Politics & Rights

In October 2012, an Italian court convicted six scientists and one government official on the charge of manslaughter, sentencing them each to six years in prison. The alleged crime: their failure to predict a 2009 earthquake resulting in the deaths of 309 people. As of last month, all seven defendants…

Two cases before the U.S. Supreme Court—separate challenges to California’s Proposition 8 and the federal Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA)—could lead to a momentous decision on gay marriage. But there are indications that the court may sidestep the broader issue of whether gay marriage is a constitutional right, and instead…

The California city of Stockton has declared bankruptcy. Why? The Los Angeles Times reports a major reason: “The $900 million Stockton owes to the California Public Employees' Retirement [CalPERS] System to cover pensions is its biggest debt—as is the case with many cities in California.” CalPERS reports that nearly a…

Rand Paul’s proposed immigration reforms are marginally better than what Republicans usually offer, but they fall far short of a policy based on the principle of individual rights. Speaking at the Conservative Political Action Conference on March 14, Paul outlined his favored immigration reforms, which involve: Increasing legal immigration. Using…

[caption id="attachment_6408" align="alignright" width="300"] Image: Gage Skidmore[/caption] This week, the Supreme Court heard oral arguments in two key cases regarding same-sex marriage: challenges to California’s Proposition 8 and to the federal Defense of Marriage Act. Republicans and conservatives have long expressed concern that legalizing same sex marriage will threaten their…

Lately, many Republicans have become sympathetic to the idea of giving legal status to illegal immigrants. But not Ann Coulter. She labels all such plans “amnesty” and harangues Republicans who support it. Amnesty, in this context, means relieving current undocumented aliens of the legal penalties associated with breaking immigration laws,…

Writing for National Review Online, the Cato Institute’s Michael Tanner argues that “much of the debate over future policy boils down to a question of the size of government.” However, as Eric Daniels points out in his most recent TOS article “Why ‘Big Government’ is Not the Problem,” size is…

Verlin Stoll operates a no-frills funeral parlor in St. Paul, Minnesota. As the Miami Herald’s Glenn Garvin notes, Stoll’s fees start at “just $250, about one-tenth the city’s going rate. No hearse, no chapel, just simple service for working-class folks who can’t afford to spend a lot of money to…

Yes, the national debt is a huge problem. But the proper way to address it is to cut federal spending, not increase taxes. As CBS reports, the senate instead passed a budget plan asking for $975 billion in net tax increases over the coming decade. The plan also includes more…

Which party will gain ground next year? Robert Borosage argues for Reuters, “The 2014 midterm election is more likely to be a debacle for Democrats than Republicans. It will take a true political miracle for Democrats to take back the House.” But Rand Paul and his congressional allies are giving…