Category: Role of government
-
Plato to speak to Pachyderms
This Friday June 19, 2009, the Wichita Pachyderm Club turns back the clock of time real far to present the Greek philosopher Plato. A very talented local authority, who wishes to remain anonymous, will personify the essence of ancient wise man. His topic will be “Why I am not a democrat.”
-
I Tested My Politics
I came across a test designed to place you and your political thoughts on a map of political ideologies. The test I took is here. These tests can be fun, but in the case of this particular example, I wondered how some questions had any relevance to politics. In these tests I also find that…
-
I’m Glad I Won’t Be Reading This Book
At Reason Magazine, Jesse Walker contributes an excellent review of Thomas Frank’s latest book The Wrecking Crew: How Conservatives Rule. I say it’s an excellent review, but since I haven’t read the subject book, I’m not really qualified to make that judgment independently. But having suffered through some of Frank’s recent columns in the Wall…
-
Wichita Chamber of Commerce values
Here’s a message that Bryan Derreberry, president of the Wichita Metro Chamber of Commerce, sent to Chamber members. Note that this message doesn’t mention the role its political action committee played in the third Sedgwick County Commission district. In that race, the PAC spent some $19,000 of its $48,000 in an effort to elect Goddard…
-
Government Workers Are America’s New Elite
Should a special license-plate program for California government workers allow them to drive without regard for traffic laws? Is it possible for a firefighter to earn more than $200,000 in a year? The Foundation for Economic Education reports on these and other matters in Government Workers Are America’s New Elite.
-
Liberals Favor Outsourcing
A press release announcing the new book by Peter Schweizer Makers and Takers contains this sentence: Schweizer argues that the failure lies in modern liberal ideas, which foster a self-centered, “if it feels, good do it” attitude that leads liberals to outsource their responsibilities to the government and focus instead on themselves and their own…
-
Tax Chambers of Commerce, Right Here in Kansas
This week, Kansas Liberty has a very fine editorial titled The KC Chamber: Enemy of Life, Enemy of Business. Prominent is the mention of the work of my friend the Kansas Meadowlark in revealing the funding of the The Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce. See Greater Kansas City Chamber PAC, Awash With Cash, Forms…
-
Voters Want Less Pork, Even in Their Own District
From Voters Want Less Pork, Even in Their Own District, July 24, 2008 Wall Street Journal: The Club for Growth recently conducted a nationwide poll on government spending, and the results were exactly the opposite of what most politicians have been saying for years. Voters are fed up with Washington’s out-of-control spending. Politicians aren’t representing…
-
Efforts to Regulate ‘Wild West’ Markets are Long Overdue
A Christian Science Monitor article Efforts to regulate ‘Wild West’ markets are long overdue contains a number of misstatements. For one thing, characterization of the American West as “wild” in the sense that mayhem prevailed, and that life and property were not safe, is not correct. An article in the Journal of Libertarian Studies titled…
-
Wichita Eagle Voter Guide Responses
I am running for Republican precinct committeeman. The Wichita Eagle sent me a request to answer some questions to appear in a voter’s guide. These are the questions asked (to the best of my recollection; I didn’t record the text of the questions and now I can no longer log in to the system to…
-
Spending other people’s money is not the best way to reflect one’s values
A recent Arizona Republic letter to the editor lamented the fact that our government funds war, but not universal health care. The writer asks what that says about our values. That letter got me thinking, what does government spending say about our values?
-
A Message From Ron Paul
I received this in an email from Ron Paul’s campaign: As my great mentor Ludwig von Mises showed, government meddling in the economy creates conflict, as special-interest groups seek to rip us off through big government. The voluntarism of the free market, on the other hand, brings social cooperation and peace. I have never heard…