A word of explanation about the number of readers. That number indicates the readers accessing ANY No Force, No Fraud blog since the previous article. On any given day, there are always readers of past articles, so the number for that day does not neccessarily indicate an attraction to that article. Some articles receive significant readers long after they first appear.						• Eminent Domain   • Elections   • Healthcare   • Criminal Justice   • Smoking   • Education
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		readers	daily position	all-time position	all-time readers
440.   07/27/2005	No Force, No Fraud has moved
No Force, No Fraud is now appearing at a different location, and can be reached at either noforce.org or at http://www.libertyed.org/noforce. On that new page, you will find a link to the index of archived articles. I hope that our past readers will follow us to the new site.
439.   07/16/2005	Now THIS is a political poll with meaning	12,150	3	6	280,927
One of the survey’s more interesting findings is that, despite the fact the main character resides in Gryffindor, the house that respondents were reminded values loyalty and courage, most adults saw themselves in Ravenclaw (41%), where intelligence and wit are the attributes most valued. Gryffindor was second, at 30%, followed by Huffelpuff, where loyalty, patience and hard work are valued, at 23%. Slytherin, where cunning and ambition are considered the ultimate virtues, was the house where just 2% of respondents saw themselves. Interesting survey results, but the good stuff was generated when Zogby asked respondents to place George Bush and Hillary Clinton in the house most appropriate to them.
438.   07/11/2005	The State of Minnesota creates a new enemy	3,129	6	6	268,777
Think again, legislators. I'll tell you what this smoker's response is going to be. I will pay NO taxes on tobacco products. That means that not only will I not be paying the 75 cent increase, but I'll stop paying the 71 cents the state has BEEN receiving from me. Instead of gaining an additional $65, the state will find themselves LOSING $53 each month.
437.   07/01/2005	IJ’s $3 Million National Campaign Tells Lawmakers: “Hands Off My Home”	5,006	8	6	265,648
"One would be hard-pressed to think of a recent Supreme Court decision that has generated such widespread and virtually unanimous outrage," said Chip Mellor, the president and co-founder of the Institute for Justice. "We will take this energy and put it toward productive activism."
436.   06/24/2005	My gulag and welcome to it	3,854	6	7	260,642
These are two outrageous decisions, each of which hands governments such overriding and unrestricted power that I have no hesitation in declaring that we, as American citizens, can no longer count on any right as being secure. We are officially slaves of the state... completely at the mercy of government officials, who are in turn dominated by the two major political parties and their willing cohorts in corruption.
435.   06/21/2005	Stupid citizenry, wise leaders	2,168	6	7	256,788
When are we going to say ENOUGH? When are we going to stand up as citizens and tell government officials, at all levels, to get the hell out of our lives and leave us alone to live as we choose? Are we a nation of sheep, meekly going where we're herded, eating what we're allowed to eat because we're too dumb to judge for ourselves?
434.   06/16/2005	Free again, to earn a living legally	2,657	8	7	254,620
Less than 2 months ago, I wrote about the first case being handled by the new Minnesota chapter of the Institute for Justice. I am pleased to help publicize the news that Minnesota hairbraiders will now be able to provide their services without the onerous regulatory requirements that were hanging over their heads.
433.   06/10/2005	The terrible loss of our young people	2,396	8	7	251,963
In another attempt to help all of us feel the tragic reality being perpetrated in our names, I've prepared a special web page. I challenge you to immerse yourself in it and come away untouched and unmoved. This is pain and sadness that we, as citizens, both deserve to feel and need to experience.
432.   05/28/2005	No Force archives	5,789	8	7	249,567
It was exactly 2 years ago today that began. Occasionally, I republish an older article, and it invariably draws more readers than it did the first time it was published, simply because so many current readers were not readers when it was first published. Some of you may not have noticed that I have maintained a complete Article Index of articles, each with a paragraph excerpt and a link to the full article. If you're looking for specific subject matter, you can use your browser's FIND feature on the index page.
431.   05/20/2005	Distinguishing between a people and their government	2,000	8	7	243,778
Will we, like so many other peoples before us, just ignore what our government is doing until we no longer have any choice? Will we continue to busy ourselves with increasing our already plentiful wealth as our remaining freedoms disappear? As I watch my fellow citizens, I have great difficulty remaining optimistic. As we concern ourselves with trivialities, our political control steadily reduces.
430.   05/18/2005	A time for evaluation	986	11	7	241,778
I'm winding down publishing of No Force, No Fraud. Within the past few months, I've taken charge of a fledgling non-profit, the Liberty Education Fund that deserves more time than I've given it. I also have a number of other volunteer activities that occasionally take a backseat to No Force.
429.   05/17/2005	It's all about FORCE	423	9	7	240,792
We are a nation of extremely cooperative individuals who work together to accomplish so much, entering into voluntary agreements and contracts, and spending a lot of time and money helping each other. Yet, when government is involved, many of us are guilty of violating all the rules we live by privately... by supporting the use of force through government. It's wrong and it doesn't work.
428.   05/12/2005	Breaking a few eggs with precedent	3,337	3	7	240,369
Asset forfeiture is the tool of greedy government at all levels, and it is being used to finance more government growth without needing to increase taxes. It happens to one person at a time, who faces an almost insurmountable hurdle in trying to get the property back, while their neighbors all assume that they must have done SOMETHING wrong.
427.   05/10/2005	How much justice can you afford?	1,067	5	7	237,032
I cannot repeat it too often: Our justice system is being seriously corrupted by the War on Drugs. Let me try to explain why and how, in simple terms. The War on Drugs is essentially a war on the citizens of the U.S., because it is designed to apprehend and punish people doing something they want to do... something that harms nobody else directly. It's activity that should simply be legal.
426.   05/04/2005	Peace IS possible	3,162	5	7	235,965
Peace on Earth. An ideal never to be reached? Naive? Unrealistic? Many think so, even though they wish otherwise. Libertarians have a plan for worldwide peace that can bring about one of those "thump-yourself-on-the-head-damn-that-actually-makes-sense" reactions.
425.   05/03/2005	and I didn't speak up	471	6	7	232,803
I've worked with many people whose plans and dreams have been smashed by government actions. They frequently say that they didn't know it could happen to them. It had happened to many others before, but not to them. They assumed that bad things only happen to bad people
424.   04/29/2005	Why should we do what is right?	2,177	5	7	232,332
If we were to assume that all laws and rules were valid and good (which I do not) then it would be proper to teach students that reporting violations is a moral or civic responsibility... a life-enhancing action that is its own reward. From a moral position, the tattling idea is completely bankrupt and even corrupt... especially when implemented in a school, where values are supposedly learned. It is teaching that you should get paid for doing good... which implies that there is no better reason.
423.   04/26/2005	Let the fans pay for a stadium	1,520	7	7	230,155
Baseball is a business, and we have thousands of businesses that don't receive subsidies... if fact, most of them get pushed around by grand schemes such as a new ballpark. If a business requires a subsidy, it isn't a viable business. I have no desire for Minneapolis to be a "major-league" city, as stadium proponents like to put it, if it means forcing everyone to pay for it to happen. If a stadium can't be financed by those who would profit from it, then let it remain unbuilt.
422.   04/22/2005	It's about hair and liberty - let the sun shine in	3,061	5	7	228,635
Hair braiding, especially the complex, intricate kind that takes many hours is just about the most natural personal service business one can imagine. It takes only two people... one with hair, one with skill, and it's something you just can't do for yourself. Ouila! An easy, quick business service to perform. Why does one need a cosmetology license to do hairbraiding? Who would come up with such a requirement to inflict on a skill that has been practiced for centuries?
421.   04/21/2005	Should we expect truth from teachers?	825	4	7	225,574
I can forgive many people who believe that smoking is bad for your health; therefore secondhand smoke must also be dangerous. It's an assumption that is easy to buy into with a certain amount of ignorance, and it's very easy for someone who dislikes smoke. It's equivalent to saying that because one can drown in water that drinking of water should be banned.
420.   04/19/2005	The insanity of trying to legislate behavior	946	6	7	224,749
In order for laws to have any effect on what people actually do, the people have to know about and understand it. If they don't know, or don't understand, it will have ZERO effect on them. You can't comply (even if you wanted to) with a law you don't know about.
419.   04/16/2005	Join us to celebrate freedom	1,598	6	7	223,803
Sunday, May 1 is designated as Freedom Day. This day we celebrate those most American Values - Freedom and Individual Liberty. Each May 1 (this is the 11th year) the Freedom Day Foundation reserves the Mall at the Capitol in St. Paul, books the Cannon to provide the salutes to Freedom, then invites sponsors and entertainment.
418.   04/15/2005	A rescue line into the swamp	541	8	7	222,205
The Clinic on Entrepreneurship is a magnificent example of a libertarian solution to problems caused by overreaching government... government trying to regulate every aspect of our lives... trying to protect us from ourselves. The fact that starting a small business should even require a specialized lawyer is the real problem, and the real solution is to get rid of all those laws and regulations.
417.   04/14/2005	The small business regulatory swamp	578	7	7	221,664
A free market is so simple... you and I make a deal that satisfies both of us. You have work and I need work. You pay me, I do the work, and we both profit from the exchange. You don't like my work, you boot me. I don't like my part of the deal, I quit. You find a better worker, you dump me and hire her. I find a better position, I quit and cut another deal. It ain't brain surgery... until government tinkering makes it complex.
416.   04/13/2005	What would a libertarian dream state be like?	547	7	7	221,086
More than most states, Minnesota is friendly to socialistic attitudes, and admires "big brother" like he was a father, mother, and nanny rolled into one. We are a state that seems willing to be forced into being good, clean, tidy and obedient little servants. We are characterized as "Minnesota Nice", which becomes a message to government saying "Do what you want... I'm too busy earning enough to pay taxes." If one could identify those who are the "silent majority" and color them red on a U.S. map, I suspect Minnesota would look like a big zit on the face of America.
415.   04/12/2005	Minnesota's shameful role in the War on Tobacco	585	6	7	220,539
It has now been almost 7 years since the infamous Minnesota Tobacco trial that has been credited with "turning the tide" in the war on smoking. The trial sought to forcibly "reimburse" Minnesota for the health-care costs associated with smoking... even though those costs have been refuted numerous times, even by the Congressional Research Service, an independent research arm working for the U.S. Congress.
414.   04/08/2005	Taking another pleasure away from the poor	2,349	6	7	219,954
Like all other regulations, the smoking ban will affect the poorer members of society most, not only because that group contains more smokers, but because the poor have fewer alternatives. It will simply add inconvenience and remove a little pleasure from life. For those of us with fewer resources, we often have to be satisfied with small pleasures that those with more resources just take for granted. The smoking ban is another case of the "haves" taking from the "have-nots". When the so-called "liberals" of this state begin to realize that every new regulation or code makes life harder and less fun for the poor, perhaps they'll quit pretending to be acting "for the public good".
413.   04/07/2005	Error	513	6	7	217,605
412.   04/06/2005	The Deadly Legacy and what it will take to change it	507	8	7	217,092
Don't think you can just watch and wait for the libertarian movement to become powerful and then join us. That's what far too many people are doing now. Only the most enlightened, dedicated people have joined us to this point, and we cannot do it by ourselves. We are like David fighting Goliath, but our Goliath has made slings into illegal weapons, while he's packin' heavy.
411.   04/05/2005	Social Security - the Deadly Legacy	618	5	7	216,585
If you listen to the current rhetoric on Social Security, you'll hear Republicans insisting that action be taken to fix the problem, and you'll hear Democrats insisting that we keep the system intact to "protect" our senior citizens. Don't think for a minute that means that Republicans are any more apt to solve the problem than are Democrats. It's the "opposition game" both parties play for our benefit... facing off so that they can stalemate each other, avoid facing the problem, with each side claiming they tried.
410.   04/01/2005	A chance to cheer for a Republican	2,423	4	7	215,967
Coming from a libertarian, you might anticipate that this is an April Fools stunt. Not at all. I don't often find opportunity to say nice things about a Republican (or a Democrat), in Congress, but Representatives John Shadegg and Jeff Flake of Arizona have done something for which all Americans should applaud them.
409.   03/31/2005	Looking for enemies everywhere	1005	4	7	213,544
How in the hell did a nation that was once considered isolationist become this monster that presumes to interfere in the affairs of ANY other nations? Where does this unlimited maniacal ego come from? What makes anyone in the U.S. believe that we have any RIGHT, much less the expertise, to run any other nation when we can't even do a decent job of running our own?
408.   03/30/2005	How to enslave a free people	712	6	7	212,539
We now have a President whose actions, in some ways, parallel those of Hitler. He has engaged us in war that could last decades, against "enemies", some of whom are yet to be named... a global "holy democracy" war that is increasingly being referred to as a World War. Overwhelming military force, followed by occupation, complete with torture and abuse of prisoners and civilians.
407.   03/29/2005	Colorado's Front Range Toll Road - boon or boondoggle?	637	6	7	211,827
To a libertarian, this project could be a magnificent example of private enterprise doing what government, with all its force and money, just can't. There is little doubt that it will benefit a great many people by reducing congestion in populated areas. It will undoubtedly improve the state's economy through faster, cheaper transportation, and it will do all that with no state spending.
406.   03/25/2005	The retardation of America	2,033	5	7	211,190
The imposition of compulsory schooling was a serious turning point in our nation's development. The idea that we should all surrender our children to government schools for training was pushed for reasons that should make today's liberals as angry as it does those of the religious right, who object because those schools are secular.
405.   03/23/2005	Facing reality can be unpleasant, but only fools avoid it	867	7	7	209,157
The possibility of stopping a huge tragedy at the beginning has been denied by those who simply will not face reality. I don't like the idea of armed guards either. Hell, I don't even like the idea of security guards being needed in school. They weren't needed when I was in school, but the reality is that they are needed now, and they must be armed, just for those rare occurrences like the horrid slaughter in Red Lake. Reality is... DEATHS COULD HAVE BEEN PREVENTED. Our legislators and school officials have been irresponsible with their "pretend" security.
404.   03/22/2005	Learning is easy - Education is complex	543	7	7	208,290
There is little doubt in my mind that the presence of charter schools is an improvement over having just traditional public schools. They add choices to the mixture. Unfortunately, charter schools also add to the monopoly of government-controlled schools. The growth of charter schools does prove one thing... there is no shortage of people who are dissatisfied with the current schools and are willing to start new schools to compete with them.
403.   03/18/2005	Are you paying attention?	2,180	7	7	207,747
Ask yourself what value your career, your home, and your lifestyle will be if libertarians are right? What good will all that do you if we allow government to expand until we are all helpless slaves? Is that the heritage you want to leave to the next generation?
402.   03/17/2005	Patients losing our patience	543	6	7	205,567
What I would like to see happen is for every patient, when they go to their appointment, be wearing a sticker or badge that clearly shows what time their appointment is. If we were all doing that small thing, you could look around the waiting room and KNOW how far behind schedule they are. It would also place the clinic staff on notice that you're not willing to just be a passive customer at their beck and call.
401.   03/15/2005	Remember when health care meant you and your doctor?	912	9	7	205,024
As soon as politicians get involved in trying to "fix" something, complexity sets in like a never-ending plague, and it always has the effect of killing off the little guys and enabling the big ones. It always has the effect of reducing competition and raising costs. More importantly, it drags resources away from the core business and into attacking and defending through legislation.
400 !   03/11/2005	Without property rights we are but slaves	1,822	9	7	204,112
Today marks the 400th article of NFNF, in the same week that the 200,000th reader "tuned in". Over the past three days, I've written again about the abusive use of eminent domain and how it has, and still is, violating the rights and destroying the dreams of so many Americans. Today, I repeat the very first NFNF article, from 5/28/2003.
399.    03/10/2005	Remember when the city was a place to live?	482	7	7	202,290
I resent the upscale condos, apartments, lofts, and big new buildings that are springing up around Minneapolis, because I know what they've cost us in human terms. They're part of a city that is becoming an enclave only for those who can afford it. It has cost the city its vitality, and much of its history. It is becoming a city of major corporations and event venues. I now view the downtown area as alien to the rest of the city... a place to visit only when necessary, not to live. To a large extent, it has become a place for tourists, not for those who live here... and pay the taxes.
398.    03/09/2005	A dream destroyed for nothing	627	6	7	201,808
This is a story that deserves a happy ending, and Reiko deserved an honored place in city history. What actually happened was quite the opposite, and is a story that we MUST learn from if we hope to ever return to a society in which individuals are free from the arbitrary crushing power of government. In 1987, the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board took most of the Fuji-Ya's parking, using their power of eminent domain.
397.    03/08/2005	Sacrificing people to business interests	443	9	7	201,181
Urban renewal was sold as a grand plan in the extravagant, promising manner we've come to expect from government, and with the usual governmental results. The destruction of the old was completed, followed by a long period when the space sat wasted. Purchase and destruction was costly, and the dozens of vacant blocks were producing no tax revenue. Undoubtedly, the city gave some lucrative incentives to those groups wealthy enough to build big and "acceptable" structures from scratch.
396.    03/04/2005	Being able to act without restraint or penalty	1,843	6	7	200,738 !!!!!!
Because government agencies are able to act without restraint and without penalty, we've had results such as disastrous wars justified with lies, deadly police actions like Waco and Ruby Ridge, toxic studies using citizens as unknowing test subjects, environmental pollution that no private company could ever get by with, and a lot more, some of which we may never even know about.
395.    03/03/2005	A small victory for Liberty	722	5	7	198,895
The proposed statewide smoking ban in most public places was killed in committee on Wednesday. In a close vote, the House Commerce and Financial Institutions Committee voted to stop the bill. I have to admit that I'm surprised and encouraged. Minnesota has justifiably gained a reputation as a nanny state, meaning that those who make the rules believe they know how ALL of us should live, and they've had little hesitation in forcing us to comply. Not adding a destructive statewide smoking ban is a gain for individual choice and tolerance.
394.    03/02/2005	Our sham economic recovery	901	3	7	198,173
Our government has been squeezing us for a long time, putting the majority of us in ever-increasing jeopardy of personal collapse. I call it our "brittle economy", because there is little "bend" left. Too many of us have serious debt, too many are in jobs that could disappear, and too many are working 2 jobs or extra hours to get by.
393.    03/01/2005	Will we all die soon - or maybe never?	675	6	7	197,272
I've been threatening to add up all the death claims being tossed at us... from smoking, drinking, eating fat, eating carbs, being slovenly, not seeing our gynecologist often enough, eating fried cinnamon rolls, drinking coffee, etc. I'm positive those claims, added together, are greater than the total number of people who actually die.
392.    02/25/2005	Aren't cities supposed to serve their residents?	2,549	5	7	196,597
If the Supreme Court doesn't do something to reign in the use and threat of eminent domain, our cities will continue to give to the wealthy at the expense of the poor. Poorer citizens, living in "substandard" or "blighted" housing that may offend the sensibilities of those who have more, are also citizens, and have the same rights as those with more money. There is NO justification for one group of citizens declaring another group's housing as unacceptable and then using force to evict them.
391.    02/24/2005	Will the Supreme Court stop eminent domain abuse?	496	8	7	194,048
The Kelo case is not going to be an easy one for the Supremes, given the already widespread use of eminent domain for a wide and fuzzy variety of reasons. If they come down hard in favor of a strict, traditional definition of "public use" (city buildings, public utilities, roads, etc.), local governments will really have to redefine how they go about "enhancing" their areas.
390.    02/23/2005	Ignorance may be blissful, but it's a recipe for bondage	575	5	7	193,552
I don't know how any American can justify simply watching as our government continues to swell like a massive, smothering toxic cloud, picking us off one at a time until the only remaining citizens will be those who refuse to notice, those who are too afraid to rock the boat, and those who have become complicit insiders.
389.    02/22/2005	Is Wal-Mart a big-box bully?	654	5	7	192,977
Despite my personal shopping preferences, Wal-Mart is a superb example of successful free-market capitalism. Remember, they weren't always big. They got that way by doing what they do better than anyone else, and they were up against some good big competitors who had a lot more clout. The amazing thing is that, unlike most giant companies, they're continuing to do it all well.
388.    02/18/2005	An economy hanging by a thread	2,257	7	7	192,323
There is NO substitute for individual responsibility, but that is precisely what diminishes in a society that accepts an overbearing government and social welfare programs. Every time a society provides something that was not earned, the recipient loses sight of the relationship between personal responsibility and rewards. Like a thief who believes that he'll never get caught, the beneficiary of unearned results develops a false belief that it will always be that easy.
387.    02/17/2005	Who owns your life?	607	6	7	190,066
If our society, and our laws, fully accepted each individuals right to die as they choose, it would take an enormous burden from all of us. We have so many taboos about death that we transform an inevitable occurrence into a grievous tragedy. We often condemn aging people to lingering, unfulfilling existence by refusing to confront the truth. We often force individuals we love to face death alone because we are afraid to face it with them.
386.    02/16/2005	Legislative tail-chasing	529	6	7	189,459
The natural downside from laws and regulations, no matter how carefully crafted, is so great that wisdom and common sense dictates that no law or regulation should even be drafted unless absolutely required, and then in the most limited, localized manner possible. Trying to write good FEDERAL law is a virtual impossibility, because of the diversity of the area and population such laws must try to cover.
385.    02/15/2005	The attack at Weyco	635	5	7	188,939
What makes Weyco unique is that 71-year-old founder and sole owner Howard Weyers has decided that his employees will be not only drug and alcohol free on the job, but tobacco free as well, not just on the job but completely, even on their own time. He has instituted random carbon monoxide breath testing to detect tobacco use, and if the company has reason to suspect tobacco use, they will require an immediate test.
384.    02/11/2005	Government schools aren't teaching students about their freedoms	1,612	7	7	188,304
In an era characterized by various levels of zero-tolerance school dictums, it shouldn't surprise anyone that schools aren't teaching students about their freedoms, but I was surprised at just how ignorant students have become about the basic freedoms of a free society.
383.    02/10/2005	You may wish you were uninsured	630	5	7	186,692
This IS the way health care used to be provided... back when it worked well. It's also the sensible way to use insurance; to insure only those risks you just can't cover out of current income. Doctors treating patients, no paperwork, no claims, no rejections, no billing... just health care. How's that for radical and sensible?
382.    02/09/2005	Uninsureds... the modern "unwashed masses"	644	6	7	186,062
Like all other plans based on the use of force, mandatory health care coverage is not only immoral, but it won't work, and it will have many negative consequences. There ARE some good ideas around that CAN solve the problems in health care, but they don't use force, so they're not political solutions. Mandates are force, and when force is used, other, better solutions are simply eliminated.
381.    02/08/2005	Mandatory health coverage - forcing the uninsured into the kettle too	546	6	7	185,418
Health insurance has become distorted to the point that the "sense" of what insurance is good at and not good at has been lost. In 2003 total spending on health care was $1.7 trillion, some $5,800 for every man, woman, and child in the nation. In 1999 The New England Journal of Medicine published a study that found it cost $300 billion annually to administer various health insurance plans. That's almost 18% in administrative costs.
380.    02/04/2005	We have to stop Big Brother right here!	1,456	8	7	184,872
Of all the insane government actions I've written about, this one just floors me. I thought my expectations of government were so jaded that they couldn't shock me any longer, but this is over the top... pure insanity. It rocks our individual liberties to the core. Mandatory mental health testing means WITHOUT PARENTAL PERMISSION. That alone should be enough to kill the idea.
379.    02/01/2005	Predictions from 1950	708	9	7	182,816
A good example of future expectations appeared in a 1950 Popular Mechanics article, by Waldemar Kaempfert. It's been referred to many times, but has all but disappeared from the Internet, so here's a reprint I've gathered from several sources.
378.    01/28/2005	Being well-informed is just not enough	2,749	3	7	182,108
We have been sweet-talked by political power-mongers into dropping our constitutional shorts, and millions of us have suffered the inevitable thrust of government force. For those of us who haven't, it's only a matter of time... unless more of us wake up and take action.
377.    01/27/2005	Legislative inertia on sentencing reform	465	7	7	179,359
On Tuesday, FAMM (Families Against Mandatory Minimums) released the results of a poll (pdf) of New Jersey citizens concerning their attitudes on sentencing drug offenders. The poll results are interesting in that they are so contrary to what has been happening for decades in our criminal justice system.
376.    01/26/2005	How the Clergy Understands Business by Rev. Gerald Zandstra	362	8	7	178,894
In every walk of life, there are those who abuse the power they have been given or act in unethical and destructive ways. Despite the presence of immoral people in corporations, however, I do not believe that such people are the norm. Unfortunately, a high percentage of my colleagues among the clergy hold a different view and choose the caricature over the reality.
375.    01/25/2005	Government - our irresponsible child	445	7	7	178,532
Even though the principle of taking responsibility for our individual actions is thoroughly established in our society, that principle is glaringly absent in one major part of our society: Our governmental units are seldom held responsible for their actions, because they can hide behind the veil of sovereign immunity.
374.    01/21/2005	Libertarians represent individuals, not special interests	10	1,966	7	178,087
The two major parties have transformed a nation founded on equal opportunity for all into a grimy, convoluted, deal-making quagmire of favoritism that benefits nobody except those with the power to grant favors... those two parties and their insiders. The irony is that most Americans, do not SEEK any special privileges... we just want the equality of opportunity promised to us when our nation was created.
373.    01/20/2005	Which party represents your interests as an individual?	442	7	7	176,121
Those who lobby gain, at the expense of those who don't. The big gainers are the Democratic and Republican parties, at the expense of all of us. The power to grant favoritism forces all the rest of us into paying tribute to our "elected" masters, or just not being represented... and government continues to grow. Individual rights have become subservient to special interests, as the parties in power seek to aggrandize and enrich themselves by selling their power to the highest bidders.
372.    01/19/2005	Special-interest politics - the un-American way	552	5	7	175,679
Special-interest politics is a lucrative game played by all participants, both politicians and the groups pushing their own interests. Victory is not the goal, but a sort of sick "balance" that benefits everyone directly involved, while cheating all the rest of the American public. It's designed to be a never-ending game, because if one interest clearly prevails, the losing interest may no longer be a player. Their support and their money will be lost.
371.    01/18/2005	Another big accounting scandal	661	6	7	175,127
One of the U.S. taxpayers has been slapped with a $10,000 fine for errors on their quarterly returns over a period of 3 years. The same error was repeated 12 times, shorting the Treasury each time. The error was made by an accountant, as we might expect after all the accounting scandals in the news, and here we are offended by yet another.
370.    01/14/2005	Supremes upset the sentencing applecart	1,799	6	7	174,466
With two cases, Booker and Fanfan, the Supreme Court, in a 5-4 split, has just thrown federal court sentencing into a tizzy, and tossed the ball back into Congress. They ruled that sentencing guidelines violate the U.S. Constitution to the extent that they require a judge to impose a sentence using facts beyond those admitted by the defendant or found by a jury beyond a reasonable doubt.
369.    01/13/2005	The coronation farce deepens	687	4	7	172,667
I complained that much of the expense of the coronation will be borne through taxes... some directly, and through the cost of widespread security, so that fun-loving Republicans can party into the night in grand style. It should be a banner day for crime in areas surrounding Washington, as cops are pulled into the city for the magnificent procession. Turns out now that it's much worse than I thought.
368.    01/11/2005	A great and ugly farce	795	6	7	171,980
The spectacle of big-party politics is obscene, especially when it is done in Washington, as a quasi-government activity. Perhaps the most obscene part of it is that Bush will swear to an oath he has no intention of keeping, as has been true of other Presidents.
367.    01/07/2005	Losing our choices and opportunities	1,355	9	7	171,185
Regulations not only cause the most harm to those who can afford it least, and stifle innovation, they cost a mammoth amount of money that could improve our lives in untold ways. You thought income taxes were bad? The total cost of compliance with federal regulation has been estimated at $869 billion... more than all the individual income taxes we pay (849 billion), more than the combined profits of all corporations (665 billion), and more than the whole Gross Domestic Product of either Mexico or Canada.
366.    01/06/2005	The importance of being free to choose	561	3	7	169,830
We need to appreciate just how important the freedom to make choices is. That freedom allows each of us to experiment, to attempt, to innovate, to create, modify, and to try new combinations. That freedom allows us to take big risks that can have big rewards. Every new product, new business, new service... and any sort of innovation all occur only because someone had the freedom to make a risky choice.
365.    01/05/2005	More mandatory minimum madness	481	6	7	169,269
Occasionally, a case takes place that illustrates just how perverted our criminal justice system has become. If you haven't heard about the trial and sentence of Weldon Angelos, it's time you have.
364.    01/04/2005	Selling freedom is like selling life insurance	742	6	7	168,787
You buy life insurance on your own life to benefit someone else you care about. The policy won't benefit you... you'll be dead. When some people realize that, the subject is closed... they don't care what happens after they're dead. Many feel the same way about freedom; if they can get through life unscathed, that's all they care about. Most of us believe that bad things only happen to other people... and that if we're careful, we can get by.
363.    12/31/04	Meanwhile, over in the BIG house...	1,017	8	7	168,045
Within one generation, people who used to live, work, and play side-by-side became the Haves righteously doling out favors to the Have-Nots, with a hug, while patting themselves on the back... and they're still doing it... with renewed righteousness... while trying to blame the problems on someone else.
362.    12/30/04	Welfare - adding psychological damage to injury	386	5	7	167,028
We had divided the nation with veteran's benefits, psychologically crushed the left-behinds with destructive welfare, and then insisted that they had a RIGHT to be "kept". Think about how similar that is to the treatment of slaves... except that the new slaves didn't have to work.
361.    12/29/04	Government and the godawful greatest generation	539	4	7	166,642
"Greatest generation" indeed... "privileged generation", in fact. Returning vets were adored, and benefits heaped upon them. Within a short time, being elected to any political office was almost impossible for anyone but a veteran.
360.    12/28/04	Being poor ain't what it used to be	374	5	7	166,103
How can being poor be a happy experience? It took me a lot of years to really understand why it's easier to be happy when you're poor than when you're not. People were forced to plan, to save, to skimp, and to be creative... to strive. Those are all creative, energetic challenges, and not one of them is at all demeaning.
359.    12/24/04	Christmas query: Will the feds bust Santa Claus for his many crimes?	1,295	8	7	165,729
WASHINGTON, DC -- When Santa Claus comes to town this week, he'd better watch out -- because the federal government may be making a list of his crimes (and checking it twice), the Libertarian Party warned today. "Hark the federal agents sing, Santa is guilty of nearly everything," said the party's press secretary, George Getz. "The feds know when Santa's been bad or good -- and he's been bad, for goodness sakes."
358.    12/23/04	Remember when your party stood for something?	642	5	7	164,434
Who is working for the rights of individuals? Where does the party I supported stand on this issue? Is my party part of the coalition in support of the individuals? Where are the Democrats in support of "minorities, the poor and the politically powerless? Where are the Republicans, former champions of limited government and individual property rights?
357.    12/22/04	Compassion by using Force?	304	7	7	163,792
I want to address an idea that is widespread in our nation. The idea is -that it's an act of compassion to favor a government program intended to help others.
356.    12/21/04	The stolen right of juries	326	7	7	163,488
A jury has the right to decide whether the accused is guilty, and to decide whether the involved law is just. Does that surprise you, as it did me?
355.    12/17/04	Let's aim our anger where it is deserved	1,732	6	7	163,430
What these issues have in common is a set of organizations which, in order to gather members and increase their own funding, use FEAR as a motivator, and deliberately churn that fear into anger and hatred. These organizations use deception very deliberately, and they do not accept any responsibility for the extreme acts their deception and hate mongering might cause.
354.    12/16/04	Smoking bans are NOT about smoking	605	3	7	161,430
Here in the Twin Cities, businesses and many other people are grouping together to fight the bans, under the banner Minnesotans Against Smoking Bans. I'm part of the group, and some of our most vocal members have never been smokers. They will tell you that they oppose bans because they are a violation of individual and property rights. For the businesses, it isn't about smoking either... it's about their right to run their business as they choose.
353.    12/15/04	In our legal system, even the winners lose	474	6	7	160,825
As in this case, we as citizens are expected to cave in to "authority", regardless of the circumstances. Could the police have ignored the demand from a federal employee? Not likely. There are so many thousands of laws in force that the police have no way of knowing what is legal and illegal, so they "enforce" by guesswork. They don't have to be right, but they don't want to be wrong, so they enforce whatever MIGHT be a law.
352.    12/14/04	A citizen's day in court	470	5	7	160,351
Following is a description of events that occured to a good friend of mine. This friend is a quiet, polite young man who decided to make a principled and lawful stand, despite knowing that he would be arrested and charged with a crime. What happened to Joel Rauch is so indicative of our times. Joel was gathering signatures to get Libertarian candidates on the ballot, a time-consuming hoop that alternate party volunteers must jump through just to offer voters another choice on the ballot.
351.    12/09/04	Wonder why health care costs are so high?	1,615	6	7	159.881
Suppose someone had an idea that could do the following: 1. Save many thousands of lives, help us to live longer, and 2. Cut health care costs by 28% or more, and 3. Cut prescription drugs cost to one-third of what they are now. Worthwhile idea? Would it be worthy of investigation? If your congressman had the idea, and wanted the government to fund investigation and implementation of this seeming miracle, would you 'rally round that flag?
350.    12/08/04	Trapped in the jaws of government education	397	6	7	158,266
The decline continues. Once again, the performance of American students reveals how a nation that once prided itself on its educated citizenry has been brought down to a disgraceful level of performance. The Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) is an internationally standardised assessment that was jointly developed by participating countries and administered to 15-year-olds in schools, and given to about 4,500 to 10,000 students in each nation.
349.    12/07/04	Sacrifice is an ugly word	455	6	7	157,258
Show me someone who honestly gives up something they value for something of LESS value, and you'll have shown me a fool. Show me a parent who claims to have "sacrificed" for their children, and you'll have shown me someone who doesn't value their children much. It's far more likely that they "invested" in their children and are satisfied with their investment. Like me, they have received more value in return than what they invested, and no praise for their "sacrifice" is needed or desired.
348.    12/03/04	The way politics should be	1,400	6	7	156,803
An open election system gives a voice to minorities and alternative views... a voice that becomes "marginal" and easily suppressed in a closed electoral system such as we have in the U.S. I'm quite sure that, around the globe, there are similar tales of non-libertarian parties. The importance is that alternative voices can be heard; if what they say rings true, their influence will grow among the citizenry, which will translate into more future votes, and more political strength.
347.    12/02/04	We're overdue for proportional representation	519	6	7	155,430
Wouldn't it be nice? Wouldn't it be great to look forward to casting your vote? In a country where voting can actually make a difference, it IS a day for celebration... celebration of the ability to express your preference... and of knowing that it won't be wasted.
346.    12/01/04	The worst election system on earth?	469	6	7	154,911
It's a supreme irony that in the nation that originally placed individual rights in a position of supreme importance, and sought to protect minority opinion from dominance by majorities, that we should find ourselves with the most restrictive electoral system among all "free" nations. We are politically dominated by two large parties that have gradually written all the rules in their favor. If those two parties were corporations, they would be called a cartel, and would be forcibly broken by law.
345.    11/30/04	Diversity in everything but representation	395	6	7	154,442
For most of our nation's history, we weren't satisified with just a couple of choices. From 1911 through 1947, there were always at least 2 minor-party congressmen, and the further you go back in our history, the more diverse the party labels were. As late as 1945, 6 parties held seats in Congress.
344.    11/26/04	Thanks to our precious watchdogs	1,379	6	7	154,047
At a time when most of us are relaxing and recovering from a holiday with friends or family, I want to express deep thanks to some of the organizations who maintain a vigilant watch on the political and social scene. Some of these organizations are large, some are quite small, but all are supported only by our voluntary contributions. Together, they, and many other similar groups, may be the only barrier preventing our nation from sliding into totalitarianism.
343.    11/25/04	Who's bringin' home the bacon?	347	6	7	152,668
Once upon a time, our congressional representatives used to argue about whether a legislative proposal was constitutional... whether Congress had the right to take the action. It's a rare argument now, and when it appears, it's ignored. Instead, our representatives have taken on the attitude of Senator Stevens... doing what's best for their own state, and the rest of the nation be damned. Federal money sent back home is one of the keys to reelection, and to becoming a career politician.
342.    11/24/04	We're having PORK for Thanksgiving	417	6	7	152,321
Simply put, the most influential members of Congress... those who sit on powerful committees, especially appropriations committees, are able to earmark the most funds for their state. What makes earmarked funds worst of all federal spending is that not only are they spent for "pet projects" that will provide the representative with good press and more votes. There is virtually NO accountability for what happens to the money once it is delivered.
341.    11/23/04	Nobody knows what they're doing, especially them	513	7	7	151,910
If you started tossing $100 bills into a bonfire, at the rate of one every second, it would still take you 123 years to get rid of $388 billion dollars. 123 years of torching $100 bills, but our legislators can do it a couple of times each year. Remember, that $388 billion is just the BUDGETED amount, and they're not about to limit their spending to any old budget.
340.    11/19/04	The simple unplanned marvel of the free market	1,258	9	7	151,397
The free market makes what we need to prosper, while government takes, and wastes, half of what is made. It's a testament to the power of the free market, and the ingenuity of the American people, that it can even survive under such a load... but only an economic fool could believe that we can throw away so much and without eventually withering under the load.
339.    11/18/04	Minnesota: #1 in education... but why?	572	6	7	150,139
This fall, the American Legislative Exchange Council issued its eleventh annual "report card" on American educational results. ALEC, is officially non-partisan, but de facto conservative... but before you dismiss their results as biased, understand that in their list of highest ranking states, 6 of the top 8 are "blue" states in which Kerry won a majority.
338.    11/17/04	Bullying to stop bullying	514	5	7	149,567
I said earlier that this proposed legislation is a near-perfect example of wrongheaded legislation. Personally, I think it's much worse than that. I think it's nothing but grandstanding by several people, in a manner that happens often in politics... taking an issue with some emotion, exaggerating it, and using force to pretend to "solve" the problem, "for the kids"... with no thought or concern about the unintended consequences that are completely inevitable.
337.    11/16/04	We are NOT a divided nation	605	6	7	149,053
Still, Americans feel divided. They've listened to the two major parties demonizing each other, and have adopted some of those lies as bolster for their own personal reasons. Those lies and exaggerations, issued very deliberately to inflame and to strengthen loyalty, HAVE been effective in scaring a lot of people into believing that voters for the "other" party are very different, and even dangerous.
336.    11/12/04	Still questioning whether Bush won?	1,676	13	7	148,448
A whole lot of Democrats have been wondering why the Kerry campaign didn't question the critical Ohio vote totals, since exit polls showed that he won the state, and there have been many reports of irregularities. After spending about $242 million fighting for the job, why concede with so many questions... especially after bitching for 4 years about Republicans stealing the last election?
335.    11/11/04	Liberals: Are there flies on your road?	488	5	7	146,772
The point I want to make to those who feel defeated by the election results is this: when you seek to gain by the use of force, don't be shocked when others turn it around on you. When you look to government and seek the enforcement of your preferences on others, you invite others to respond forcefully in return. When you urge government to implement your "programs", you're granting the use of force against those who don't agree with you. That attitude is now coming back to haunt you.
334.    11/10/04	Reach into your own pocket	359	6	7	146,284
Those who seek money through government like to pretend that it's money from the government, mentally obliterating the fact that the money they seek must be taken from the taxpayers... blanking out the fact that government has no other source of money. They use rhetoric that pretends to lay an obligation on the government... an obligation they wouldn't DARE to shove in the face of the individuals from whom they're really proposing to take the money.
333.    11/09/04	Your servant that makes more than you do	515	6	7	145,925
In case you haven't detected it, politicians lie to us, and employment is one of their favorite lies. One will claim that new jobs are being created (implying that government created them) and more people are employed... while his opponent will claim that more people are unemployed. Of course, BOTH can be true. In an increasing population, the number employed and the number unemployed can both be rising at the same time. Which numbers you hear about depends on whether the politician is in power now or hoping to get into office.
332.    11/05/04	Choice is being squeezed out of American politics	1,438	7	7	145,410
As a Libertarian, supporting a candidate running only on voluntary contributions... accepting not one dime of your tax dollars... you can imagine my disgust at finding every web site, every newspaper, and every TV news show displaying only the 3 "anointed" candidates in contention for the Presidency... Bush, Kerry, and Nader. While the vote totals for those 3 people were plastered all over the TV, and updated as results came in, it was difficult to even FIND the national totals for Badnarik.
331.    11/04/04	Compassion by using Force?	515	7	7	143,972
An act cannot be considered compassionate unless it is voluntary. If you're a Christian, consider your beliefs... voluntarism is basic to Christian religions. Christians believe in an omnipotent God who could have made acts of charity compulsory, but did not. If force were an appropriate way of solving a problem, wouldn't that be taught as part of Christianity? Force is neither effective nor is it compassionate, yet millions who claim to be religious support forced giving through government programs.
330.    11/03/04	The ridiculous spectacle of big-bucks politics	404	7	7	143,457
Democrats and Republicans like to pretend that they get their support from ordinary people. As you can see, they get a ton of money from big organizations and another ton they just lift out of our pockets. I have no hesitation in calling that corruption on a massive scale. Money goes where it gets results. The big unions and other organizations lobby hard to get a "return" on their "investment". If you're an "ordinary" American, you're not being represented.
329.    11/02/04	Coin-flip 2004	497	7	7	143,053
Once again, we find ourselves facing our tiny opportunity to change the direction of our nation. Once again, we've been bombarded by political scare tactics designed to force us to vote against the "worst" candidate by voting for one almost as bad. We've been polarized again... reasonable choices have been virtually swept from view by power-mongering politicians. Billions of dollars have been spent to scare and push us into one of two destructive camps... anti-Bush and anti-Kerry.
328.    11/02/04	Corporate Welfare. Who is to blame? How to stop it?	1,795	7	7	142,556
As long as we continue to contend that some welfare is justified, others will counter that theirs is also justified. To ask politicians to pick and choose who to favor and who to disfavor can only lead to more welfare, of all kinds... because they won't want to say No to anyone. When they say No, they lose votes. By merely seeking favoritism for our own favorite projects, we grant the politicians the right to decide what will be subsidized. Worse, it grants them the right to subsidize at all.
327.    10/28/04	Living without a driver's license	1,055	3	7	140,761
Can you imagine going to a business, waiting for them to open, then waiting in line 2 1/2 hours to purchase something? Would you put up with that kind of treatment from a business? I suspect you would be in a foul mood when you finally got to make the purchase, and that you would resolve to choose another store to patronize.
326.    10/27/04	The Protection Racket	849	4	7	139,706
We get to hear great speeches and writings about how much good our protection money is doing. That's PR the way the mobsters never even imagined! Our current protectors take responsibility for everything they can spin as a positive, and blame everything bad on someone else, and they're professional at it. At least the mob didn't spend much time trying to convince their victims that they should be happy about it.
326.    10/26/04	Dead for being guilty of riding with a gun	747	6	7	138,857
The story of the death of 27-year-old Jonathan Magbie, in a District of Columbia jail, is a sorry tale in so many ways... so sorry that it's hard to know how to characterize it. My role here is only to try to make more people aware of this story. Henri Cauvin and Colbert King of the Washington Post have dug out the facts and written about it several times.
325.    10/22/04	A nation of Pauls	1,846	5	7	138,110
How we get such destructive redistribution schemes is simple... we're tricked, conned, bamboozled, guilt-tripped, and lied to on a continuing basis. Who cons us is also pretty simple... it originates with those who are trying to get our votes, so that they can win positions that will virtually guarantee them a lifetime wealth and power.
324.    10/21/04	Socialism - why doesn't it work?	565	5	7	136,264
What happens over time is that a socialistic society becomes continually less productive and more needy. Before reforms, 30% of Swedish workers were off "sick" at any time. Over time, it can become a hideous contest to see who can be the neediest and least productive. As we've seen happen in Sweden, as in the Soviet Union, socialism inevitably squeezes the life and vitality out of a society, with the wealth of all but a few becoming depressed... and attitudes become depressed as well. Socialism punishes the strengths in people, and rewards the weaknesses.
323.    10/20/04	Is European socialism the answer?	590	4	7	135,699
To this libertarian, the evidence could hardly be more clear. Even with our limited market freedom, we're able to out-perform those with more socialistic systems, such as the EU countries. When you look to Sweden, the most socialistic nation, and note that it's problems are correspondingly worse than other EU nations, there can be only one simple, clear conclusion... socialism simply doesn't work.
322.    10/19/04	Has Sweden proven that socialism works?	607	4	7	135,109
Although Sweden has always been a solid market economy, the Social Democratic governments in power for most of the 20th century borrowed many ideas from socialism. Swedish prosperity has been redistributed among the population to a greater degree than in perhaps any other country. "From each according to ability, to each according to needs" - that was the radical basic doctrine of a welfare state in which all inhabitants would always be guaranteed basic economic security in all stages of life.
321.    10/15/04	The third-party Catch-22	1,294	7	7	134,502
As long as voters treat party selection like choosing a football team to root for, they're stuck with the "big two", and nothing will ever improve. The desire to "pick a winner" rather than supporting the party or candidate that will do what you think is right, is keeping alternative parties from making progress. It's an attitude that helps limit your own choices to the major parties.
320.    10/14/04	Why I re-engaged in politics	497	6	7	133,208
In the summer of '96, a chance came up to become a delegate to the LP national convention, in Washington, DC. I hadn't even met any Minnesota libertarians by then... they were just invisible people behind emails. They didn't seem to have an office, nor were there any regular meetings I knew about. I was intrigued enough to grab the chance to attend the national convention.
319.    10/13/04	Recapturing our stolen nation	676	6	7	132,711
In the summer of '96, a chance came up to become a delegate to the LP national convention, in Washington, DC. I hadn't even met any Minnesota libertarians by then... they were just invisible people behind emails. They didn't seem to have an office, nor were there any regular meetings I knew about. I was intrigued enough to grab the chance to attend the national convention.
318.    10/12/04	Where was the media?	536	6	7	132,035
Last night, Libertarian Party presidential candidate Michael Badnarik spoke to a standing-room-only crowd at the U of M's Willey Hall. The crowd of perhaps 200+ was primarily students, as it should have been, since it was hosted by the Campus Libertarians, with help from the Libertarian Party of Minnesota.
317.    10/8/04	Fannie Mae - how the tangled web began	1,817	6	7	131,499
In 1938, the Federal government established Fannie Mae to expand the flow of mortgage money by creating a secondary market. Fannie Mae was authorized to buy Federal Housing Administration (FHA)-insured mortgages, thereby replenishing the supply of lendable money. Simply put, Fannie Mae was given the authority to do what banks had been forbidden to do.
316.    10/7/04	Fannie Mae - another Crash and Bailout?	699	5	7	129,682
Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, together, are a government-created mess that has grown to have the potential to be catastrophic. Government is now faced, as they so often are, with doing still more tinkering and very possibly making it even worse.
315.    10/6/04	The tangled web of government tinkering	700	4	7	128,283
Look behind any problem and you will find some government tinkering lurking... some government force inflicted to "solve" some problem, and that force created new problems, often worse that the original. In many cases, it is an unbelievably tangled web that can be hard to trace.
314.    10/5/04	The real spirit of America	723	4	7	128,283
If there was any lingering doubt in your mind about the capability of entrepreneurial individuals to out-produce government, your last doubt should now be gone. Competitiveness, pride, profit motive, and the spirit of adventure have been returned to America's space program. Remember, there was no government at Kitty Hawk, and no government involved in Lindbergh's flight.
313.    10/4/04	Government eats civilian dust again!	499	5	7	127,560
This morning, October 4th, 2004, we are again witness to one of the most remarkable achievements in aviation history. SpaceShipOne successfully entered space again and returned safely, just 5 days after its last success, thereby claiming the $10 million X-Prize. Until Burt Rutan's Space Composite's team, only the national space programs of 3 major governments had flown into space.
312.    10/1/04	Doesn't anyone trust the Pentagon?	1,319	5	7	127,061
We all understand, and expect, that the results coming out of government agencies are going to be ineffective, wasteful or corrupt, to extremes impossible to find outside of government, yet we continue to allow politicians to get away with promising results we know they have absolutely no chance of delivering. They know it, we know it, yet we continue to pretend that we're choosing the better of alternatives.
311.    09/30/04	Renunciation of War	748	4	7	125,742
Could this be a suggestion for an amendment to the U.S. Constitution? For me, many libertarians and for a great many other peace lovers, it might seem like a dream. Given our military establishment and current aggressive foreign policy, it also seems like a pipe dream.
310.    09/29/04	Adolph would be proud (part 2 of 2)	812	3	7	124,994
It isn't that government volunteer programs don't produce any good results. The tragic mistake most people make is in thinking that those programs do something that wouldn't have otherwise happened... in thinking that without government we would all just be wandering around helplessly. Quite the OPPOSITE is true. Every government program wastes resources that would be used far more effectively if left with the people who earned them.
309.    09/28/04	Adolph would be proud (part 1 of 2)	884	3	7	124,182
Let's not forget that our military services are part of our government... the same government that treats adults like helpless children through a massive number of laws, regulations, codes, and enforcement agencies. Ironic , isn't it, that the military promotes turning children into adults? Adults who "stand taller, walk confidently, exude confidence and possess a positive 'can-do' attitude". So that they can return to civilian life and again be treated as children?
308.    09/24/04	Our stifling security	4,046	3	7	123,793
We are becoming a nation by mob rule, and it's an ugly mob when you look beneath the surface. It's a mob that has been trained and rewarded by government... so well trained that it can no longer even recognize what our government has become... willing to vacantly accept what they know to be deception.
307.    09/23/04	Denied failure is not a success	612	4	7	119,747
As a nation, we exhibit the unproven arrogance of youth. We have had disastrous failures, but our propagandizing government has become expert at deniability, so we haven't been able to learn much from them, and are doomed to repeat them.
306.    09/22/04	The retardation of America	514	5	7	119,135
The imposition of compulsory schooling was a serious turning point in our nation's development. The idea that we should all surrender our children to government schools for training was pushed for reasons that should make today's liberals as angry as it does those of the religious right, who object because those schools are secular.
305.    09/21/04	Evaluating the success of our nation	569	5	7	118,621
If I were to compare our current state of affairs with what most of the world expected of us, and what early Americans themselves expected our future to be, I could only conclude that we've really botched it... that we haven't come close to fulfilling our potential. Even worse, we have become the kind of society that most of our ancestors were escaping from when they tore up their lives and came to America.
304.    09/17/04	Queries to the Google guru	1,543	8	7	118,052
Every now and again, I like to examine web searches that end up pointing to a No Force article. On some of those searches, No Force shows up as the #1 hit, but on others, the searcher must have looked through several dozen to find NFNF, and then, on reading my article for relevance to their search, issued at least a WHATTHE??? and probably a lot worse.
303.    09/16/04	Dividing the spoils of confiscation	466	7	7	116,509
As an adult Minnesota male, I suppose I should be ashamed to admit that I didn't even know who Kenny Mixon was until I read the small follow-up story, and had to search back for more information. I'm a casualty of the Vikings' great-season-followed-by-postseason-embarrassment syndrome. It took a lot of years, but I'm in recovery, one Sunday at a time.
302.    09/15/04	Face it: We HAVE become the bad guys	451	7	7	116,043
Never in my memory of American politics have I seen such widespread complicity between Republicans and Democrats. Many Americans consider what the Republican administration has done to be nothing short of insanity, but the reaction of Democrats to that insanity has been what must be the most cowardly in the history of politics.
301.    09/14/04	It IS up to the voters	585	6	7	115,592
If even HALF the voters who support libertarian positions were to actually vote for Mr. Badnarik, it would send a ripple of change throughout our political system. That would be 8.88 million votes for Badnarik, an amount that would change election results all over the nation. More importantly, it would be a clear signal to Washington that an enormous number of Americans are dissatisfied with both the Democratic and Republican parties.
300.    09/13/04	Way better than political slogans	456	7	7	115,007
Here's a chance to start the week off with a smile, thanks to Stephen Baker. Stephen gathered the following t-shirt info sported by passer-bys at the State Fair, most of it as he was manning the booth of the Libertarian Party of Minnesota.
299.    09/10/04	Force, Fraud, and strategies for success (Part 4)	889	10	7	114,551
It was the Vietnam War that focused research on the strategic nature of escalation, as several consecutive U.S. administrations escalated the conflict, and then finally had to quit without achieving any of its objectives. The Dollar Auction was created by Martin Shubik in 1971 as a demonstration of strategic escalation.
298.    09/09/04	Force, Fraud, and strategies for success (Part 3)	413	6	7	113,662
"[A]rguments about the proper scope of government have often focused on whether one could, or could not, expect cooperation to emerge in a particular domain if there were not an authority to police the situation." "The Cooperation Theory that is present in this book is based upon an investigation of individuals who pursue their own self-interest without the aid of a central authority to force them to cooperate with each other."
297.    09/08/04	Force, Fraud, and strategies for success (Part 2)	379	6	7	113,249
You and Spike rob a bank. The next day the police round up the usual suspects, which includes you and Spike. Isolating you in separate rooms, they try to strike a deal. The police promise that you can go free plus get a monetary reward if you snitch. However, you know they are trying to strike the same deal with Spike. If you keep your mouth shut and Spike snitches then you will spend the next 20 years behind bars. Lurking in the background is the possibility that you both snitch.
296.    09/07/04	Force, Fraud, and strategies for success (Part 1)	295	7	7	112,870
Not surprisingly, most people already deal with others in a libertarian manner. We cooperate, trade, dicker, negotiate and persuade, but we seldom use force or fraud against each other as individuals. The rub comes in dealing with those few people who choose to employ a different strategy... who do use force or fraud to achieve what they want. They definitely throw a wrench into the equation. An even larger rub comes when we delegate the use of force to government.
295.    09/03/04	Is America a thought-free zone?	1,777	5	7	112,575
Most Americans have no excuse for a lack of understanding of political issues... except not wanting to take the time to THINK about them. Many of us have come to think about politics as of no more importance than choosing which restaurant to patronize tonight. Thus, we have a large number of people who couldn't begin to justify the "positions" they hold. They can tell you, in no uncertain terms, WHAT positions they've embraced, but have little idea WHY, or how their beliefs fit together or contradict each other.
294.    09/02/04	The political burden of infallibility	501	6	7	110,798
Which is now less detestable... the defrocked leader who launched an unwinnable war, or those who now adopt the great lie to don the frock of infallibility? Shall we damn those already proven wrong or damn those who continue to proclaim the lie? It's a hell of a poor choice, isn't it?
293.    09/01/04	Using force to protect your occupation	628	5	6	110,297
Most of us have been taught that liscensing laws are imposed to protect us against shoddy workmanship, dishonest suppliers, or inferior products, but that is not how most licensure laws come about. In most cases, the requirements that new suppliers jump through some hoops before they can legally sell their services or products came about with pressure from those who were already established in the field... in an attempt to make it more difficult for new competitors to enter the field.
292.    08/31/04	Small wonders of a free market	501	6	6	109,669
That is the beauty of a free market; it rewards creativity, and penalizes poorer results. Lower costs and better results naturally result as more creative solutions are produced. Lower costs mean lower prices, which means that more people can afford the service or product, which in turn means that still lower costs are possible through volume production and automation.
291.    08/27/04	A real live victim	1,668	7	6	109,168
If the anti-smokers were really forced to face the issue, Sue Jeffers would probably be characterized as just... NO... wait... they won't face this issue. To them, there is no human side to the smoking issue. It's a political issue, a contest of brute force that has nothing to do with people, or justice, or fairness, or health, or personal rights, or the freedom of choice.
290.    08/26/04	A caffeine scare	511	6	6	107,500
I can give you one simple clue that will, without exception, identify an organization as one using junk science to deceive us: If an organization seeks to use government force to enforce their claims... if they want to force all of us to abide by their word... you can bet your last dollar that they're being deceptive. If they were telling the truth, and could prove it, they wouldn't have any trouble in CONVINCING us to change our behavior... force wouldn't be needed.
289.    08/25/04	The polarization of America - part 2 of 2	416	6	6	106,989
How can there be such a dramatic difference between the way we deal with others personally and the policies of government that we allow to continue? How can a people who thrive on peaceful cooperation and free trade among themselves have such a hateful, force-mongering, polarizing government?
288.    08/24/04	The polarization of America - part 1 of 2	574	6	6	106,573
Very few people seek to harm others personally, even to produce an advantage for themselves. Why then do we allow our government to do exactly the opposite on a continual basis? Why do we, through government, toss each other about like unknown, unseen pawns in massive upheavals? Why do we destroy other lives and pretend not to notice because it's not US doing it, it's "society" protecting itself? Why do we allow our government to perpetrate programs, wars, and punishments that we would never inflict on our neighbors?
287.    08/20/04	The Nanny psychology - Part 2	1,325	6	6	105,999
We all really must pay more attention to the constant barrage of the nannies. Left unchallenged, they will succeed in criminalizing many more of the activities we now consider normal parts of our lives. Every time we allow them to push through another restriction on how we can live, we lose another piece of the freedom that is the foundation that makes our nation great and prosperous.
286.    08/19/04	The Nanny psychology	621	5	6	104,674
Nannies try to control the behavior of others, usually for reasons of safety. They believe that through their enforced rules of behavior that we will all live longer, safer lives free of emotional conflict and physical injury. They're bothered when they see any sort of hurt, and set out to remove that source of hurt... at any cost. Good intentions? Sure, in a very superficial way, and it's that superficiality that has allowed nannies to succeed in warping our society.
285.    08/18/04	The heart that feels not now is dead	537	5	6	104,053
If there weren't so many small groups and individuals, constantly monitoring government abuses, and working hard to reverse them, our society would have disintegrated far more than it has. Each small victory is paid for with the time and money of a very small percentage of our population, while the majority stays on the sidelines and reaps their unearned benefits.
284.    08/17/04	Much worse than incompetence	313	5	6	103,516
With all that we pay in taxes, we should at least be able to trust elected officials to use some damned sense in controlling THEIR spending. Not even close! They accumulate enormous debt that they have no assurance they can ever pay off, and they continue to spend as if we had bottomless pockets. If we toss them out at the next election, we're still stuck with the debt, and new officials who can blame it on the past.
283.    08/13/04	With blinders on? Bush campaign writes off Libertarian candidate	1200	7	6	103,203
"This is a race between the president of the United States and John Kerry," Bush spokesman Danny Diaz told the Santa Fe New Mexican on Wednesday when asked about the prospects of Libertarian presidential candidate Michael Badnarik, "and voters will make their decision between those two candidates."
282.    08/12/04	Just another hurdle for Minnesota Libertarians	364	6	6	102,003
On Tuesday evening, the StarTribune reported on the recent theft of funds from the Libertarian Party of Minnesota by our Treasurer, in an attempt to prevent serious personal injury to her and her husband, who were being threatened by the Treasurer's daughter and gang friends. The amount of money taken from party accounts was about $10,000.
281.    08/11/04	Presidential Shrines	222	8	6	101,639
There are other Presidential Libraries maintained by private organizations or individual states, but many former Presidents have no such shrine at all. I think it's fair to say that many of those earlier Presidents would have considered such spectacular, expensive memorials to be completely inappropriate. Remember, government was supposed to be small, non-intrusive, and the servant of the people, rather than worshiped in perpetuity.
280.    08/10/04	Overpaid executives versus the working class	361	6	6	101,417
The overpaid executives I want to talk about are the ones who decide, all by themselves, how much they should be paid, and then just force their decisions on those who support their compensation. We directly elect 537 people to serve in our federal government.
279.    08/06/04	Eminent domain abuse is on the run	1,095	8	6	101,056
The whole idea of planned development... that a governmental unit should be able to decide what businesses will be allowed in which areas, is rapidly falling into disfavor. It's a good movement, and one that can, in time, cause a resurrection of "neighborhood businesses" that have been pushed out by planners.
278.    08/05/04	The wisdom we didn't retain - Part 2	397	5	6	100,061 !!!
Our Constitution was a powerful attempt at defining a government in anti-government terms. They believed there were a few things that could be done better by a centralized government, and they did their best to keep that government from ever expanding beyond that.
277.    08/04/04	The wisdom we didn't retain - Part 1	444	4	6	99,664
Like we tend to do with most wars, we've glorified the Revolutionary War almost beyond recognition. It was, like all wars, painful, destructive, divisive, and brutal. Also like most wars, it would be fair to say that the leaders dragged the citizenry into it. They declared INDEPENDENCE from their own native country, with virtually no government structure to replace what they were dumping.
276.    08/03/04	In praise of alternative news	615	3	6	99,220
Sometimes it seems that there are two kinds of people... those who read news to understand what's going on around them, and those who read news to reassure themselves that all is well and that they need not worry.
275.    07/31/04	Infamous "Poletown" decision overturned!	779	5	6	98,605
Twenty-three years ago, a disastrous Michigan Supreme Court decision started serving as a precedent that has resulted in widespread property rights abuse all across the U.S. The infamous Poletown case allowed the city of Detroit to bulldoze an entire neighborhood with more than 1,000 homes and 600 businesses in order to give the property to General Motors for an auto plant.
274.    07/30/04	One lie leads to a bigger one	867	5	6	97,826
Virtually everything the public has come to accept as "common knowledge" about smoking is a bald-faced lie, repeated and exaggerated ad nauseam. I'm sure that many of those who have participated did so out of ignorance, and from a trust of organizations that should have been telling the truth.
273.    07/29/04	The oft-repeated lie	428	6	6	96,959
Now ask yourself these common-sense questions... Is a scientist more likely to twist and distort results to satisfy a tobacco company or an organization like the EPA, or the Cancer Society? Who do you think has a better chance of getting away with it? Which result is more likely to be examined and exposed as a fraud?
272.    07/28/04	Which party's positions are closest to yours?	884	5	6	96,531
The Libertarian Party has produced a simple, fair way for you to discover which party, if any, most agrees with the beliefs you hold. It's a PLATFORM COMPARISON, consisting of excerpts from the platforms of the 4 leading parties... Democrat, Republican, Libertarian, and Green.
271.    07/27/04	Republicans want to destroy your final right too	593	4	6	95,647
Ashcroft issued a directive in November 2001 saying doctors who prescribed the barbiturates used for assisted suicide in Oregon, drugs regulated as narcotics under federal law, faced loss of their federal prescription licenses, vital to many medical practices. He reversed a 1998 decision by President Clinton's attorney general, Janet Reno, who said federal law gave her no such authority.
270.    07/26/04	Pathetic Pandering Politics	405	5	6	95,054
I really have difficulty believing the incredible stupidity shown by the Minneapolis City Council in voting to ban smoking in bars, restaurants, billiard parlors and bowling alleys. In the end, those council members who had opposed a ban caved in and voted 12-1 for the full-blown ban.
269.    07/23/04	Inequality III - a natural state of affairs	1,026	6	6	94,649
If we truly have sympathy for the poor, or want all of us to have more opportunity, we have to be courageous enough to stop trying to manipulate our economy and let ourselves run free. That means eliminating welfare programs, cutting taxes dramatically, and eliminating most regulations... all of which have combined to bring us to the dull, stagnant economy we're now stuck with.
268.    07/22/04	Inequality II - what keeps us unequal?	621	2	6	93,623
A relatively poor person spends a high percentage of their income on consumables. We eat and buy a few necessities... housing, clothing, utilities, and little else. Our earnings are in circulation, and we contribute to the economy, but we really don't add much to the growth of the economy. What I spend doesn't go far toward keeping others in their jobs.
267.    07/21/04	Inequality I - why redistribution won't fix it	390	5	6	93,002
You may have also noticed that people who propose redistribution of wealth seldom use themselves as an example... they don't talk about how it would help them (even if it would)... they use other, poorer folks as examples, because it's important to them to be thought of as caring, selfless people. Redistribution is always supposed to help someone else, at the expense of those who have more than they need.
266.    07/20/04	Force-Based Initiative - by Chris Basten	333	7	6	92,612
What most people don't seem to take into account is the fact that faith-based programs are usually more successful because: 1) most people in this country are religious and 2) religious organizations are not marred by government intrusion and regulation. Religion thrives on the charity of its congregants. Religion prospers in America because it is contributed to by voluntary members. The government could never understand this concept.
265.    07/18/04	Oops... IraN, not Iraq	244	7	6	92,279
Incredible as it might seem to those who trust government, our we-can-handle-everything government now says that Iran, not Iraq, was involved in furthering the 9/11 attack.
264.    07/16/04	Vote for sale, best Offer, as is	993	6	6	92,035
Steering is completely shot... no matter which way I steer it, it takes me to places I don't want to go, and has often taken me to places nobody wants to go. On rare occasions, it will begin to go where I want, but at a very slow speed, and some other failure always occurs, diverting me to a completely different place.
263.    07/15/04	GOP AND DEMOCRATS ANNOUNCE MERGER	438	5	6	91,042
July 4, 2006, Washington DC Verifying widespread rumors, representatives of the Democratic and Republican parties announced today, in an historic press conference, that the era of bitter partisan politics is over.
262.    07/14/04	Caring enough to say no	256	6	6	90,604
Ask yourself: if you were suddenly in desperate financial trouble, where would you turn first? To a government agency or to a local charity? If the answer isn't obviously the latter, then you're too far from reality to even understand the problem.
261.    07/13/04	Caring through government programs	453	4	6	90,348
Recently, I listened to a brief tirade against a former President who had slashed government programs, one effect of which was to effectively put helpless people "out on the street". The details don't make much difference... there are many government programs supporting individuals who, without the programs, would be placed in some desperation.
260.    07/09/04	Don't light up that grill, killer!	1,534	9	6	89,895
The tactics of unscrupulous scare-mongers are gradually taking choices away from us and, frankly, taking a lot of fun out of life. Worse, they're gradually corrupting scientists with funds paid for producing the "correct" results. The result is that the public doesn't know what to believe any longer.
259.    07/08/04	Ignorance may be blissful, but it's a recipe for bondage	280	8	6	88,361
I don't know how any American can justify simply watching as our government continues to swell like a massive, smothering toxic cloud, picking us off one at a time until the only remaining citizens will be those who refuse to notice, those who are too afraid to rock the boat, and those who have become complicit insiders.
258.    07/07/04	The Importance of voting your conscience	240	7	6	88,081
When American citizens are polled for their opinions, the results are encouraging. Usually, the public's views reflect a lot of common sense. What happens to that common sense, dissatisfaction, and independence on Election Day?
257.    07/06/04	"The boob" lives on	474	5	6	87,841
Last Thursday's news provided a salient example of exactly how such agencies have become runaways, often defining their own actions, producing their own funding, intimidating the industries they're supposed to regulate, and raising the cost of all products we purchase... through the use of fines.
256.    07/05/04	It's just a matter of time	278	6	6	87,367
"The government needs to establish guidelines for canceling or rescheduling elections if terrorists strike the United States again", says the chairman of a new federal voting commission.
255.    07/02/04	Could 2004 be our last election?	764	7	6	87,089
One more major "terrorist" attack and our inept power-hungry politicians may well impose some form of martial law to "protect" us, thus eliminating the remainder of what we wishfully call our freedoms. The never-ending War on Terrorism can have no other ending, because it will CREATE enemies faster than we can kill them.
254.    07/01/04	Will you vote against yourself again?	431	4	6	86,325
We don't need someone to tell us how to run our lives, and it's that open invitation we've been giving to ambitious power-seekers that has moved all that power to Washington. They've sucked it up as fast as we would allow. Many of us have begged them to take it from us.
253.    06/30/04	The Worst Election Ever?	289	8	6	85,894
I've never known so many people to be confused about how to vote in the next election. Despite the GOP and Dems doing a good job of working the "keep the other guy out of office" scam, a lot of their loyalists aren't buying it again, because they see no difference between the D's or the R's, and what they do see is ugly as hell.
252.    06/29/04	The mental health of the State By Chris Basten	266	7	6	85,605
Why is it that so few even blink when the State mentions that it will be screening a good portion of us for mental health maladies? The State is the fosterer of mental health problems. It creates wars, debilitates relationships, destroys families, and annihilates critical thinking skills. It perpetually lies, wipes out those who disagree with it, and runs a racketeering front for just about every business known to mankind.
251.    06/25/04	NASA just doesn't get it	698	8	6	85,339
If NASA does offer prizes for innovative solutions, it isn't likely to produce results. They'll undoubtedly be tempted to micromanage the developments, driving costs up and innovations down. Potential competitors will quickly realize that any innovations they can contribute would be better pointed toward a profit-making endeavor.
250.    06/24/04	Blasting the Boomers	426	5	6	84,641
The Boomer generation has had their way with our nation. Their size and the financial advantages bequeathed to them by their parents, the so-called "Greatest Generation", gave them the opportunity to do what they wanted. In retrospect, never has a generation shown so much promise and instead wrought so much destruction, and mostly from neglect.
249.    06/23/04	A sign of our times	323	6	6	84,215
One vacant lot with four signs isn't such a big deal, but it does demonstrate the attitude of our government toward those it purports to be serving. Whether it's the feds, state, county, or city government, they have a monopoly on the use of force, and they know it.
248.    06/21/04	Civilian space flight succeeds today!	634	3	6	83,891
62-year-old Michael Melvill, piloting the rocket ship portion of SpaceShipOne from Scaled Composites, today became the first civilian astronaut. Covered live on CNN, the tiny rocket ship achieved an altitude of 100 kilometers (62.5 miles) taking it officially beyond earth's atmosphere, before returning and landing smoothly at the Mojave, California airport.
247.    06/18/04	Musing about Father's Day	662	8	6	83,257
What finally convinces me that my daughters learned from me is the tart taste I experience when they (regularly) ignore my recommendation and do whatever they think is best. After my initial puckering, I realize that it's my own teaching coming back to tweak me, and I get very proud that they have the courage to toss that lesson back in my face. I wouldn't have it any other way.
246.    06/17/04	Obesity and the blueprint for fraud	279	7	6	82,595
The obesity nonsense is a fraud, but there are a lot of people who would just love to see us all get suckered into joining it. They're playing the "obese children" card, they'll play the premature death card, and the health care costs card, and anything else they can drum up to make us feel guilty.
245.    06/16/04	Too busy for details	240	8	6	82,316
What such people DON'T have time for is DETAILS about anything that isn't personal, or unless those details support what they've already decided is true. They have no time to investigate the truth or practicality of what they believe and work toward... no time to even think questions through to much depth... they are simply doing too many things to get bogged down in such trivia.
244.    06/15/04	One man's junk is another man's treasure	378	6	6	82,076
I think I can formulate a rule for kept stuff: The longer you keep it, the more worthless it becomes and the more precious it seems. Once an item has been around some period of time, it can become part of your identity... to trash it then seems like cutting an ugly toe off. You don't need it, but it's part of a somewhat-matched set.
243.    06/11/04	Taking the rap - different strokes for different folks	1,077	8	6	81,698
It would hardly surprise anyone to find that elected officials and their political cronies are seldom blamed for tragic results. Such will be the results of the commission investigating the 9/11 attack. What I do think is novel is the clear admission that elected partisan officials will not be blamed... because they're elected and partisan.
242.    06/10/04	Our rights do not come from the Constitution	416	4	6	80,621
We were not gifted with rights by the founders of the United States; on that point they are exceedingly specific. The rights we hold, we hold independent of government, prior to government, and those rights are inalienable. The distinction makes all the difference in the world.
241.    06/09/04	THE SPEECH - A Time for Choosing	509	4	6	80,205
This is the issue of this election: Whether we believe in our capacity for self-government or whether we abandon the American Revolution and confess that a little intellectual elite in a far-distant capital can plan our lives for us better than we can plan them ourselves.
240.    06/08/04	I miss you, Ronald Reagan	322	6	6	79,696
During his two terms, Reagan, as Margaret Thatcher later put it, "Reagan won the cold war without firing a shot." His vision of national defense was strength, not agression. He demonstrated the power of capitalism instead of government control, and rubbed that in the face of communists until they couldn't deny it. By the time Reagan left office, the U.S. was the world leader, and we were respected.
239.    06/04/04	Don't think about an elephant	1,107	7	6	79,374
Running "public service" ads on TV about marijuana is like telling someone not to think about an elephant. It's likely that you hadn't thought about an elephant for quite some time until I told you not to. Such ads convey a sense of importance, even urgency to the subject of marijuana use, and that is bound to pique the curiosity of some teens who haven't tried it.
238.    06/03/04	Politics funded by theft	376	4	6	78,267
Unless you attended, the LP convention cost you nothing. Over 800 Libertarian delegates voluntarily paid their own way to Atlanta, paid for housing, meals, and to attend special convention events. They took their own time, spent their own money, and the convention itself was funded with no tax money. None... zip, nada... not a penny. Libertarians would not take it if it were available.
237.    06/02/04	Littering the world with free books	530	4	6	77,891
There is an idea, and a website, created and supported by the owner of a Missouri software company, that should single-handedly convince anyone that humans are essentially good and caring, including businessmen. You may have heard of Bookcrossing, but you may not realize how remarkable it is.
236.    05/30/04	The Libertarian candidate has been chosen	349	6	6	77,361
In the most closely-contested race ever for the party's nomination for President, delegates to the Libertarian Party national convention, selected, on the 3rd ballot, Michael Badnarik of Texas to represent them in the 2004 elections.
235.    05/28/04	How force harms those it seeks to help
There are some questions I would like for do-gooders to ask about any government program, law, or regulation they believe is good and helpful:   1. If it's good for us, why does it have to be forced on us?   2. How many people will be broken by that small tax increase?   3. What gives you the right to demand that all of us comply?