My recommendation for getting through 2020: “Drink heavily and buy more ammo.” Had fun joining Jacob Hornberger & Richard Ebeling on the The Future of Freedom Foundation podcast, bantering about my “Why I Write” essay. I mentioned that the media tended to ignore any political scandals not involving panties or profiteering – so Trump has […]
Author Archive | Jim

Why I Write
Mises Institute, August 11, 2020 Why I Write by James Bovard I was born in Iowa, raised in the mountains of Virginia, and attended Virginia Tech sporadically from 1974 to 1976 before dropping out to try my luck writing. At some point in the late 1970s, individual liberty became my highest political value and I […]
America’s Newest 0.000008% Dictator
American Institute for Economic Research, August 7, 2020 Deceit and Demagoguery in Montgomery County, Maryland James Bovard Across the nation, politicians and bureaucrats have invoked the COVID pandemic to seize dictatorial power to ban activities they disapprove. One of the most brazen examples recently occurred in super-lefty Montgomery County (MoCo), Maryland, where local health czar […]
MP3 Bashing School Scams, COVID Cons, and Thomas Hobbes on Chicago Radio
I had fun on Chicago radio this morn with Dan Proft and Amy Jacobson on their Morning Answer program exposing school shams and COVID cons and kicking Thomas Hobbes for good measure. This YouTube video is the best case scenario: videos of them but only audio of me.

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 […]

How Intellectuals Cured ‘Tyrannophobia’
American Conservative, July 24, 2020 How Intellectuals Cured ‘Tyrannophobia’ American presidents have adopted Hobbesian levels of power. by Jim Bovard Almost 400 years ago, English philosopher Thomas Hobbes wrote a book scoffing at tyrannophobia—the “fear of being strongly governed.” This was a peculiar term that Hobbes invented in Leviathan, since civilized nations had feared […]

After 30 Years, Did the Disabilities Act Work?
American Institute for Economic Research, July 22, 2020 After 30 Years, Did the Disabilities Act Work? James Bovard – July 22, 2020 Thirty years ago, President George H.W. Bush signed [7/26/1990] the Americans with Disabilities Act, which was supposed to create a new era of equality and justice. Instead, the ADA often turns disabilities into […]