The fatal attraction of government is that it allows busybodies to impose decisions on others without paying any price themselves. That enables them to act as if there were no price, even when there are ruinous prices — paid by … Continue reading
Republicans are losers. By “losers” I mean: They often lose elections (especially at the presidential level); and even when they win, nothing changes, despite their intentions. Taxes, government programs, government spending and debt, government regulations — they all keep growing … Continue reading
Is America a Christian nation? The premise of the question is wrong. It requires you to accept the idea that the United States government and Constitution are the implementation of any particular religion. In actual fact, the separation of church … Continue reading
When opposing something, you have to understand what you’re in favor of, and what you stand for; otherwise, your opposition is meaningless, or worse. Consider the American Revolution. Talk about an impossibly uphill battle: a bunch of inexperienced and underfunded … Continue reading
A reader writes: Dear Dr. Hurd: A persistent problem I’ve had is why on earth people (and a lot of them) think that if they know a person, somehow that person’s bad behavior is exempt from moral condemnation. For example, … Continue reading
Denial is a process of ignoring facts for reasons that seem emotionally appealing. In the case of Medicare, one of the primary reasons the United States government has gone broke (and getting more broke all the time), denial is rampant. … Continue reading
We are living in surreal times. The headline reads: “Obama floats making voting mandatory, calling it ‘potentially transformative’” It’s not that I think mandatory voting is a serious or imminent possibility. I’m commenting on it just to illustrate how illiberal … Continue reading
The best argument against democracy is a five-minute conversation with the average voter. — Winston Churchill A republic protects the rights of the individual to be free from coercion. A democracy votes away rights for some individuals, and votes rights … Continue reading
Conventional wisdom held that Benjamin Netanyahu would lose his reelection effort for prime minister of Israel. Conventional wisdom also holds that America’s President Barack Obama is really, really smart, and really, really wise; and if, therefore, Obama thinks peace negotiations … Continue reading
A psychology student writes with the following questions: “What is your opinion on escapism, i.e., the act of escaping everyday stress through fantasy and entertainment? Is it a healthy way to relieve stress?” Dr. Hurd replies: The term “escapism” usually … Continue reading
Prime minister David Cameron has revealed US president Barack Obama envies the UK’s blanket ban of political advertising on TV. During a livestreamed interview with BuzzFeed, the prime minister was asked why British parties aren’t allowed to advertise on TV. … Continue reading
It only stands to reason that where there’s sacrifice, there’s someone collecting the sacrificial offerings. Where there’s service, there is someone being served. The man who speaks to you of sacrifice is speaking of slaves and masters, and intends to … Continue reading