
Fly Me to the Moon Is a NASA Rom-Com that Fails To Launch
Channing Tatum and Scarlett Johansson star in what may be the first romantic comedy about government funding disputes.
The 2024 GOP Platform Promises To 'Make America Affordable Again.' So Why Are They Embracing Fiscal Insanity?
Although former President Donald Trump's deregulatory agenda would make some positive changes, it's simply not enough.
He Immigrated to the U.S. as a Child. He Was Just Kicked Out—Despite Coming Here Legally.
"Documented Dreamers" continue to have to leave the country even though this is the only home many have ever known.
The National Debt Is Crossing an Ominous Line
The U.S. has successfully navigated past debt challenges, notably in the 1990s. Policymakers can fix this if they find the will to do so.
Biden, Trump, and RFK Jr. Are All Anti-Freedom
Those three presidential candidates are making promises that would have bewildered and horrified the Founding Fathers.
Presidential Debate Debacle Was a Great Argument for Smaller Government
It’s impossible to reconcile big-government dreams with the reality of the clowns who rule us.
Ketanji Brown Jackson Joins Conservative Justices in Upending Hundreds of January 6 Cases
Her concurrence is a reminder that the application of criminal law should not be infected by personal animus toward any given defendant.
America Is in a Debt Crisis. Will Trump or Biden Address It at the Debate?
The candidate who grasps the gravity of this situation and proposes concrete steps to address it will demonstrate the leadership our nation now desperately needs. The stakes couldn't be higher.
'I Don't Support Mandates From Government': John Stossel Interviews Libertarian Presidential Nominee Chase Oliver
The candidate makes the case against the two-party system.
Reason Wins 7 Southern California Journalism Awards
First-place finishes include an investigative piece on egregious misconduct in federal prison, a documentary on homelessness, best magazine columnist, and more.
The Supreme Court Again Strengthens the Right to a Jury Trial in Criminal Sentencing
Paul Erlinger was sentenced to 15 years in prison based largely on a determination made by a judge—not a jury.
The Supreme Court May Be on the Brink of Radically Restricting Bureaucrats' Power
Chevron deference, a doctrine created by the Court in 1984, gives federal agencies wide latitude in interpreting the meaning of various laws. But the justices may overturn that.
Juneteenth Is a Celebration of Freedom
The holiday represents a page-turning from one of the most shameful chapters in American history.
The National Debt Is Now So High That Every American Essentially Owes $100,000
We could grow our way out of our debt burden if politicians would limit spending increases to just below America's average yearly economic growth. But they won't even do that.
Biden Administration Seeks Overly Harsh Sentences for Blocking Abortion Clinic Access
Whatever you think of abortion, the Department of Justice's latest approach to these cases is misguided.
Illinois License Plate Cameras Are Violating People's Constitutional Rights, Says New Suit
The plaintiffs are challenging the state's widespread surveillance, which it collects through over 600 cameras.
This New York Charter School Is Helping Low-Income Students. But the City Is Holding It Back.
Government school advocates say competition "takes money away" from government schools. That is a lie.
Louisiana's New 25-Foot Legal Forcefield for Police Threatens Accountability and Civil Liberties
A new law will make it much harder to film law enforcement officers in their public duties. Does that violate the First Amendment?
The GOP Once Claimed To Be the Party of 'Fiscal Responsibility.' So Why Not Reform Social Security?
Reasonable options include gradually raising the minimum retirement age, adjusting benefits to reflect longer life expectancies, and implementing fair means-testing to ensure benefits flow where they're actually needed.
New York and New Jersey Want To Let Felons Serve on Juries. Here's Why.
Bans have resulted in what some have called the "whitewashing" of American juries.
The Congressional Budget Office's Alternative Scenarios Forecast a Dire Economic Picture
Why aren't politicians on both sides more worried than they seem to be?
