Q: Dr. Hurd, what’s so bad about the welfare state? A compassionate society takes care of its own. Conservatives and liberals agree on this point, morally speaking. When I see a homeless person, I hardly think of such a terrible … Continue reading
America is about ready to elect a rock star as President. By “rock star” I mean America is about to elect a celebrity–because he’s a celebrity. This is the main reason for Barack Obama’s surprising rise. Liberals could have done … Continue reading
“Obama has got my back.” So says a campaign shirt worn by someone I saw out on the boardwalk recently. The more accurate and objective way of phrasing this would be: “Obama has MY back–by reaching into YOUR wallet and … Continue reading
Here’s a question: If it will take 10 or 15 years for newly drilled oil to reach the American market, as liberals and environmentalists claim, then why wasn’t action taken 10 or 15 years ago–when President Clinton could have easily … Continue reading
Politicians and media pundits keep saying: “Everyone’s so ANGRY about the soaring gas prices.” Are you angry? I’m not. I don’t know anybody who is, either. Just about everyone I know–myself included–is concerned about gas prices. The concern arises from … Continue reading
Q: Dr. Hurd, I agree with you that the choice for President is terrible. I want greater freedom and individual rights in both the personal and economic realm, and I want a strong, principled defense against terrorism. But I’m voting … Continue reading
Racism doesn’t mean hatred of a particular race. Racism means elevating race to a higher status than it deserves. Just as Obama will no doubt have anti-black racists voting against him, he already has sizable numbers of people voting FOR … Continue reading
“You have nothing to say to us.” “You have nothing to say to us. We object. We do not agree to a relationship with you! We are not prepared to establish relations with powerful world devourers like you! The Iranian … Continue reading
“Senator Obama is very eloquent, but he is also going to be very, very expensive. It may turn out that an angry, inflation-pressed America just wants to vote for an aura. Feel free, so to speak. John McCain’s job will … Continue reading
There are two ways to treat people poorly. One is to treat them with less respect than they deserve; the other with more respect than they deserve. The first leads to a sense of demoralization and improper humility. The second … Continue reading
In reading about the decline of the Roman Empire, I discovered that one of the political causes was oppressive taxation and–more fundamentally–the lack of an ability for the Roman people to control their government. Fundamentally, the issue was “man against … Continue reading
The original American notion of “representative democracy” was supposed to mean representation by your peers. The specific context for this was: Someone who has a career, a private life and private responsibilities outside the realm of politics. This person was … Continue reading