You know the old joke: How can you tell when a politician is lying? When his/her lips are moving. That extreme cynicism about politicians is reinforced by the recent passage of the so-called Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). In addition to … Continue reading
Economics & Political Systems
Corporate Social Responsibility and its Newest Version: ESG
What is Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)? Wikipedia defines CSR as “a form of … private business self-regulation which aims to contribute to societal goals of a philanthropic, activist, or charitable nature.” That seems rather vague, even amorphous. As Wikipedia acknowledges, … Continue reading
Ukraine’s Freedom Fighter
Editor’s note: A version of this article first appeared at The American Spectator. “Two visions of the world remain locked in dispute,” said President Ronald Reagan in July 1983. “The first believes all men are created equal by a loving … Continue reading
The Supreme Court’s Principled Decision in West Virginia v. EPA
In West Virginia v. EPA, the Supreme Court of the United States ruled by a 6-3 majority that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) had exceeded its statutory authority by issuing regulations that would essentially dictate to power-generating utilities what fuel … Continue reading
Corporate Social Activism Following Roe’s Reversal
The recent reversal of Roe v. Wade, acting like a starter’s pistol at a track meet, has initiated a new round of corporate social activism and virtue-signaling. American companies are racing from the starting blocks to demonstrate their support for … Continue reading
Washington’s Corn-Based Ethanol Mandates Are Poorly Timed
Recently, President Joe Biden flew into Iowa—our country’s leading corn-producing state—to announce to appreciative farmers that the Environmental Protection Agency will require American motor-fuel refiners to increase the amount of corn-based ethanol (CBE) that must be blended into motor fuels … Continue reading
1776 and Slavery
Many progressives today are eager to redefine America not as starting in 1776, which is literally when the very title “United States of America” began, but in the year 1619, before Plymouth Rock and before John Winthrop and the Arabella … Continue reading
Congress Is Going After the Alleged Price Gougers – Again
As Yogi Berra, baseball’s preeminent wit and philosopher, would say, “It’s déjà vu all over again.” Fifteen years ago, I wrote in this space about an attempt by Congress to impose additional taxes on oil companies at a time of … Continue reading
A Shared Foundation? Richard Weaver on Conservatives and Libertarians
Richard M. Weaver (1910-1963) was one of many conservative intellectuals who took on the task of expressing a conservative political philosophy in the wake of the Second World War and the resulting advent of the Cold War. They all sought … Continue reading
To Stupidity and Beyond
“To infinity and beyond!” In November of 1995, the first of four blockbuster animated films in the Toy Story franchise was released by Walt Disney Pictures to both audience and critical acclaim. With Toy Story, astute businesspeople at the Walt … Continue reading
The Biden Administration’s Cynical and Unconstitutional Proposed Tax on Wealth
President Joe Biden’s proposed 2023 federal budget, which calls for a gargantuan outlay of $5.8 trillion, includes plans for a new kind of tax on the wealth of the rich. The official party line of Team Biden is that such … Continue reading
Russians Know Death Unlike Any Other People
Editor’s note: This article first appeared at The American Spectator. The number of Russian combat deaths in Ukraine is striking, perhaps already exceeding the total dead in 10 years of war in Afghanistan from 1979-89. A NATO official has estimated that 7,000-15,000 … Continue reading
What Is the Proper Policy Response to Today’s Inflation?
If you get depressed easily, you may wish to skip this article. Our country has suffered inflationary bouts to various degrees throughout our history, with perhaps the most severe having occurred during the Revolutionary War, the Civil War, and the … Continue reading
Economic Ramifications of Russia’s Invasion of Ukraine
As the world recoils in dismay and disgust at Russian aggression and grieves for the horrific suffering of the Ukrainian people, many Americans are just beginning to grasp the economic ramifications of this violence. After the devastation of two world … Continue reading
Inflation: Who or What is the Culprit?
Inflation – defined herein as a widespread increase in the prices of widely purchased consumer goods – has gotten worse since I commented on it last spring. According to the official Consumer Price Index (CPI), inflation is currently running at … Continue reading
Teach MLK, Not CRT
Here’s a critical question for enthusiasts of critical race theory, particularly its growing number of advocates on the religious left: How did MLK do what he did without CRT? That is, how did the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. … Continue reading
When Humans Don’t Procreate: An Update
Two years ago, I wrote about the pending global population implosion. Demographers predict that 90 countries will lose population between now and the year 2100. Shrinking populations have portentous implications, including major shifts in geopolitical power and the possible financial collapse … Continue reading
Green Heroin vs. the Call to Work
Addiction to government handouts continues to be a significant economic and societal issue. Recently, some authors have sounded the alarm by tagging the current CARES Act freebies as a form of “green heroin.” This addiction to green dollars has caused … Continue reading
A Primer on the Vaccine Mandate: A Case of Federal Overreach
Whether you have strong convictions against vaccines, or just about the Covid vaccine, or you have no particular aversion to vaccines, understanding what is going on with President Joe Biden’s OSHA-enforced vaccine mandate is important. The OSHA (Occupational Safety and … Continue reading
The Biden administration’s ongoing ill-timed battle against fossil fuels
A few months ago, I wrote about President Biden’s anti-fossil fuel policies. Among other steps designed to restrict domestic production of oil and natural gas, the president canceled completion of the Keystone XL pipeline, banned drilling for oil in the … Continue reading
