The U.S. Has Strayed Far From Its Founding Ideals
Governments at the state, local, and federal levels can obstruct our pursuit of happiness and at times even jeopardize our safety.
Government
Without a World War, We Have an Unaffordable War-Sized Government
Americans distract themselves with freak-show headlines while political institutions escape their control.
Tech Companies Could Form Their Own Governments Under a New Nevada Proposal
Plus: Replacing cops with health care workers saves lives, tech policy advice for President Biden, and more...
In 2021, Politics Needs a 'Leave Us Alone' Coalition
Government is not reason. It is not eloquence. It is force. We could use a little less of that, please.
Gun Control Puts Your Life at Risk
In the 20th century, far more people were murdered by genocidal governments than by armed criminals.
Will-to-Power Conservatism and the Great Liberalism Schism
By virtue of representing the correct vision of the good, these conservatives say, they have every right to use the coercive power of the state to interfere with others' choices.
How To Reboot the Government with Common Sense
Hold agencies and regulators accountable for outcomes, not compliance.
Treating Mental Illness With Care, Not Punishment, Goes Beyond Defunding Police
We need to remove all the ways that government deters people from seeking treatment.
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.
Freedom Is a Pandemic Casualty in Authoritarian Regimes and Liberal Democracies
Around the world, governments are taking advantage of COVID-19 to tighten the screws on their subjects.
Cellphone-Tracking Can Help Fight the Pandemic Only If Governments Resist Their Snoopy Instincts
Contact tracing might offer hope for slowing the spread of the pandemic—or fulfill every Big Brother-ish fear privacy advocates have ever raised.
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.
The Good News Is That We Probably Won't Elect a Socialist. The Bad News Is That We Already Have, Many Times.
Americans probably don't want a president who will nationalize the means of production, but we're happy to keep electing ones who grow government spending.
3 New Year's Resolutions the Government Should Adopt
Congress and President Trump should use 2020 to craft more sane policies on trade, immigration, and the budget.
Give, Don't Govern
Philanthropy helps others. Government controls them instead.
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.
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."
Should Baltimore Pay Ransom to the Hackers Holding City Computers Hostage?
The city’s systems have been down since May 7, with no end in sight.
Oakland's 'Pothole Vigilantes' Are the Batman and Robin of Road Repair
"We love the city, we hope they fill the potholes faster. And if they’re not going to do it, we’ll do it ourselves.”
It Took Good Samaritans 2 Hours and $150 To Paint a Crosswalk That D.C. Ignored for 6 Months
Yet another example of private citizens taking it upon themselves to do what the government is incapable of.
The Problem With Nudging People to Happiness
Cass Sunstein's latest book puts a lot of faith in the efficacy of government to structure our choices.
What Inmates, the Amish, and Imperial Chinese Law Teach Us About Relying on the State
David Friedman’s Legal Systems Very Different from Ours explores the costs and benefits of various legal systems across time.
Americans' Least Favorite Company Isn't Even a Company. Can You Guess What It Is?
No matter their age or political persuasion, Americans have similar thoughts on this one.
Try Common Sense and Dump Old Right-Left Ideologies, Says Philip K. Howard in New Book: Podcast
He also offers up concrete proposals not just to reform government but to route around it and get on with our lives already.
We Found a Perfect Metaphor for Government
The city admitted its mistake after collecting the fines.
Don't Tie Tragic National Park Deaths to the Government Shutdown
Some news outlets have insinuated that the government shutdown is to blame for several tragic deaths. Statistics say otherwise.
The Problems With Federal Immigration Agencies Predate Trump
Audits dating back to 2003 highlight a culture of mismanagement and misconduct.
The National Debt Hit $22 Trillion at the End of 2018
Growth alone won't get us out of this mess.
Ideology Is Out, Identity Is In
Stanford's Francis Fukuyama on the rise of populism in the West and how identity politics thwarted the end of history.
When Nonviolence Isn't Enough
Does the right to self-defense apply against agents of the state?
New Jersey Salts Roads for a Nonexistent Snowstorm
First it failed to prepare for a snowstorm. Then it overprepared.
Let Daylight Saving Time Die Already
Several states have broken free of the government requirement, with more on the way.
No Matter Who Takes Home a Record Lottery Prize, the Government Always Wins
The Mega Millions jackpot has reached an astounding $1.6 billion. You and I probably won't win, but the government definitely will.
For a Less Divided America, Let People Pick Their Own Laws
It sure beats endless battles over who gets to stuff their preferred governance down the throats of the vanquished.
Debate: Corporate Data Collection Poses a Threat to Personal Freedom
There are lots of reasons to be concerned about government snooping, but how should we feel when private companies do it?
When It Comes to Taxes, the Government Always Wants More
Understanding the great American tax rip-off.
Government Wants Our Trust, but Where's the Accountability?
The foul ups by the Broward County Sheriff's Office don't inspire confidence.
No Freedom From the Church of America
The religion this church administers is Americanism, a species of nationalism.
Campus Activists Formed Their Own Alternative Student Government, Now Want to Impeach Their Fake President
University of Kansas's Multicultural Student Government "has ultimately turned into a dictatorship model of government."
