Thrutch

Definitely worth a read .

This is an interesting follow-up on the Wisconsin teachers' union rule changes.  It should give heart to reformers who will always have...

Last season I started to think that (All Day) AP was the best player in a generation, but this game is the one that originally made me a hug...

Speech Laws and the IRS

This WSJ article, How America Lost Its Way , is worth reading.

As many may know, Firefly is by far my favorite TV show.  In this interview its creator, Joss Whedon, discusses how he manages to be so pro...

Here are some anecdotal accounts of how Obama sicced his IRS thugs against a broad swath of ideological opponents.  Gives me shivers. I ...

A compelling testimony from a free American woman. And Yaron Brook's commentary, warning that if the government is allowed to effect...

There are some good points herein , most notably: In fact, there is serious inequality in Sweden, but the divide is not so much between t...

Don Watson has a good post on the subject.

Milton Wolf has a great column highlighting the tyrannical nature of Obama's federal government.

Paul Hsieh has a good column out showing how the implementation of Obamacare requires the sanction and participation of its victims.  He th...

I'm behind on the news and in keeping up with the lowlights of the day, but fwiw, here's my favorite WSJ columnist on the IRS scanda...

This is a nice promo piece for the Institute for Justice (which has litigated against eminent domain, campaign finance laws and licensing re...

I'm glad that Tom Bowden and ARI have once again taken up the issue of antitrust and the irreparable damage and injustice it does.  This...

I good article by Don Watkins at Forbes.

If I had kids, I think I'd send them to Leport Schools .  Here's an example of why.

I neglected to post an announcement to this panel discussion on Islamists put on by the UC Davis Objectivist club, but it seems to have cre...

You've got to love public indoctrination education of our youth . And I must say I find it amazing that so many of the same people wh...

NPR provides an interesting look at those the government pronounces "disabled".  I don't know much about the topic, so I foun...

A good article by Watkins and Brook.

The WSJ provides a good look at the details of how central planning / government intervention affects the provision of healthcare under Oba...

A good article on the Fukushima aftermath.

Detroit's pension debacle - a storyline we'll see at every level of government for the next 25 years or more. One point that'...

Despite all the legitimately negative news that accosts us every day, there are still current examples of what historically made America gre...

A sad tale , made worse by the facts that we're paying for these people and that their numbers and proportions are growing inexorably.  ...

I didn't realize this had a name, but it explains why every story about government cuts talks about police and firemen.  It's part ...

This letter from the CEO of Titan International to the French Industry minister sounds about right to me: "The French workforce get...

It's a little surprising that this even needs saying, but sadly today it does, and Don Watkins does a very good job of it in this blog p...

I've been meaning to re-read Atlas Shrugged for a while now (and indeed am hoping to run a reading group in the not too distant future t...

This is a very worthwhile tribute from Mark Steyn.  Among other important observations: As most of you know, Lars was charged, acquitted,...

I think Tom Bowden raises a good point in this blog post  where he examines the (non-)reporting of a disallowed corporate merger. But her...

I often think that living under the rule of law, even when the laws aren't perfect, is vastly under-appreciated.  My biggest example is ...

This WSJ makes a very good point, despite all our current problems life today is pretty darn good.  Here are the final two paragraphs, but I...

Several stories are out recently revealing how many high earners move to avoid onerous state taxes.  It makes me happy that in the process t...

ARI has two valuable commentaries:   Dr. Peikoff at the Huffington Post , and the first ARI podcast featuring Onkar and Tom Bowden.

For those willing to engage in the next political tragi-comedy, the debt ceiling negotiations, here's a good WSJ piece laying out some ...

A good blog post on Google's right to charge for and use the property it has created.

I enjoyed this Forbes story highlighting the Koch brothers ability to build businesses by thinking long-term and willingly taking on calcul...

For some reason markets seem to be much more "jerky" than I would have ever guessed from standard economic theory.  I predict that...

I think this article is a good example of the positive soul-searching a horrific event can elicit.  Hopefully Indian culture will improve a...

It's nice to see Ayn Rand quoted as the lead in to an editorial , especially when the editorial makes a decent point.

Here's a good read on the latest developments on AGW, including this teaser excerpt: The big question is this: Will the lead authors ...

A good rebuttal of Buffett's political nonsense.

The Ayn Rand Institute has published a new Q&A on their view of, and willingness to work with, libertarians.

I agree with the gist of this well-written editorial .  Welfare recipients et. al. are actually worse off for not having a job, even if they...

I enjoyed this post on the proper approach to science and how the AGW crowd violates it.

I've been predicting something like what's speculated here for a long time.  My guess though is that the first step will be to ensu...

It's sad to see the rampant corruption in Mexico, but as this story helps illustrate, some countries, such as Canada, still benefit fro...

As low as my estimation is of the California Teachers' Union, this video still amazes me.  Being forced to (indirectly) fund this scum ...

Alex Epstein urges producers to take the moral high ground.

I agree with this , particularly this point: The STEM Jobs Bill, if enacted, would represent progress only in superficial terms; on net, m...

Besides needing my capital for trading purposes, I've always been reluctant to buy a house in CA because prices seemed too high here, an...

My latest at Forbes .  Here's the opening: Not long ago I heard a shocking radio advertisement from the US Department of Energy and t...

Even the LA Times is starting to understand that when something's uneconomic, the losses must be borne by someone. Perhaps even more ...

An interesting interactive graphic showing the various states' friendliness to small businesses.  I wonder how well this would correlat...

Though it isn't philosophical -- indeed the whole reason Conservatives don't and can't believe their own philosophy is that mora...

As the failures of Leftism and the threat of Islamism grow, I fear that the solution won't be a renewed advocacy of a secular, individua...

Given voter demographics (in this case the vote of college professors), the irony here is too sweet to not at least momentarily savor -- e...

I'm glad to see some Forbes writers tackling the issue of religion vs science and how that affects our everyday life.  It seems to me t...

From FIRM's blog.

Too much of what I read as advice to the GOP on immigration is that they have to cater to immigrants in order to get elected; the underlying...

This  story  of union workers happy to have shut down Hostess is a good example of nihilism in action.  They admit that as a result of thei...

Another good piece on immigration, the first half of the article is definitely worth reading.  A snippet: Consider that in the decade bet...

I agree with the gist of this analysis .

The WSJ has a good column out addressing some of the prevalent myths.

Following up on a previous post , I think this is a good approach to letting employees understand how political decisions affect business a...

Canada's healthcare system is decades ahead of ours, but with Obamacare phasing in, we're making every effort to catch up.  Here...

The editors at the WSJ look at California's new cap-and-trade tax. Here's how they summarize the likely outcome: This assumes th...

Here's a good take on immigration.  And the story he references in the WSJ suggests latino immigration is following the pattern that e...

Future of Capitalism highlights an interesting factoid about academia.

In a recent Forbes column , Brooks and Watkins show that the partial repeal of Glass Steagall was not the cause of the 2008 financial crisis...

Many people argue that Islam is a religion different than any other in terms of its political and worldly aspirations.  In my opinion this i...

Though not universal, the types of observations this physician makes are a real indictment of our whole altruistic system.  I'm guessin...

The WSJ summarizes some of the potential  new problems that California may add to its existing ones now that it has elected a Democratic su...

I have my second column up at Forbes.  In it I tackle the question: " Does immigration threaten our culture? "  I'm pretty hap...

Given that public schools go out of their way to avoid the subject, it becomes necessary for business owners to explain the realities of bu...

I enjoyed this piece (from 2010 but still relevant).

With Prop 30 passing in California, the new top marginal state tax rate goes up to 13.3% (on incomes above $500,000).  The tax was sold as p...

Amesh Adalja has a good article out in which he defends profits in medicine.

Onkar was published in the Huffington Post earlier this week.  Here's his opening: It's no secret that the right is awash in Ayn...

I agree with the analysis in this article , both to the specifics of local daily deal sites and to the wider points made.

Though I don't think too much of the actual letter/advertisement, it's nice to see victims of socialization attempt to stand up for...

Over the past few decades we've seen a steady but precipitous decline in the standards and objectivity of the mainstream  lapdog media -...

A good column at Forbes discussing the contrast.

Interesting though of course critics have pointed out this problem for decades.  But who can argue with the religion of environmentalism an...

In case cities and municipalities didn't have enough costs with all their overspending on public service pensions and benefits, the EPA ...

Worth a read I think, though to my knowledge, progressivism started in the 1890's not in 1913 under Woodrow Wilson.  (Indeed it's a...

My first column is now out at Forbes.  In it I argue that over the past century we as a populace have unduly elevated the role of the  pres...

Though I haven't yet used this resource, I've heard that the language teachings for the foreign service are quite good.  They're...

Ultimately, the only way to impart political change is through education.  This article provides some concrete data on the subject, which I...

More on Behghazi from Larry Bell and Mark Steyn .  But on the positive side, at least Obama's fanboy mission in Vegas went well.

This story , citing a Pew study, makes the welcome claim that religion in America is waning. As an addendum, I've often wondered what ...

Don Watkins and Yaron Brook have a good piece out at Forbes outlining how Rand's views contrast with those of the current paradigm.  On...

A good article summarizing new temperature data which further suggests that the threat of out-of-control AGW is a fraud.  And while science...

For those wishing to defend free speech, this article has a good summary of some of the types of arguments you must be prepared to defend a...

Though I haven't watched the video of this 1984 debate between Drs. Peikoff and Ridpath (representing capitalism) and Drs. Vickers and ...

Though it doesn't get too deeply into the content of freedom, I like this video for its production values and its general "sense of...

Congratulations to John Allison for having his new book hit the best sellers list .

More effects of Obamacare (AARP I hope you're happy).  The real lesson is that unless the people who earn the money decide how to spend...