Not All Regulation Is Bad
Just the kind imposed by governments
December 2019
Cover Story
But Gorsuch!
Trump's first Supreme Court pick is better on civil liberties than his critics want to admit.
Features
What Is a 'Well Regulated Militia,' Anyway?
The Founders liked militias, but they also liked an armed citizenry. To them, the two ideas were inseparable.
Regulation and 'the Right Ordering of Economic Life'
What libertarians can learn from Catholic social doctrine
Why Don't Environmentalists Just Buy the Land They Want To Protect? Because It's Against the Rules.
Regulation and litigation rule the day, but sometimes cash should be king.
Interview
Kat Rosenfield and Stan Lee Wrote a Superhero Novel About Cancel Culture
A Trick of Light is the result of an unorthodox collaboration between the accomplished young adult novelist and the late Spider-Man creator.
Topics
Impeachment Is Both the Cause and the Effect of a Too-Powerful Presidency
If, at the end of all this, President Mike Pence sits behind the Resolute desk in the Oval Office, what has been accomplished?
The Cajun Cannabis Conundrum
In Louisiana, the legal medical marijuana scheme is a mess: Physicians' hands are tied by state regulators and there's not enough pot to go around for the patients who need it.
Democrats Are Conjuring Up New 'Rights'
Faced with a president they find repulsive to the core and with unfunded future payment obligations in the many trillions, Democrats think now is the time to really unleash Washington.
Would a Bigger Legislature Mean a Smaller Government for California?
It's probably true that there is no magic ratio of legislators to constituents. Still, do Californians need more representation?
Doorbell Surveillance Networks Have Arrived. Should We Be Scared?
Cops can now request access to videos recorded by Ring, bypassing that pesky step of obtaining a search warrant first.
Tom Wins the Battle Over Tom's Diner
What happens when preservationists get in the way of a diner owner who is looking to sell his place, retire, and pocket the cash?
Trump Is Wrong About the Fed, and the Fed Is Wrong About Economics
Milton Friedman once said that "money is much too serious a matter to be left to the central bankers." He was right. Still, we should ensure the Fed isn't being swayed by partisan interests.
American Taxpayers Are Subsidizing Ultra-Cheap Shipping From China
For decades, the U.S. Postal Service has charged some countries less than it charges domestic shippers to move packages within the United States.
Florida Prisons Are a Slow-Motion Disaster
"We are a prison system that's overstuffed and under-guarded, and that is a lethal combination of policies," says state Sen. Jeff Brandes.
Halloween Is Supposed To Be (a Little) Scary
Halloween combines the two things we fear most in America today—kids actually leaving the house, and food other than hummus and baby carrots being fed to them.
Infographics
What's the Matter With Idaho?
Of the 50 states, three territories, and 10 provinces that make up the United States and Canada, all but one have legalized some form of either medical or recreational cannabis.
Culture
Nobody Knows What Television Is Anymore
TV's cultural dominance is unchecked by anything except your own time, and increasingly tailored to your unique interests and obsessions.
Books
The Myth of the 'Opium War'
The vast majority of opium users in China were not the desperate addicts portrayed by proponents of prohibition.
Reviews
Golden Rice
Golden Rice has potential to help millions of people in developing countries, but government regulators, the UN, and anti-GMO activists have gotten in the way.
Mindhunter
The Netflix original series chronicles the origins and development of the FBI's profiling unit and its quest to identify serial murderers.
Escape from Earth
Was rocketry pioneer Frank Malina written out of some histories of space exploration for his political sins?
ETC.
George Will Still Believes in Classical Liberalism
The erudite author and television commentator is not ready to give up on conservatism just yet.
Brickbats: December 2019
News of politicians, police, and bureaucrats behaving badly from around the world
