If you haven't asked or haven't been told you should know that a federal district court recently overturned the military's policy of barring openly gay and lesbian Americans from military service. The Sept. 9 verdict in Log Cabin Republicans v. United States overturned the military's "Don't Ask Don't Tell" (DADT) policy. Federal circuit court Judge Virgiia Phillips ruled … [Read more...] about Judicial action trumps legislation
Perspectives
Legislation mutes free speech
In this February's controversial Citizens United v. FEC decision the Supreme Court struck down sections of the 2002 McCain-Feingold Act on the basis that they unconstitutionally limited the First Amendment rights of corporations. The April 19 The New York Times editorial slammed this decision defending McCain-Feingold's campaign finance regulations as essential "to prevent[ing] … [Read more...] about Legislation mutes free speech
Fight corrupt greed legalize weed
Bootleggers and Baptists are the classic example of an unholy alliance formed in support of government regulation. In the famous article titled "Bootleggers and Baptists regulatory economist Bruce Yandle explains why these morally opposed parties historically worked together to pass Sunday closing laws for local bars and liquor stores. Bootleggers, who illegally … [Read more...] about Fight corrupt greed legalize weed
The case for inaction
Doing something is not necessarily better than doing nothing. Flu-like symptoms are never improved by drinking Drano. And invading Russia in 1812 was a poor choice for Napoleon's geo-political strategy. Unfortunately economic policy-making is still dominated by the illogical "do-something" mentality. The U.S. federal government has committed an estimated $11 trillion into … [Read more...] about The case for inaction
Disagreeing over the "Ground Zero Mosque"
One of these things is not like the other: the Al-Qaeda terrorists who bombed the World Trade Center on 9/11 and the moderate Muslims who want to build a community center in Manhattan. Conflating the two isn't just bigoted— it's dangerous. As tensions escalate between supporters and opponents of the so-called "Ground Zero Mosque a wave of anti-Muslim … [Read more...] about Disagreeing over the "Ground Zero Mosque"