Politics & Rights

Although Reason magazine publishes some pro-liberty articles and videos, it unfortunately publishes an occasional endorsement of statism. Such is the case with a November 19 article by A. Barton Hinkle, “The Case for a Carbon Tax.” Hinkle, granting the highly disputed notions that the globe is warming, that this is…

The Atlantic lauds New York City’s Mayor Bloomberg for pushing his ban on large sodas, selecting him as one of their "brave thinkers" of 2012. They cite Bloomberg’s lack of concern for approval as evidence of his bravery, especially given that “the New York Times' polling showed that the idea…

How many times have you heard a tax cut described as a “subsidy?” It’s bad enough that government forcibly confiscates our wealth for the purpose of transferring our money to others in the form of welfare (whether regular or corporate). Adding insult to injury, pundits and politicians often speak as…

Joe Hansen, President of the United Food and Commercial Workers Union, spoke out yesterday against Walmart, arguing that the retail chain, by opening on Thanksgiving evening, is forcing its employees to give up their holiday. Hansen, writing for Huffington Post, said: As the six members of the billionaire Walton Family—heirs…

The news reads like the pages of Atlas Shrugged: The Bakery, Confectionery, Tobacco Workers and Grain Millers union forced Hostess Brands Inc.—makers of such products as Twinkies and Wonder Bread—into liquidation, and a judge has ordered the company and the union back to talks. Hostess announced November 16 (prior to…

Kevin Douglas reviews Let Them In: The Case for Open Borders, by Jason L. Riley.

Almost forty years after animal rights advocates began asking us to put down our steak knives, plant advocates may start asking us to relinquish our salad forks as well. Plants have rights too, they say, and we ought to “reconsider our ethical approach to eating them.” Michael Marder, a philosopher…

On Thursday, the United States Postal Service reported a net loss of $15.9 billion for the year. As it becomes increasingly insolvent and increasingly dependent on taxpayer-funded support and bailouts, USPS continues to hold a legal monopoly on the delivery of standard and first-class mail—a monopoly that violates our rights…

Politicians never tire of the fantasy that political laws can somehow suspend economic laws. During the height of his state’s Superstorm Sandy crisis, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie took decisive steps to hamper the recovery. How’s that? James Stacey Taylor, associate professor of philosophy at the College of New Jersey,…

What is the proper role of government when a product harms customers? The New England Compounding Center (NECC), a Massachusetts compounding pharmacy, reportedly produced a pain-killing steroid medication that sickened at least 338 people in 18 states, resulting in 25 deaths. A compounding pharmacy produces customized, mixed-drug products for individual…