Pain Economies
Looking for a new doctor, a colleague of mine called his friend’s primary care clinic, and was told, “We are taking all patients except pain management cases.” He was thankful his health issues were...
View ArticleWorth a Crackdown?
Charming. That is the best word to describe the “Little Free Library” movement. Haven’t heard of it? It is the practice by which just plain folks share their books by building these little...
View ArticleThe Uber-Huge Mistake
Uber’s challenge to old-fashioned ride service — to the taxi industry — is at least twofold. One, it shows government regulation to be counterproductive and kind of witless. Two, it shows that...
View ArticleHelp Airbnb Win in San Fran
Whenever companies invent radical new ways of making life easier, there’s a good chance someone will kvetch about how hazardous the new way is and/or how rudely inconvenient for those wedded to old...
View ArticleThe Uber Rebellion
Customers in Germany and elsewhere have flouted irrational attacks on the popular ride-sharing service Uber. As I have explained before, Uber’s software lets passengers and drivers connect in a way...
View ArticleExperience Denied
Jan Ellison is grateful for the low-wage jobs she had as a kid. “The difference from the way my own children are being raised is that I was acutely aware of the financial burden of these [educational...
View ArticleBye-Bye, Community Banks
The Dodd–Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act was signed into law in 2010 by President Barack Obama. Its supporters said that would increase financial stability and transparency,...
View ArticleWhy the Tiny Domicile
The “tiny house” movement has gained momentum. More and more people — especially young people and childless people — see the virtue of very small houses. They are cheaper, can be made energy-efficient,...
View ArticleNon-neutral Net Neutrality
Worried about its costs, Netflix has asked millions of customers to support so-called “net neutrality” policies to curtail the freedom of action of broadband companies like Comcast. Netflix, a huge...
View ArticleThe Latest Big Fix
Transformer-in-Chief Barack Obama is at it again. The president’s latest tune is a variation on a very old theme: whatever government breaks “requires” a new government program. See a problem; propose...
View ArticleAll Wet
Which is worse, paying for stuff you use . . . or being constantly harassed for using it? One consequence of widespread failure to charge market rates for water turns out to be hyper-regulation of...
View ArticleTownhall: The Cynics and the Minimum Wage
This weekend at Townhall, a recurring subject, but with a British twist: why support a minimum wage if it doesn’t do the good claimed for it? Maybe the backers don’t uniformly want the good. Could they...
View ArticleLaw in the Tooth
Why did Dr. Ben Burris give up his orthodontic license? Where did he go wrong? Dr. Burris broke the law. He flagrantly violated the hallowed precepts of the Arkansas Dental Practices Act. Let me rinse...
View Article“Regulation” should not be confused with “rule of law”
A “rule of law” is based on general principles, and makes room for — or, better yet, is based upon — the protection of individual rights. It used to be common to say, “a rule of law, not of men”; it...
View ArticlePotluck Rites, and Rights
Progressives are becoming increasingly defensive about nearly all forms of Big Government, relentlessly telling us that we need government for everything from money and roads to food inspection and...
View ArticleA Vapor’s Chance in Hell
There is a big difference between government designed to protect our rights and a government tasked with protecting us from ourselves. You couldn’t find a better example of this than the current...
View ArticleFree the Truck Drivers
Should our government liberate truck drivers from the country-wide prison in which they’re incarcerated? You say I’m exaggerating. Being metaphorical. Yes. Maybe metaphors and hyperbole are not to your...
View ArticleThe Winds of Regulation
Among the many goofy occupational licensing laws in these United States, Arizona’s licensing for professional blow-drying services is up there with the silliest. “Under current law, using a blow-dryer...
View ArticleTaking a (Lemonade) Stand
When life hands you lemons. . . . Once upon a time, putting up a summertime lemonade stand was the American way for kids to learn about hard work, good will, and entrepreneurship. Almost every kid had...
View ArticleName Your FDA Poison
We’re dealing with a pandemic, here, and the Food and Drug Administration insists upon poisoning us. Or, more accurately, the FDA sticks to Prohibition-Era poisoning schemes, no matter how...
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