Tag Archives | Democracy

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USA Today: My Devil’s Dictionary

USA TODAY    April 13, 2015 Tax-time devil’s dictionary of DC lingo by James Bovard Having trouble with the ‘Washingtonese’ around April 15? Look no further for a translation. April 15 is the day each year when Americans are most likely to slander Washington. Unfortunately, the city’s nebulous nomenclature deters citizens from recognizing exactly how well […]

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Freedom in Chains Epigrams

EPIGRAMS from Freedom in Chains: The Rise of the State & the Demise of the Citizen (1999) There is no trigger guard on political ambition. Each law enacted in a momentary panic is a permanent conquest for the State. The surest effect of exalting government is to make it easier for some people to drag others […]

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Wash. Times: The Mandatory Voting Panacea

Washington Times, April 2, 2015 The mandatory voting panacea Obama would deploy coercion in the voting booth By James Bovard – – Wednesday, April 1, 2015 President Obama recently suggested that mandatory voting could cure some of the ills of American democracy. Mr. Obama observed that compelling everyone to vote is one way to “encourage […]

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bushbetrayal

Bush Betrayal Epigrams JPEG

Here’s a first take on a JPEG quote page for Bush Betrayal.  This is a work-in-progress, so I welcome suggestions. Other epigrams from that 2004 book are listed below the photo.  Not sure which lines are best to highlight… **UPDATE: I added just below another version of the same quotes  – this one kindly crafted […]

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Lost Rights Epigrams JPEG

I am still experimenting with layouts for quotes – I welcome any suggestions. The Founding Fathers looked at the liberties they were losing, while modern Americans focus myopically on the freedoms they still retain. Is the fiction of majority rule more valuable than the reality of individual choice? The criminal justice system is increasingly like a socialist […]

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Wash. Times: Saving ObamaCare with Supreme Hypocrisy?

Washington Times, March 12, 2015 Saving Obamacare with supreme hypocrisy By James Bovard  – March 12, 2015 Justices fret over coercing states while endlessly menacing individuals At last week’s Supreme Court oral arguments on the Affordable Care Act, several justices questioned whether a verdict against Obamacare would be “unconstitutionally coercive” to state governments that did […]

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MP3 of Elective Dictatorship Interview on Al Korelin Show

I had a jovial chat with Al Korelin, the host of the hardline Korelin Economic Report, in his weekend report on the debility of contemporary democracy.  Here are a few of my comments: *”The system that we now have is an elective dictatorship in which the president can dictate almost as much as he pleases and […]

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