The California legislature recently dissolved the state's redevelopment agencies, notoriously the nation's worst abusers of eminent domain—when the government condemns perfectly fine properties not for public use, but for private development. California should stand firm in its decision to eliminate these rogue agencies, which have siphoned billions in taxpayer d... (more)
With her silk scarves and immaculate make-up, Ding Yu looks every inch the modern television presenter. Indeed, for the past five years she has hosted a hugely successful prime-time show in China which has a devoted following of 40 million viewers every Saturday night.
But while in Britain the weekend evening entertainment will be The X Factor or Strictly Come Dancing, Ms Ding’s show features harrowing – some would say voyeuristic – footage of prisoners con... (more)
Internet service providers BT and TalkTalk have lost their appeal against the UK’s Digital Economy Act. The ISPs had argued that the legislation was incompatible with EU law, but this morning the Court of Appeal decided otherwise and dismissed their appeal. While the decision was welcomed by copyright holders, Internet account holders now face warnings, disconnections and speed throttling.
For almost a year the UK’s Digital Economy Act has been in limbo after two of th... (more)
Is the USA still #1? Well, there are many things that America is still the best in the world at, but unfortunately a lot of those categories are nothing to be proud of. Once upon a time the United States was the greatest nation on earth, but now we are a nation that is in a horrific state of decline. Just consider a few of the embarrassing things that America leads the world in: obesity, crime, divorce, teen pregnancy, child abuse deaths and government debt. The statistic... (more)
One of the most pervasive misconceptions in our culture is the idea that “government” has anything to do with the structure or organization that we see in our society. This is one of the primary reasons why people have such a difficult time considering the very real possibility of a world without the organization known as “government.” When someone suggests that we simply do away with this unjust and unnecessary organization, they are typically met with some very negative... (more)
CONCORD - A Manchester man, injured when arrested by four off-duty Manchester police officers outside a downtown bar two years ago today, has filed suit, alleging police violated h... (more)
Sarah Smith was driving to work when her car was sideswiped by a man on a motorcycle. Like many people in straitened financial circumstances, she had let her liability insurance lapse. To make matters worse, her driver's license had expired. So she was probably overwrought when Pittsburgh Police Officer Adam Skweres arrived -- and frantic when he pulled her aside. The ensuing conversation left her utterly terrified.
Officer Skweres told Smith that "he could make it look like [the... (more)
Attorney General Eric Holder will today attempt to justify the Obama administration’s policy of state-sponsored assassination, as he prepares to give a speech explaining how the U.S. government can arbitrarily kill U.S. citizens on foreign soil.
“Holder plans to say in a major speech on Monday at Northwestern University law school in Chicago that lethal force is legal under a Sept. 18, 2001, joint congressional resolution,” reports the Associated Press. ... (more)
Three years ago, I wrote an article in which I made some very specific predictions about the incoming Obama administration. I wrote the piece in the form of a letter to my pro-Obama friends and said that by the end of his term, Obama’s administration would not look very different from that of George W. Bush. I told them that if I was wrong about my predictions, I would re-think all of my beliefs about our political ... (more)
Costa Rican President Laura Chinchilla has added her voice to the rising clamor for discussions on drug legalization as an alternative to the current state of affairs, in which Central American nations see themselves as increasingly threatened by the illicit drug trade. The discussion should go on even if the US opposes it, Chinchilla said.
"If we keep doing what we have been when the results today are worse than 10 years ago, we'll never get anywhere and could wind up like Mexico... (more)
When I mention that I believe that it is not the proper role of government to subsidize research in space technology, the looks I receive from my fellow aerospace engineering classmates seem to suggest that they want to send me to the dark side of the moon (on the taxpayers' dime).
If there's one libertarian position that is exceedingly difficult to argue, it is the notion that scientific research should not be the concern of the state. This essay will focus on outlining two possi... (more)
When it comes to paying for tickets generated by New Orleans' traffic cameras, some of the biggest scofflaws are city employees driving taxpayer-financed vehicles. As of September 2011, at least 400 city vehicles had racked up fines totaling $547,580, according to records provided by City Hall in response to a public-records request.
And five of the 20 vehicles that owe the city the most money are city vehicles, the records show.
President Obama yesterday joined virtually every U.S. political leader in both parties in making the obligatory, annual pilgrimage and oath-taking to AIPAC: a bizarre ritual if you think about it. During his speech, he repeatedly emphasized that he “has Israel’s back,” rightfully noting that his actions in office prove this (“At every crucial juncture &... (more)
At a fundraiser in New York City on Thursday, a heckler interrupted the president’s speech to defend any action against Iran. That prompted the president to stop, wage his finger, and tell the protester, “Nobody has announced a war, young lady.”
FBI Director Robert Mueller recently spoke at a cybersecurity conference where he reiterated his belief that so-called cybercrime will soon surpass terrorism as the biggest threat in America. Perhaps this means that the FBI plans to start manufacturing cyber-threats like they do with terrorist plots—or perhaps it means that, as some people have been sayi... (more)
The video that shows a Henderson police sergeant repeatedly kicking a man who was suffering a diabetic episode during a 2010 traffic stop sent shock waves across the valley.
But a few Henderson residents were not surprised that Sgt. Brett Seekatz was the officer whose swift right and left kicks shook up leadership within his agency, left taxpayer... (more)
MONTICELLO — Sullivan County District Attorney Jim Farrell has joined Monticello's police union in trying to stop the village's newly created civilian police commission, saying he's concerned that the mayor and other civilians will be privy to sensitive police investigations.
"My office will not, under any circumstances, share confidential information with members of the Monticello police if that confidential information is subject to disclosure to the Mayor or the civilian ... (more)
Two leaders of a protest over land grabs in a southern Chinese village were elected to replace the officials they helped oust, in a case that underscored the Communist Party’s challenges in defusing social unrest.
Lin Zulian was elected the village chief and Yang Semao his deputy, in a vote that saw thousands of people fill out ballots March 3, the state-run Xinhua News Agency reported yesterday. Five other seats on the village committee in Wukan, located in southern China&r... (more)
The Vermont Senate recently passed a bill that is now on its way to the state House, which, if signed into law, would end the ability for parents to avoid getting their children vaccinated based on philosophical grounds.
This means that children will not be able to go to school if their parents refuse the vaccines, as they can no longer be exempt from the requirement based on parents' philosophical opposition.
No matter how you feel about vaccines, I hope that you r... (more)
