updated Fri. August 16, 2024
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The Beacon
March 2, 2018
“To Repeat: Repeal the Second Amendment.” So said columnist Bret Stephens in The New York Times, February 16. It seems that for Mr. Stephens, James Madison was a fool. In The Federalist No. 46, Madison famously referred to “the advantage of being armed, which the Americans possess over theÃâà...
The Beacon
March 1, 2018
Governments often create incentives they hope will encourage people to act in ways believed to improve social well-being. Poorly structured incentives, however, can foster perverse outcomes, as illustrated in cases regarding pest control, tuberculosis prevention, homelessness, and the recovery of soldier remains inÃâà...
The Beacon (blog)
February 28, 2018
A little over a week ago, I wrote a piece addressing some common misunderstandings and misleading arguments against recent federal right-to-try legislation. Since that short time ago, it seems countless articles expressing more confused ideas and misleading criticisms have made their way into majorÃâà...
The Beacon
February 16, 2018
February 15 marks the 270th birthday of the English philosopher and social reformer Jeremy Bentham. Bentham is typically remembered for his formulation of the principle of utility: the greatest happiness of the greatest number as the measure of legislation. He's also known for instructing that his body beÃâà...
The Beacon
February 14, 2018
A week ago Friday, I turned on my television to discover what was in the Devin Nunes memo, released earlier that day. On CNN and on CNBC, I couldn't find out. Instead, I was treated to a steady stream of invectives, with incessant name calling, coming from highly emotional commentators. They wereÃâà...
The Beacon
February 7, 2018
The recent federal tax cut is creating a lot of fear and angst that a quick historical survey would go far to allay. Consider, for example, this recent opinion piece by two officials of the Council of Nonprofits, “Nonprofits Must Move Swiftly to Fight for Sound Public Policies.” Characterizing the tax bill asÃâà...
The Beacon
February 5, 2018
The Independent Institute ... Alvaro Vargas Llosa is Senior Fellow at The Center on Global Prosperity at the Independent Institute. ... His Independent Institute books include Global Crossings: Immigration, Civilization, and America, Lessons From the Poor: Triumph of the Entrepreneurial Spirit, The CheÃâà...
The Beacon
February 2, 2018
Just about one year ago, the collapse of two spillways at Oroville Dam forced the frantic evacuation of 188,000 people, caused millions of dollars in property damage and triggered hundreds of lawsuits. Earlier this month, an independent forensic team found that decades of reckless mismanagement by theÃâà...
