The Debate Over Public Choice Misdefines “Self Interest” and “Public Interest”
Are political actors (politicians, voters, and bureaucrats) motivated by “self interest” or “public interest?” That is the central question as it is posed in the academic debate over the Public Choice...
View ArticleCongress Sues Over “Lawlessness of this President”
“The House on Wednesday approved a highly contentious lawsuit against President Obama over his alleged abuse of executive power,” Fox reports. Colorado Congressman Doug Lamborn said, “”The people’s...
View ArticleUdall Calls for Resignation of CIA Director Brennan
Today Colorado Senator Mark Udall “demanded the resignation of CIA Director John Brennan in response to a new watchdog report that concluded that CIA officers improperly accessed computer files and...
View ArticleU.S. Bureaucrats Watch TV and Porn at Taxpayer Expense
An employee of the Federal Communications Commission watched a day’s worth of porn every week “out of boredom,” reports Bonnie Kristian for the Week. Meanwhile, “paralegals at the U.S. Patent and...
View ArticleOne in Six U.S. Jobs Are in Government
As Rani Molla reports for the Wall Street Journal, “Nearly 1 in 6 jobs in the U.S. are working for the government, more than any single private industry.” Put another way, every government employee is...
View ArticlePerry Indictment “Irresponsible and Nakedly Political”
Scott Lemieux, writing for the Week, reaching a similar conclusion to the indictment of Texas governor Rick Perry that I and others have reached: “The basis for the indictment is exceptionally weak,...
View ArticleWhy Not Send All Colorado Bills to a Floor Vote?
Yesterday I waded into the middle of the conflict between Rocky Mountain Gun Owners RMGO and the Independence Institute regarding strategy over gun magazine restrictions. (This morning Mandy Connell...
View ArticleHuemer on Strengthening the Chains of the Constitution
If American government was to be bound by the “chains of the Constitution,” then surely those chains have loosened if not snapped. Michael Huemer, a philosopher at the University of Colorado at...
View ArticleThe Political System is Rigged—But That’s Not Our Main Problem
Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton each have their cheerleaders. Most of us, though, regard these candidates as horrid and this year’s presidential race as an “international embarrassment,” as Vincent...
View ArticleOn the Right to Petition Public Officials on Social Media
Public officials have the same rights to freedom of speech and freedom of association that the rest of us have. The do not lose their rights simply because they win elected office. Public officials are...
View ArticleHow to Fix Colorado’s Candidate Petition Mess
The process by which Colorado candidates petition onto the ballot is a mess. What’s the right solution? I’ll consider several alternatives, but first let’s consider a few aspects of the problem. As the...
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