The good news, as Dan Mitchell reports, is that a measure to force greater “equality” between the pay of men and women—the so-called “Paycheck Fairness Act”—“didn’t get enough votes to overcome a procedural objection” in the Senate. The bad news is that this statist measure made it to the Senate…

What explains the pervasive hostility toward productive entrepreneurs and business executives in our culture? Consider the following illustrations: Bureaucrats with the Federal Trade Commission are questioning Google’s founders—and may sue the company under antitrust laws—for “unfairly” writing its search result algorithms the way the company deems best. Tony Romm explains…

It’s almost as though some politicians want to kill people. Certainly the political assault on medical freedom threatens people’s lives. Consider a couple recent news stories. John Graham writes for Forbes about ObamaCare’s “2.3 percent excise tax on medical devices,” a tax he describes as “a savage blow to innovation.”…

Congratulations to Wisconsin governor Scott Walker for his victory in yesterday’s recall election. Walker deserves praise for bringing his state’s budget shortfalls under control by limiting compensation and “collective bargaining” power of “public” unions. Three aspects of Walker’s agenda merit special attention. First—horror of horrors—Walker and the legislature required government…

You’ve probably heard of the effort by New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg and his fellow statists to ban large sizes of sugary drinks. As the New York Times reported, “New York City plans to enact a far-reaching ban on the sale of large sodas and other sugary drinks at restaurants,…

A set of gruesome photographs published recently by The Atlantic illustrate the death and destruction caused by the drug policies of the United States. The Atlantic’s Alan Taylor summarizes the consequences: Since Mexico's President Felipe Calderón began an all-out assault on drug cartels in 2006, more than 50,000 people have…

On “public” radio Wednesday, yet another financial guru was advising Europe to follow the lead of the United States: Bail out troubled banks (such as those of Spain) and forcibly transfer more wealth to cover high debt (as persists in Italy). Coincidentally, the same evening I read a passage by…

First came Arnold Kling’s shocking proposal for forcibly “breaking up the big banks,” a plan reminiscent of Teddy Roosevelt’s “progressive” trust-busting. Now Kling calls for so-called “principles-based regulations,” complete with “random management audits” by the government and prison sentences for noncompliant executives. Who is this new progressive? A student of…

How many times has Barack Obama taken credit for the U.S. raid in Pakistan that resulted in the death of Osama bin Laden? But now that the man who provided essential intelligence for the raid has been tortured, caged, and effectively sentenced to prison for the rest of his life…

Neil Gaiman, author of The Sandman comics and novels such as Stardust and Coraline, recently delivered the commencement address to The University of the Arts in Philadelphia. Though he tailored his advice for students of the arts, much of what he had to say applies to any field: If you have…

[caption id="attachment_4133" align="alignright" width="300"] Image: SpaceX[/caption] “There is so much hope riding on that rocket.” That’s what Elon Musk, cofounder and CEO of SpaceX, said this morning after his company successfully launched its Falcon 9 rocket, now carrying supplies to the International Space Station. Musk was talking about the hopes…

Simpson surveys the continuing threats to corporate freedom of speech, discusses the essential elements in the battle to defend it, and sheds much light on the fundamentals of an otherwise nightmarishly complex political mess.

Noteworthy news and views from the week ending May 19, 2012 Greece Cracks—Is the Eurozone falling apart? The New York Times reports increased tension “between Berlin and Athens in the unfolding crisis over Greece’s membership in the euro.” MSNBC reports that Greeks “withdrew at least 700 million euros” on Monday…

Although Sam Harris is wrong about various important issues (e.g., he denies free will and advocates utilitarianism), he occasionally writes cogently about important matters. For example, he skewers moral relativism and aptly identifies the dangers of Islamic ideology. It is disappointing, then, to see Harris engage in intellectual dishonesty such…

Noteworthy news and views from the week ending May 12, 2012 France’s Real Problem Yesterday I wrote about the so-called “austerity” measures of France and other European nations, measures that have failed to significantly reduce government spending or curb government intervention in the economy. But much more can be said…