Tag Archives | american revolution

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Biden’s Blather and American Democracy Gone Awry

Biden’s Blather and American Democracy Gone Awry by James Bovard, July 23, 2024 Since late 2020, President Joe Biden has invoked “the will of the people” dozens of times to sanctify his power, including arbitrary decrees that were illegal or unconstitutional. Biden’s invocations did not prevent his re-election campaign from being terminated behind closed doors […]

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Tariffs Are Bipartisan Enemies of Freedom

Libertarian Institute, July 17, 2024 Tariffs Are Bipartisan Enemies of Freedom by James Bovard President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump both portray tariffs as magic wands to create national prosperity. Trump is calling for a 10% across-the-board tariff on imports, while Biden is imposing selective tariffs that he portrays as miracle cures for […]

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“Slavery by Parliament” Sparked American Revolution

‘Missionary Journalists’ Are Lying About the American Revolution by Jim Bovard | Feb 7, 2023 The 1619 Project is back in the news with the release of the six-part Hulu series built around its claim that “nearly everything that has made America exceptional grew out of slavery.” The 1619 Project, championed by Nikole Hannah-Jones of […]

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Government as Slave Owner (2000)

Google notified that my article from 20 years ago was recently reposted so I will run it up the flagpole here as well.   That piece was partially spun off from my 1999 book, Freedom in Chains (St. Martin’s Press.  Here is a paragraph from that book that did not make it into the article below: […]

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Ten Thousand Czars (1999)

Here’s a piece spun off from my 1999 book, Freedom in Chains.  In 2007, New York Times reporter Mark Leibovich was writing a piece on czars, called me up and asked if I was still a libertarian.  I burst out laughing – but his question was understandable inside the Beltway.  From his article: “‘I don’t […]

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Democracy versus Liberty

Trump’s presidency is helping Americans recognize that voting is no guarantee for individual liberty. This is perhaps the most frequently forgotten lesson in politics.  Many liberals were convinced that Obama’s election somehow made Americans’ constitutional rights safe, while many conservatives believed that Al Gore’s defeat in 2000 provided the same windfall.  In reality, no president can be […]

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Freeman: Government as Slaveowner (2000)

UPDATE: Here are some perhaps improved versions of a few lines in the following essay (thanks to Twitter space limits): Government worship tautology: because government has almost boundless power, it is presumably the source of all rights. *A good definition of liberty must provide a barricade that 10,000 federal agents cannot breach. *Tax burdens are […]

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