The national debt is at an all-time high of around $16 trillion. That’s scary enough. But it turns out that number is just piercing the surface. If you include all the unfunded federal obligations to Social Security and Medicare it would add up to near $116 trillion!
More Government isn’t the Answer It’s easy to become disheartened when one realizes how many Americans don’t have homes or enough to eat. Despite plenty of charities and government programs being aimed at the problem, it continues. Poverty withstands our best efforts to address it. What if we are focusing too much on the symptom…
When the use of steroids and performance enhancing supplements became widespread in Major League Baseball, fans were in outraged. If some players had an unfair advantage over others, it sullied the entire sport. Americans who followed baseball felt cheated and duped. Congress even got involved, citing The Federally Controlled Substances Act and anti-trust exemptions held…
“One of the great mistakes is to judge policies and programs by their intentions rather than their results.” ― Milton Friedman Our nation is driven by people who want to do good. Too often government policies and programs are enacted with the very best intentions and that’s all that seems to matter. The actual effectiveness…
Photo by OSU Master Gardener 1. Collecting rainwater If you live in Oregon, don’t even think about diverting that rain water on your property into any sort of container. One Oregon man was sentenced to 30 days in jail because he had three ponds on his property. His ponds were deemed “illegal reservoirs.” According to…
When government assumes the role of certifying or approving products it limits consumer protection and increases the probability of corruption. The Federal Food and Drug Administration, for example, is charged with the protection of consumers, and all food and drug products require their stamp of approval before hitting shelves. But is this the best way…
Bailout? More like throwing money into sinking ships Repayments from institutions which received federal funds during the bailouts of 2008 and 2009 have lessened the total of the programs cost to taxpayers. In total the federal government injected cash into more than 700 institutions. While proponents of central planning point to the repayments as success, it’s…