If you are a conservative in Mississippi, I'm sure you are celebrating the election results, and there certainly is cause for that. But at the risk of spoiling the party, I want to caution you not to think your job is over. (more…)
One of the usual arguments against the death penalty is the commandment, "Thou shall not kill." On its face, that would seem to be a valid argument, but it's not.
First of all, the command is given to individuals, not to government. The Bible makes clear that government has certain responsibilities that are not given to individuals, one of which is to punish those who do evil, even to the point of "wielding the sword" if necessary. Domestically, that's accomplished with our justice system when it works properly. When we face a foreign adversary, it is our military.
Taken to its logical conclusion, applying "Thou shall not kill" to the government would require police to disarm - and even soldiers for that matter - for fear that they might kill someone in the line of duty.
There are legitimate elements of debate on the death penalty. But this is not one of them.
For more on the proper role of government, order the print or audio edition of our primer titled Governing by Principle. We'll send a copy at no cost to you. Go to mspolicy.org or call us at Triple8-MSPolicy.
A lot of attention has been given to the gargantuan debt that has been racked up the federal government. And though it pales in comparison, the amount of debt racked up by the state government warrants attention, too. (more…)
Another federal court has now recognized that Congress does not have the authority to force Americans to buy a product. It is sad that so many people in Congress failed to read the text and history of the Constitution before they approved the massive health care overhaul bill last year, which included a provision requiring all Americans to buy health insurance. (more…)
I hope you've had a chance to visit our website, SeeTheSpending.org. It allows you to search the state budget to see exactly how the state is spending your money. (more…)
Do you ever wonder what your taxes pay for? I don't mean the big, broad categories you hear about, but the individual expenses that add up to those big numbers? (more…)
Another school year has started, and due to the inaction of the legislature, it's another school year in which parents are forced to send their children wherever the government tells them they have to go - even if that school is not educating their children well. (more…)
A few years ago, I met a former Prime Minister of the eastern European country of Estonia. Eighteen years ago, at the age of 32, Mart Laar set Estonia on the transforming course from being a socialist state in the Soviet bloc to its current status as one of the freest economies in the world. (more…)
There's a new book out called the Overton Window. The book is a novel, but its namesake is a very real concept developed by a friend of mine, Joe Overton. Joe's concept, which he called the "window of political possibility," helps explain how laws can be passed this year to implement ideas that were considered politically impossible a few years ago. It also helps explain, in part, why think tanks like ours are so important. (more…)