Socialism nearly killed them. This week school children across the country will be hearing the tale of the Pilgrims and the first Thanksgiving. You probably heard a similar story when you were in a kid that went something like this: The Pilgrims sailed over to America from Plymouth, England on the Mayflower. During their first winter in the new ... MORE
Politicians use cops to legally hold up citizens. Civil asset forfeiture is a growing problem throughout the nation,
driven by a profit incentive that encourages property seizures by law
enforcement authorities even under dubious circumstances. That is the inescapable conclusion of the second iteration of Policing for Profit: ... MORE
The incentives of civil asset forfeiture. For decades now, federal government and their cohorts in law enforcement have been carrying out theft of the citizenry on a massive scale. We’re not talking about taxes, but an insidious power known as Civil Asset Forfeiture (CAF). The 1980’s-era laws were designed to drain resources from powerful ... MORE
by Walter Donway. When trespassers invade private property and refuse to leave until their “demands” are met, you call the police to have them evicted by all necessary means and arrested. That, of course, is what that Ivy League citadel of reasoned discourse, Princeton University should do, and do immediately, with the students who this week ... MORE
by Doug Mataconis. How much of your stuff can government without conviction of a crime? Yesterday, the Supreme Court heard oral argument in Luis v. United States, a case that deals with the issue of whether, and when, the government can seize assets prior to conviction when those assets are being used to pay for a Defendant’s criminal defense: ... MORE
Using government as a weapon. Sometimes I like Donald Trump. He makes me laugh when he mocks reporters' stupid questions. Sometimes he's smart. When Maryland's lefty governor said a tax on rich people would "raise revenue," Trump told me why it wouldn't. The taxpayers would just flee: "I know these people! They're international people! ... MORE
Regulators gone wild. Congress appears to be stepping up to the plate to kill the Environmental Protection Agency’s and Army Corps of Engineers’ water rule (known as the “waters of the United States” or WOTUS rule). Lawmakers just need to bring it home by sending legislation to the president. In doing so, Congress will be protecting ... MORE
by Mark A. Calabria, CATO. It has been just over a decade since the Supreme Court decided in Kelo v. New London that local governments can take private property by eminent domain under a very broad reading of “public use”. Cato held an event earlier this year to examine the legal impact of Kelo, featuring remarks from George Mason Law ... MORE
All you need to know about right-to-farm laws. If I asked you to think of an agricultural-law issue that’s been making news in states across the country recently, you’d probably throw up your hands in the air. Maybe you’d shrug and suggest something to do with genetically modified food (GMO) labeling. And if I told you, as I am, that the answer to ... MORE
Because theft should not be a legal activity. Among the many reforms needed in government, civil asset forfeiture
might be near the top. While a majority of Americans are not affected by
the practice, it’s a problem that if left unchecked could get more out
of hand than it already is. The French philosopher Frederic Bastiat
warned of “legal ... MORE
by Daniel John Sobieski. In the ready, shoot, aim world of Donald Trump, the adage that a bell cannot be unrung undeniably applies and particularly with his statement that eminent domain, the government’s taking of private property for what Marxists and socialists would call “the greater good”, is “wonderful”. He has since, in Clintonian ... MORE
by David Lowe. People of color are being fleeced by law enforcement and the criminal justice system. The public began to pay more attention to the practice in places such as Ferguson, Missouri, where the courts and police preyed upon Black residents through court fines and fees. The exploitative system became a substantial revenue generator for ... MORE
by Matt Welch. The Donald is used to crushing the little guy. Tonight Donald Trump was asked by Fox News anchor Bret Baier, "What do you think of eminent domain?" Here was the GOP frontrunner's answer: I think eminent domain is wonderful, if you're building a highway, and you need to build, as an example, a highway, and you're going to be ... MORE
by Kevin Drum. Too bad politicians don't care. Julian Sanchez draws my attention to a YouGov poll from last month about civil asset forfeiture, the practice of confiscating money that police merely believe to be connected to a crime. What do Americans think of this? - Which of these options comes closest to your opinion about what SHOULD be ... MORE