FreedomTalks

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Most people think its the Santa Ana wind phenomena, combined with too much underbrush buildup from years of zero-tolerance policies towards wildfires. But yesterday, Sen. Harry Reid suggested global warming was to blame (and later backed away from that statement). Today, there’s another factor: news that the police in San Bernardino, California, [...]

It’s not exactly a secret that U.S. agricultural policy is a giant mess, with more than $25 billion a year handed out in farm subsidies.  But reform is maddening, as legislators from farm districts, even those that pay lip service to the need for some type of reform, put roadblock after roadblock in the way.
So [...]

As the President and Congress aim for a “compromise” about SCHIP, I encourage you to remember than any likely deal will not be a good outcome for the taxpayer, the health care system, or our constitution.It’s much like two burglars getting to your house at the same time. One of them only wants the jewelry. [...]

And now for something completely different: a candidate for Australian PM forgets that the cameras are always watching.

Because the world doesn’t have enough casinos - tomorrow the  House will be considering H.R. 505:  the Native Hawaiian Government Reorganization Act of 2007.  The bill is a plan to give native Hawaiians “Indian tribe” status in order to preserve a lot of very nice government perks that would otherwise be unconstitutional.
The 2000 Supreme Court [...]

In Slate, Steven Landsburg shows how Al Gore has hidden behind generalities and vague proclamations in his global warming rhetoric:
The moral of that story is …. that assumptions really matter. Therefore you need to be clear about your assumptions, and you need to be prepared to justify them. If you’re not talking about discount rates [...]

James Pethokoukis has an update on the upcoming Charlie Rangel-sponsored “mother” of all tax hikes. Not surprisingly, he quotes a Hill observer as calling it a “mess.” Here’s what USA Today says:

House Ways and Means Chairman Charles Rangel, D-N.Y., is expected to introduce legislation this week to implement the AMT fix, according to [...]

Manuel F. Ayau writes about Guatemala’s upcoming election today.  Twice in one essay Ayau explains a central idea of public choice economics.  First he writes,
“Even though voters go to the polls every four or five years with hopes raised that an honest, capable person will come to power and preside over a more just society, [...]

Megan McArdle (yes, I’ve been reading the Atlantic today) lets the air out of the redistribution-is-charity balloon:
It is common to hear Democrats/progressives complain that Republicans/conservatives/libertarians are selfish because they want to cut taxes instead of spending that money on national health insurance or expanded welfare benefits or some other social program.
But this makes absolutely no [...]