Last year at this time, I wrote that we are, bit by bit, losing the meaning of July 4th. This holiday used to celebrate a Declaration of Independence from a tyrannical British government that had tried to subjugate Americans. But here’s a little test to see how much of that meaning we’ve kept. Ask yourself … Continue reading “The Meaning of July 4th,
Part Two”
David R. Henderson
David R. Henderson is a research fellow with the Hoover Institution and an emeritus professor of economics in the Graduate School of Business and Public Policy at the Naval Postgraduate School. He is author of The Joy of Freedom: An Economist’s Odyssey and co-author, with Charles L. Hooper, of Making Great Decisions in Business and Life(Chicago Park Press). His latest book is The Concise Encyclopedia of Economics (Liberty Fund, 2008). He has appeared on The O’Reilly Factor, the Jim Lehrer Newshour, CNN, MSNBC, RT, Fox Business Channel, and C-SPAN. He has had over 100 articles published in Fortune, the Wall Street Journal, Red Herring, Barron’s, National Review, Reason, the Los Angeles Times, USA Today, The Hill, and the Christian Science Monitor. He has also testified before the House Ways and Means Committee, the Senate Armed Services Committee, and the Senate Committee on Labor and Human Resources. He blogs at http://econlog.econlib.org
The Meaning of July 4th,
Ask and Tell
"SPRADLING: Congressman Paul, a question for you. "Most of our closest allies, including Great Britain and Israel, allow gays and lesbians to openly serve in the military. Is it time to end [the] don’t ask/don’t tell policy and allow gays and lesbians to serve openly in the U.S. military?" "PAUL: I think the current policy … Continue reading “Ask and Tell”
Cheney Misstates Military Oath
Am I the only one who noticed? I hope not. But just in case, let me note that Vice President Dick Cheney made a huge misstatement to his West Point audience on May 26. I hope that, at a minimum, the West Point history majors noticed it. Near the end of his speech at the … Continue reading “Cheney Misstates Military Oath”
Hail Ron Paul and Mike Gravel
"I saw Ron Paul last week in the Republican debates. He was good, but everybody else ignores what he says." This is from an e-mail I received from an economist friend who is a liberal Democrat. I responded, "Everybody except the viewers. He won the poll afterward, getting 43 percent. MSNBC reported it and then … Continue reading “Hail Ron Paul and Mike Gravel”
A Capitalist Peace With China
Many people, including many of my students at the Naval Postgraduate School, worry that economic growth in China will make China a formidable competitor to the United States. My students typically raise this concern when we talk about free trade, and they worry about people in China "taking our jobs." I manage to assuage this … Continue reading “A Capitalist Peace With China”
How Much Is the Iraq War Costing You?
In a previous article, “How Much is the Iraq War Costing You? Part 1,” I laid out the facts and figures about the monetary cost of the Iraq war to U.S. taxpayers, assuming conservatively a low-end estimate of annual spending on the Iraq war. I concluded that the main American residents paying for the war … Continue reading “How Much Is the Iraq War Costing You?”
Working With the Left
on the War
(Author’s note: I had planned to write “How Much is the Iraq War Costing You? Part 2” for this week, but due to the timeliness of what I discuss below, I’ll delay Part 2 until April.) As a libertarian who has generally focused on economic issues – I am an economist, after all – I … Continue reading “Working With the Left
on the War”
on the War”
How Much Is the War on Iraq Costing You?
How much is the U.S. war on Iraq costing you? That depends on who you are. For Iraqis, Americans, or Brits who were killed, it cost them everything. I say it in that order because that is the order in numbers killed. So far, a conservative estimate of the number of Iraqi civilians killed in … Continue reading “How Much Is the War on Iraq Costing You?”
Does War Make Presidents Great?
Today is Presidents’ Day in the United States. It’s a holiday declared by the federal government to celebrate the birthdays of two presidents, George Washington and Abraham Lincoln. George Washington is often called "the father of our country," and for good reason. Without his having led soldiers in the fight for independence from the British, … Continue reading “Does War Make Presidents Great?”
Should We Judge Government?
Recently I ran into a colleague from the Naval Postgraduate School, where I teach, and got into an interesting conversation. It highlighted the differences between how I think of the world and how many pro-U.S. government people, and pro-government people in general, think of the world. That’s why I’m sharing it with you. I’m not … Continue reading “Should We Judge Government?”