Tag Archives | Constitution

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The Never-Ending Battle between Leviathan and Liberty

Mises Institute, March 18, 2021 The Never-Ending Battle between Leviathan and Liberty by  James Bovard The notion that Americans will always be free is part of the catechism that is force-fed to public school students. For hundreds of years, philosophers, politicians, and reformers have touted a law of history that assures the ultimate triumph of […]

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Lockdowns Wrecked Democracy Around the World

American Institute for Economic Research, March 10, 2021 Lockdowns Wrecked Democracy around the World James Bovard While the number of fatalities attributed to Covid-19 is carefully tracked by governments, few people have recognized how pandemic-spurred crackdowns have devastated democracy around the world. Emergency proclamations have entitled presidents and other government officials to seize vast new […]

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The Afghanization of American Democracy

American Institute for Economic Research, February 27, 2021 Is the U.S. Going the Way of Afghanistan? James Bovard Acrimony and recriminations continue to swirl around the 2020 presidential election. Three out of four Republicans believe that there was “widespread fraud” in the election, while Democrats have sought to turn criticisms of the election into a […]

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The Charge of Treason and the Danger to Democracy

American Institute for Economic Research, January 6, 2021 The Charge of Treason and the Danger to Democracy James Bovard Historian Henry Adams observed a century ago that politics “has always been the systematic organization of hatreds.” Nowadays, politics seems hellbent on multiplying hatred. And few things spur hatred more effectively than tarring all political opponents […]

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2020 Ravaged Comforting American Myths

American Institute for Economic Research, December 30, 2020 The Year in which Comforting American Myths Were Ravaged James Bovard Thanks in large part to Covid lockdowns, this year has left vast wreckage in its wake, with ten million jobs lost, more than 100,000 businesses and dozens of national chains bankrupted or closed. Up to 40 […]

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The Voting Rights Mirage

American Conservative, October 19, 2020 The Voting Rights Mirage by James Bovard The most dangerous political illusion is that votes limit politicians’ power. Americans have been endlessly hectored in recent months to cast their votes in the presidential election. But trusting ballots to leash either Donald Trump or Joe Biden would be the ultimate triumph […]

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Political Legitimacy Dies in 2020

American Institute for Economic Research, July 28, 2020 Political Legitimacy Dies in 2020 James Bovard The American political system may be on the eve of its worst legitimacy crisis since the Civil War. Early warning signals indicate that many states could suffer catastrophic failures in counting votes in November. The election will occur amidst the […]

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