On Saturday night, blind Chinese legal activist Chen Guangcheng arrived in Newark, N.J., after escaping seven years of persecution in China. With the sweet land of liberty under his feet, Chen breathed the free air and remarked, “We should link our arms to continue in the fight for the goodness in the world and to fight against injustice.” Chen’s newfound freedom is a cause for celebration, but it is also a reminder that America must continue to be a force for liberty in the world, whether on the other side of … More
No Comments »
There aren’t many people who justify comparisons to Nelson Mandela, but longtime Burmese political dissident Aung San Suu Kyi is one of the few. For 20 years, Kyi incurred imprisonment, house arrest, and other forms of detention for attempting to bring democracy to the military-ruled Burma. This month, she is free and standing for parliament after erecting a pillar of freedom to her country through her political party, the National League for Democracy. Kyi has won the Nobel Peace Prize and is a powerful example of persevering, peaceful dissidence coming … More
No Comments »
By Michael F. Cannon
Richard Thaler writes in the New York Times: Justice Scalia is arguing that if the court lets Congress create a mandate to buy health insurance, nothing could stop Congress from passing laws requiring everyone to buy broccoli and to join a gym…Can anyone imagine Congress passing a broccoli mandate law, much less the court allowing it to take [...]
Stop Using Slippery-Slope Arguments? Where Would that End? is a post from Cato @ Liberty – Cato Institute Blog
No Comments »
If 2008 was all about hope and change, 2012 may well be about ladders. Yes, ladders. President Barack Obama has developed a soft-spot for the “ladder of opportunity” metaphor, and he’s running with it. At a community college in Ohio a few weeks ago, he promised an economy “where there are ladders of opportunity.” At a campaign event in Chicago this January, he called on those who’ve made it to “do a little bit more so that the next generation is able to get on the ladder of success.” In … More
No Comments »
By Michael F. Cannon
In the Wall Street Journal, Peter Berkowitz says you probably didn’t. And it shows: It would be difficult to overstate the significance of The Federalist for understanding the principles of American government and the challenges that liberal democracies confront early in the second decade of the 21st century. Yet despite the lip service they pay to [...]
Did You Read the Federalist Papers in College? Grad School? Law School? is a post from Cato @ Liberty – Cato Institute Blog
No Comments »
By Michael F. Cannon
Politico has a great story about how free-market groups are defeating ObamaCare Exchanges at the state level: Conservatives like John Graham of the Pacific Research Institute have also been touring states with the platform provided by the American Legislative Exchange Council to help kill off state-based exchanges, a key piece of health reform that will [...]
Politico: Opponents Are Winning the Debate over ObamaCare ‘Exchanges’ is a post from Cato @ Liberty – Cato Institute Blog
No Comments »
By Michael F. Cannon
Cato has now posted my remarks from last week’s “Obamacare in the Supreme Court” conference: The full conference will be available here soon. ObamaCare Supporters, Be Warned: This May Sting a Little is a post from Cato @ Liberty – Cato Institute Blog
ObamaCare Supporters, Be Warned: This May Sting a Little is a post from Cato @ Liberty – Cato Institute Blog
No Comments »
By Michael F. Cannon
My latest podcast, “IPAB: ObamaCare’s Next Constitutional Hurdle.” Podcast: ObamaCare’s Most Unconstitutional Provision Isn’t the Mandate. It’s IPAB. is a post from Cato @ Liberty – Cato Institute Blog
Podcast: ObamaCare’s Most Unconstitutional Provision Isn’t the Mandate. It’s IPAB. is a post from Cato @ Liberty – Cato Institute Blog
No Comments »
By Michael F. Cannon
Last week, I appeared on NPR’s Tell Me More program. My discussion with host Michel Martin gives a good synopsis of why ObamaCare is both harmful to consumers and unconstitutional. Listen to the segment here. For a contrary perspective, listen to former Obama administration acting solicitor general Neal Katyal, who appeared on the program the next [...]
Why ObamaCare Must Go, in Ten Short Minutes is a post from Cato @ Liberty – Cato Institute Blog
No Comments »
Why does the movie adaptation of The Hunger Games have more than 3 million fans on Facebook? More than 1,000 showings of the film, which opens tonight at midnight, have already sold out. It’s simple: Readers of the book have put themselves in the story. It’s a gripping first-person narrative that prods the reader to wonder, “What would I do in this situation?” again and again. And it’s a fight for liberty—personal and collective—that is relatable. Like many enduring tales, The Hunger Games features everyday individuals fighting evil against all … More
No Comments »