That’s what Bruce Bartlett argues in this essay at Human Events: The basic problem with the Libertarian Party is the same problem faced by all third parties: It cannot win. The reason is that under the Constitution a candidate must win an absolute majority in the all-important Electoral College. It won’t do just to have [...]

As both Adam and Brad have noted, I stirred up quite a little hornet’s nest with my post earlier today addressing a liberal leftist who didn’t really seem to understand (or respect) libertarian thought. I had hoped, perhaps naively, that it would result in a serious debate and exchange of ideas. Instead, in my absence [...]

That question is raised by reports that, starting in January, several counties in Maryland will bar students from public school who haven’t been vaccinated for Chicken Pox and Hepatitis B: Thousands of Maryland students could be barred from classes after the holiday break because they have not been vaccinated against chickenpox and hepatitis B, as [...]

By now, of course, you’ve all seen this: I still say that libertarianism and “limited government” ideology is essentially anti-democratic. It deprives We, the People of the ability to use government in our own interests. Certainly the powers of government must be limited — the power to censor, the power to search and seize property, [...]

I thought about responding to the Maha Blog after this post and comment thread. In the course of the thread, Maha decided to censor two Liberty Papers contributors, including myself and Brad. She also removed a comment from “Mycroft Holmes” without comment at all when he had the temerity to point out that she had [...]

I’ve long thought that the Kyoto treaty was created by the “watermelon” type of environmentalist, the type who is just as much anti-capitalism and anti-America as pro-environment. But something has always made me wonder about it, and I asked why Europe would be so quick to rip their own economies to shreds just to hurt [...]

Michael Gerson, a former policy advisor and speech writer for President Bush, looks at the results of November’s elections, and concludes that the GOP should abandon it’s limited government philosophy: Campaigning on the size of government in 2008, while opponents talk about health care, education and poverty, will seem, and be, procedural, small-minded, cold and [...]

Via Reason’s Hit & Run, comes news of a 33 year old man currently being held in prison on a life sentence imposed when he was caught smoking marijuana: In 1990, Tyrone Brown, then 17 years old, took part in a $2 Dallas stickup in which no one was hurt. He got caught, pleaded guilty [...]

Barbara O’Brien, a liberal who blogs at The Mahablog, distills, quite unknowingly, the essence of libertarianism: I still say that libertarianism and “limited government” ideology is essentially anti-democratic. It deprives We, the People of the ability to use government in our own interests. Certainly the powers of government must be limited — the power to [...]

When FCC Commissioner Robert McDowell went through his confirmation hearings, it was made very clear that he would be expected not to rule on any deals related to his previous lobbying clients. These clients included both AT&T and BellSouth, companies which are attempting to gain government approval for a merger. So McDowell is standing up [...]

All ten episodes of Milton Friedman’s classic 1980s PBS documentary “Free To Choose”, plus the five episode follow-up series that aired in the `90s, are available for free over the Internet at ideachannel.tv. H/T: The Volokh Conspiracy

Just in case you thought America’s biggest cash crop was wheat, corn, or soybeans, the L.A. Times reports today that the money brought in by marijuana beats them all: SACRAMENTO — For years, activists in the marijuana legalization movement have claimed that cannabis is America’s biggest cash crop. Now they’re citing government statistics to prove [...]

Jacob Sullum points to this Reason interview with new Libertarian Party member and former Congressman Bob Barr, and wonders just how libertarian Barr really is: Sullum points specifically, to this part of the inteview: reason: In 2002, the Libertarian Party called you the worst drug warrior in Congress. No hard feelings? Barr: To be honest [...]

Much of the news over the weekend focused on the search for three missing climbers lost on Oregon’s Mt. Hood. In watching the coverage last night, a question came to my mind — why should the government (read: taxpayers) foot the bill to rescue people who knowingly put themselves in dangerous situations ? Consider, for [...]

David Weigel at Reason interviews former Congressman Bob Barr about his recent decision to join the Libertarian Party: reason: Why did you join the Libertarian Party, and why did you agree to take this role? Bob Barr: I suppose one reason is I was asked two by two individuals I respect. One is Bill Redpath, [...]

A teacher in New Jersey is in trouble for talking about God in history class: KEARNY, N.J. — Before David Paszkiewicz got to teach his accelerated 11th-grade history class about the United States Constitution this fall, he was accused of violating it. Shortly after school began in September, the teacher told his sixth-period students at [...]

In the Christian Science Monitor, Matthew Ladner writes that the key to lower levels of poverty is lower taxes: A study published last month by the Goldwater Institute, “How to Win the War on Poverty: An Analysis of State Poverty Trends,” tests these different theories by examining state poverty rates from 1990 to 2000. Nationwide, [...]

Yesterday, executions were put on hold in two states over concerns about the manner in which the most common form of execution is administered: MIAMI, Dec. 15 — Executions by lethal injection were suspended in Florida and ordered revamped in California on Friday, as the chemical method once billed as a more humane way of [...]

Radley Balko reminds us that today is the 215th anniversary of the ratification of the Bill of Rights. Sadly, one can spend more time than ever today counting the ways in which the freedoms it guarantees have been curtailed.

If Ken Mehlman, Mel Martinez, and the various mental midgets running for president on the Republican side had any sense, they would be very worried about this development. Former Congressman Bob Barr has now officially left the Republican Party and joined the Libertarian Party. The only question to be asked is how many limited government [...]