Free Republic

Chamber of Commerce president Thomas Donohue told business leaders that the organization was prepared to spend up to $100 million to help Republicans keep their House and Senate majorities.  But he also indicated that the CoC would oppose Tea Party supporters in the House, like members of the House Freedom Caucus. Donohue made clear that part of the Chamber’s election efforts will be aimed at countering the influence of hard-line legislators like members of the House Freedom Caucus, who have not supported the Chamber’s legislative agenda. That agenda includes immigration reform, reauthorizing the Export-Import Bank, and finding a consistent...

Virtue Ethics & Broken Windows: Why I am not a Libertarian By Joe Carter Charles Murray almost had me. When I first read Murray’s What It Means To Be A Libertarian nearly ten years ago I was compelled by the thrust of his argument. “Freedom is first of all our birthright,” Murray claimed. “An adult making an honest living and minding his own business deserves to be left alone to live his life. He deserves to be free.” Libertarianism appeared to be an attractive political philosophy, yet something was missing. It reminded me of my high school days when after...

If you knew that a recent Zogby International survey found 59 percent of the respondents described themselves as "fiscally conservative and socially liberal," and if you were a head of a political party wanting to put together a winning platform, what would you do?The question is not all that tough, but both Republican and Democrat leaders have yet to get it right. The Republicans, after losing three straight, off-year special congressional elections, are in a panic about what to do to renew their "brand." The Democrats naively think they are in great shape, even though they only have an...

The Gallup Poll's annual survey on government found that 27% of Americans are conservative; 24% are liberal, up sharply because the poll was taken after Katrina, which boosted support for the proposition that "government should do more to solve our country's problems." Gallup also found -- this year as in others -- that 20% are neither liberal nor conservative but libertarian, opposing the use of government either to "promote traditional values" or to "do too many things that should be left to individuals and businesses." Another 20% are "populist" (supporting government action in both areas), with 10% undefined. Libertarian support,...

It didn't matter then—it shouldn't nowRemember all those news stories in 1993 about how the nomination of former ACLU lawyer Ruth Bader Ginsburg to replace conservative Justice Byron White on the United States Supreme Court would "tilt the balance of the court to the left?" Of course you don't. Because there weren't any. In the past three months, the major media have repeatedly hammered away at the theme that Judge Samuel Alito Jr. would "shift the Supreme Court to the right" if he replaced retiring Justice Sandra Day O'Connor. According to Lexis/Nexis, major newspapers have used the phrase "shift the...

If conservatives don't want federalism any more, will liberals pick up the banner? Federalism has always been a key element of American conservatism. In his 1960 manifesto, The Conscience of a Conservative, Barry Goldwater called for the federal government to "withdraw promptly and totally from every jurisdiction which the Constitution reserves to the states." Ronald Reagan ran for president promising to send 25 percent of federal taxes and spending back to the states. As Republicans took control of Congress in 1995, Newt Gingrich stressed that "we are committed to getting power back to the states." Lately, though, conservatives -- at...

Republicans and conservatives are in high dudgeon over Senate Democrats' refusal to let the Senate vote on some of President Bush's judicial nominations. "This filibuster is nothing less than a formula for tyranny by the minority," says Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist. Frist speaks for many conservatives who want to change the rules of the Senate on a simple majority vote, to eliminate the filibuster for judicial nominations. Fifty-five Republicans, 55 votes to change the Senate's rules, case closed. But those conservatives are being ahistorical, short-sighted, and unconservative. Judicial nominations are important, but so are our basic constitutional and governmental...

The Man Who Told the TruthRobert Heilbroner fessed up to the failure of socialism David Boaz Robert Heilbroner, the bestselling writer of economics, died early this month at the age of 85. He and John Kenneth Galbraith may well have sold more economics books than all other economists combined. Alas, their talents lay more in the writing than the economics. Heilbroner was an outspoken socialist; if only a libertarian could write an introductory book on economics that could—like Heilbroner's The Worldly Philosophers—sell 4 million copies. Reading some of Heilbroner's essays over the years, I admired his honesty about the meaning...

The extraordinary steps taken by congressional Republicans to save the life of Terri Schiavo have won plaudits from evangelical Christians and other conservative activists, but some Republicans worry about a potential backlash among others who view the intervention as an overbearing use of government power. Just as Congress passed and President Bush signed legislation allowing federal courts to review whether Schiavo's feeding tube should be withdrawn, a poll by ABC News found that 70% of those surveyed believed congressional intervention was inappropriate. Though some GOP strategists have argued that the issue is a political winner for the party because it...

An ownership society values responsibility, liberty, and property. Individuals are empowered by freeing them from dependence on government handouts and making them owners instead, in control of their own lives and destinies. In the ownership society, patients control their own health care, parents control their own children's education, and workers control their retirement savings. President Bush says he wants America to be an “ownership society.” What does that mean? People have known for a long time that individuals take better care of things they own. Aristotle wrote, "What belongs in common to the most people is accorded the least care:...

Can America's schools teach history? The question ought to be ridiculous -- of course they can. What do we pay them for? History is as essential as reading and writing to a republic of free citizens. America's schools have always taught America's history. Unfortunately, there's a lot of evidence that our schools are doing a poor job of it. Results of the 2001 National Assessment of Educational Progress showed that 57 percent of high school seniors scored below the "basic" level of history achievement. And "basic" isn't impressive. The test-makers believe that students should achieve the "proficient" level, but only...

How is freedom faring in our world? Many libertarians think we're losing our freedom. Louis James of FreeMarket.Net reported that he asked a group of libertarians "how many had any doubts that America had its collective feet firmly planted on the road to serfdom" and found few optimists. That's understandable. Government spending is up. We face new regulations on hiring, firing, accounting, smoking, eating, and more. Businesses, activists, and politicians use legislation and litigation to steal the property of pharmaceutical firms, computer networks, and other creators. Republican leaders of Congress talk about using their new power to pass prescription drug...

In 2000 George W. Bush campaigned across the country telling voters: "My opponent trusts government. I trust you." Little wonder that some of his supporters are now wondering which candidate won that election. Federal spending has increased by 23.7 percent since Bush took office. Education has been further federalized in the No Child Left Behind Act. Bush pulled out all the stops to get Republicans in Congress to create the biggest new entitlement program -- prescription drug coverage under Medicare -- in 40 years. He pushed an energy bill that my colleague Jerry Taylor described as "three parts corporate welfare...

<p>In 2000 George W. Bush campaigned across the country telling voters: "My opponent trusts government. I trust you."</p> <p>Little wonder that some of his supporters are now wondering which candidate won that election.</p> <p>Federal spending has increased by 23.7 percent since Bush took office. Education has been further federalized in the No Child Left Behind Act. Bush pulled out all the stops to get Republicans in Congress to create the biggest new entitlement program -- prescription drug coverage under Medicare -- in 40 years.</p>