Big Government on Townhall

Brazil's big government seen as good for politics, bad for economy Thu May 9

Reuters News
Children Belong to Parents, Not Government Tue Apr 16

Rick Santorum

My wife, Karen, and I are blessed with seven children, including one little girl with very special needs, Bella. There are many days when we are overwhelmed or dead-tired or frustrated or all of the above. I'm sure all parents can relate. It's just part of being a parent. But like millions of Americans, we also know it's the most important job we ever will have. ... more
Margaret Thatcher’s “Iron” Legacy Wed Apr 10

Bob Barr

Her successor called her a “true force of nature.” President Ronald Reagan labeled her “a tower of strength.” Her enemies called her the “Iron Lady,” a moniker that became ultimately the proud legacy of former British Prime Minister, Baroness Margaret Thatcher, who passed away earlier this week. ... more
State Grown Kids Always Fail Mon Apr 8

Harry R. Jackson, Jr.

Famed neurosurgeon surgeon, Dr. Ben Carson, looked like just another black academic failure in his pre and elementary school years. His writings show that he was so angry he would have stabbed a classmate, and so learning-disabled that even the greatest Special Ed teacher would not have been able to mainstream him. ... more
Drip: Administration Alters, Delays Major Obamacare Provision for Small Businesses Tue Apr 2

Guy Benson
Common Core: What's Hidden Behind the Language Mon Mar 18

Rachel Alexander

Conservatives are in an uproar over Common Core, an educational curriculum being forced upon the states by the Obama administration, which is scheduled to be mostly implemented this year in the 46 states that have adopted it. Common Core eliminates local control over K-12 curriculum in math and English, instead imposing a one-size-fits-all, top-down curriculum that will also apply to private schools and homeschoolers. ... more
Smoke Gets in Your Rights Sun Mar 17

Debra J. Saunders

California Assemblyman Marc Levine, D-San Rafael, has introduced a bill to make it illegal for people to smoke in their own homes -- if they live in an apartment or a condo or a multifamily home. When last I wrote about Levine, he was pushing a statewide law to require grocers to charge for bags. Now he's after cigarettes -- but only the legal kind. ... more
The Tyranny of the Virtuous Thu Mar 14

Steve Chapman

The first law of thermodynamics says that energy can't be created and can't be destroyed -- it can only be changed from one form into another. The same holds true of the puritanical impulse. ... more
Detroit's Decline Thu Mar 14

Cal Thomas

Since the Motown sound went silent -- except on oldies stations -- and General Motors and Chrysler (but not Ford) required life support from Washington, there has been little to recommend Detroit, Mich., to visitors, much less its residents. ... more
Sixty-four Percent of Schoolchildren Fed on Federal Subsidies Wed Mar 13

Terry Jeffrey

Not so long ago in this republic, most parents of school-age children would frequently visit grocery stores where they would use their own money to buy things like peanut butter and jelly, and bologna and cheese to make lunches for their kids to haul to school in brown paper bags. ... more
NYC Drink Ban Struck Down, City to Appeal Tue Mar 12

Washington, D.C.

A judge struck down New York City's ban on big sugary drinks just hours before it was due to take effect, handing a defeat to Mayor Michael Bloomberg and creating confusion for restaurants that had already begun making changes. ... more
The Right to Self-Defense Thu Mar 7

Judge Andrew Napolitano

In all the noise caused by the Obama administration's direct assault on the right of every person to keep and bear arms, the essence of the issue has been drowned out. ... more
Have They No Shame? Tue Mar 5

Rachel Marsden

Is there anything people can possibly do these days to disgust or unnerve themselves? Or is the only barrier to bad behavior massive societal shunning, the likes of which isn't noticed by those who are too engrossed with themselves to pay attention? ... more
Shepherds and Sheep Tue Feb 26

Thomas Sowell

John Stuart Mill's classic essay "On Liberty" gives reasons why some people should not be taking over other people's decisions about their own lives. But Professor Cass Sunstein of Harvard has given reasons to the contrary. He cites research showing "that people make a lot of mistakes, and that those mistakes can prove extremely damaging." ... more
The Corrupt Nexus of Big Business and Big Government Tue Feb 19

Daniel J. Mitchell

The folks at Learn Liberty also have a great video on this topic, explaining how big government creates all sorts of unfair and corrupt advantages for politically connected large corporations. ... more
The Kidnapping Lobby Is at It Again Tue Feb 19

Robert Knight

What’s the real message behind Barack Obama’s call in his State of the Union speech for taxpayer-funded “universal” preschool and his trip to a Georgia preschool last Thursday for photo ops? ... more
Conservatives Should Take the Lead Against Government Injustice Sun Feb 10

Kurt Schlichter

If you think a twenty-something ought to be tossed in federal prison for 35 years because he tried to download some musty academic journal articles without permission, you are a lot things, but a conservative is not one of them. ... more
France Wakes Up To A Socialist Reality: Will America? Sun Feb 10

Austin Hill

“People call this the ‘new normal.’ Let me assure you there is nothing normal about this at all. It’s the new ‘abnormal,’ and it won’t last, because as free people we won’t stand for it…” ... more
Nanny Logic: Let's Throw People in Jail For Labeling Food Incorrectly Fri Feb 8

Katie Pavlich
Ban This! Ban That! Ban This and That! Wed Feb 6

John Stossel

I like to bet on sports. Having a stake in the game, even if it's just five bucks, makes it more exciting. I also like playing poker. "Unacceptable!" say politicians in much of America. "Gambling sometimes leads to 'addiction,' destitute families!" ... more
Obama Is Not King Wed Jan 30

John Stossel

Watching President Obama's inaugural, I was confused. It looked like a new king was being crowned. Thousands cheered, like subjects worshipping nobility. At a time when America faces unsustainable debt and terrible economic troubles, why such pomp? ... more
Pinhead Bureaucrats Threaten Family with Possible Prison Sentence for Rescuing a Baby Deer Wed Jan 30

Daniel J. Mitchell

I suspect the pinheads at the Indiana Department of Natural Resources are overpaid. So losing their pampered positions would be genuine punishment and it would send a message to the rest of the paper pushers not to harass innocent and good people. ... more
Pumping Up the Liberalism Sat Jan 26

Bill O'Reilly

So now the president is a committed man of the left. No longer is he faking moderation or even trying to bring the nation "together." Nope. As he made clear in his inauguration speech, Barack Obama is dedicating himself to achieving "social justice" no matter what the cost. ... more
Big Government 2.0 Thu Jan 24

Cal Thomas

Bill Clinton isn't often wrong when it comes to politics, but his assertion in his 1996 State of the Union Address that "the era of big government is over" was a bit premature. In light of President Obama's Second Inaugural Address, the era of big government has just begun. ... more
Shopping Around for a Better Life Wed Jan 23

John Stossel

Thanks, California! Thanks for your monstrous spending and absurd regulatory overreach! America needs you. We need Connecticut and Illinois, too! We need you the way we needed the Soviet Union, as models of failure, to warn us what happens if we believe those who say, "Government can." ... more