Author Archive | Jim

train-wreck-shrunk

Will Trump Slash Federal Spending?

 Future of Freedom Foundation Will Trump Reduce Federal Spending? by James Bovard November 21, 2017 Donald Trump’s first proposed budget took a step towards draining the swamp in Washington. His proposal was the first one since the Reagan era in which a president has sought a wholesale demolition of boondoggles. On the other hand, Trump’s […]

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Daily Hell of Life in the Soviet Bloc

Mises Institute, November 20, 2017 The Daily Hell of Life in the Soviet Bloc by James Bovard This month is the 100th anniversary of the Communist Party’s seizure of power in Petrograd, Russia. British Guardian columnist Paul Mason recent declared that the Soviet revolution provided “a beacon to the rest of humanity, no matter how […]

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Trump Fans Rush to Defend TSA Abuses

My USA Today oped yesterday,  “Thanksgiving travel: Trump’s holiday gift is more invasive airport security,”  enraged many Trump supporters and got me tagged as a pussy snowflake, part of the “HATE Trump agenda,” libtard, moron,  brain dead, clown, left wing bigot, dopey liberal, leftist loon, and “leader of the idiots.”  It is surprising to see how […]

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USA TODAY: TSA Even More Intrusive & Abusive Under Trump

USA TODAY, November 17, 2017 Thanksgiving travel: Trump’s holiday gift is more invasive airport security by James Bovard On the campaign trail last year, Donald Trump derided the Transportation Security Administration as a “total disaster.” But his administration is making TSA more intrusive and abusive while its 42,000 screeners remain as incompetent as ever. New TSA screening guidelines will likely make […]

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Hysterical Responses to Anti-Hysteria Op-ed

My Hill oped, “Do Trump’s liberal critics seem increasingly unhinged?,” has spurred more than 3000 comments on the Hill website,  where it was the most popular article mid-morning.  Here are some of the thoughtful feedback from readers, along with some humorous ones at the bottom.

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The Hill: Trump’s Liberal Critics Increasingly Unhinged?

The Hill, November 14, 2017 Do Trump’s liberal critics seem increasingly unhinged? By James Bovard, opinion contributor Last week’s anniversary of Trump’s election sparked widespread teeth-gnashing by the nation’s pundits.  Trump is supposedly the gravest threat to American democracy since the secession of the Confederacy. His presidency, probably, continues to be a boon for antidepressant […]

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Freedom-in-Chains

Political Accounting Makes Paternalism a Mirage

The following essay is excerpted from Freedom in Chains (1999) and was also published in The Freeman in September 1999.  I tweaked a few sentences but have otherwise not corrected glaring flaws. * Many federal agents have zero curiosity about the impact of their actions on private citizens. Collateral damage voids no pensions. Political Accounting  […]

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