Cato on Campus - Political Science: American Politics

Drinking Age Revisited

Thu, 21 Aug 2008 15:49:00 EDT

By Brandon Arnold: "Yesterday, over a hundred college presidents called for a reexamination of the current minimum drinking age and suggested it should be lowered. This is great news and could serve as an opportunity to begin an intelligent national dialogue on improving alcohol policies."

What Next for D.C.'s Gun Laws

Tue, 12 Aug 2008 15:36:00 EDT

By Robert A. Levy and David Kopel: "The Supreme Court ruled in June that provisions of Washington, D.C.'s gun laws are unconstitutional. Unfortunately, the city has responded with new regulations that are a flagrant attempt to circumvent the court's decision."

Keeping Our Cool: What to do About Global Warming

Tue, 12 Aug 2008 11:56:00 EDT

By Jim Manzi: "The loss of economic and technological development that would be required to eliminate literally all theorized climate change risk would cripple our ability to deal with virtually every other foreseeable and unforeseeable risk, not to mention our ability to lead productive and interesting lives in the meantime."

Bryan Caplan on Voter Irrationality

Tue, 05 Aug 2008 16:00:00 EDT

Bryan explains the Miracle of Aggregation, shows that its key assumption doesn't hold up empirically, then focuses on systematically biased beliefs about economics.

A Few Questions for Barack Obama

Wed, 30 Jul 2008 12:29:00 EDT

By Radley Balko: " In my last column, I posed questions to GOP presidential hopeful John McCain. This week, it's Democrat Barack Obama's turn."

Why Muslims Still Hate Us

Mon, 28 Jul 2008 18:51:00 EDT

By Patrick Basham: "An analysis of Muslim public opinion since 9/11 finds that, on balance, the "foreign policy trumps culture" argument is correct. This finding has important implications for the debate over U.S. Middle East policy and the broader war on terrorism."

The Grand Exaggerator

Mon, 28 Jul 2008 18:47:00 EDT

By Patrick Michaels: "OK, it's pretty much standard rhetoric in Washington to say that if you don't do as I say, there will be massive consequences. But to say, as Gore recently did: 'The survival of the United States of America as we know it is at risk;' and: 'The future of human civilization is at stake' � that's a bit much, even for the most faded and jaded political junkie."

Criminal Justice Unfairly Ignored on Trail

Fri, 18 Jul 2008 13:32:00 EDT

By Radley Balko: Given that enforcing federal law is one of the few presidential powers explicitly prescribed the Constitution, here are some criminal justice policy questions for John McCain and Barack Obama:

District of Columbia V. Heller: What's Next?

Wed, 16 Jul 2008 11:02:00 EDT

By Robert A. Levy: "Following a victory that some thought impossible, the advocates of the right to bear arms are asking themselves where to go next. None are more qualified to answer that question than Robert A. Levy, co-counsel in District of Columbia v. Heller, the landmark case that has permanently changed the shape of gun rights jurisprudence." - Dr. Jason Kuznicki

Crying Wolf: Are we all fascists now?

Tue, 15 Jul 2008 11:46:00 EDT

By Michael C. Moynihan: "To anyone that has attended a political demonstration, trawled a blog, or attended a Western university in the past half century, the scattershot use of 'fascist' will ring familiar. And almost as clich�d as accusing an ideological opponent of fascist sympathies is the accurate observation that such charges often demonstrate an utter lack of understanding of just what qualifies as fascist, other than 'someone I vehemently disagree with.'"

Don't Shed a Tear Over Bid for Beer

Tue, 15 Jul 2008 10:54:00 EDT

By John D. Burger: "An unsolicited bid by the Belgian-Brazilian conglomerate InBev to take over Anheuser Busch has set off a backlash among the American public. Protesters of the proposed deal are relying on patriotic slogans such as "Keep Budweiser American" in an attempt to rally the masses against the originally friendly but increasingly hostile takeover bid. I find this reaction terribly embarrassing."

Banned! Drew Carey Takes a Tour of Nanny State Nation

Wed, 09 Jul 2008 11:45:00 EDT

"Whether you love it, hate it, or have never thought about it, chances are some politician wants to ban it. 'Welcome to the Nanny State Nation,' says reason.tv host Drew Carey. 'Where the government minds your own business.'"

D.C. Gun Ban Struck Down

Thu, 26 Jun 2008 11:04:00 EDT

"On Thursday, the Court rediscovered the Second Amendment. More than five years after six Washington, D.C. residents challenged the city�s 32-year-old ban on all functional firearms in the home, the Court held in District of Columbia v. Heller that the law is unconstitutional. Heller is merely the opening salvo in a series of litigations that will ultimately resolve what weapons and persons can be regulated and what restrictions are permissible. But because of Thursday�s decision, the prospects for reviving the original meaning of the Second Amendment are now substantially brighter." - Robert A. Levy, Co-counsel to Mr. Heller

Democrats Capitulate on FISA

Wed, 25 Jun 2008 15:45:00 EDT

By Julian Sanchez: "Democrats are trying to rationalize capitulating on surveillance and telecom immunity in the new FISA bill by calling it a compromise. It isn't."

Mexicans and Machines: Why It's Time To Lay Off NAFTA

Wed, 25 Jun 2008 15:13:00 EDT

"Like technology, trade gives us more good stuff than bad�yet Americans are likely to cheer technology and fear trade. No doubt TV talkers and White House wannabes will keep stoking our fears of foreigners until voters and viewers stop buying it�or until robots snag their jobs, too."

From Breadbasket to Basket Case

Tue, 24 Jun 2008 09:38:00 EDT

By Mary Anastasia O'Grady: "As the presidential campaign drones on, Barack Obama and the Democrats are fleshing out the promise of "change" with some specific, big-government policy proposals. Many are familiar, perhaps because they already have been tried � in Argentina."

Narcissists With Nukes

Fri, 06 Jun 2008 11:46:00 EDT

By Shawn Macomber: "Should Cato Institute Senior Editor Gene Healy's wonderfully informative, perception shifting examination of the wayward American executive, The Cult of the Presidency, receive the attention it so richly deserves, however, it may serve as a perfect literary tonic for our historical and cultural amnesia. Perhaps Healy, armed with a persuasive, good-natured outrage, will even inspire some among us toward a more narrow definition of presidential virtuousness and, by extension, broaden the conception of our own."

Government, War, and Libertarianism

Thu, 05 Jun 2008 18:23:00 EDT

By Justin Logan: "Why has the war�and post-9/11 foreign policy generally�been so controversial for libertarians? And now, more than six years after 9/11 and more than five years into the war in Iraq, what can libertarian insights tell us about how we got here and what to do next?"

McCain Talking Too Tough on Russia, China

Tue, 03 Jun 2008 12:17:00 EDT

By Malou Innocent: "There is no question that China and Russia have objectionable policies. China's deplorable human-rights record and Russia's authoritarian structure leave much to be desired. But McCain's policy prescriptions will prevent the U.S. from working with them in areas of common interest, and preclude cooperation in meeting shared threats."

Presidential Power-Tripping

Thu, 29 May 2008 12:43:00 EDT

By Radley Balko: " The most important issue in this November's presidential election isn't Iraq or terrorism or the economy, though it plays into all three. The most important issue is presidential power."

Drew Carey Reports on the Tragically High Cost of Building a Border Wall

Wed, 28 May 2008 09:51:00 EDT

"At a time when pundits and politicians of all stripes endorse securing the border between the United States and Mexico, reason.tv travels south to see what's really going on�and what the human and monetary costs are of amping up border patrols."

Our Collectivist Candidates

Wed, 28 May 2008 09:41:00 EDT

By David Boaz: "The real issue is that Messrs. Obama and McCain are telling us Americans that our normal lives are not good enough, that pursuing our own happiness is "self-indulgence," that building a business is "chasing after our money culture," that working to provide a better life for our families is a 'narrow concern.'"

Caesaropapism Rampant

Tue, 27 May 2008 14:20:00 EDT

By George F. Will: "[R]hetorical�and related�excesses are inherent in the modern presidency. This is so for reasons brilliantly explored in the year's most pertinent and sobering public affairs book, 'The Cult of the Presidency: America's Dangerous Devotion to Executive Power,' by Gene Healy of Washington's libertarian Cato Institute."

Libertarian Voters and the Libertarian Party

Fri, 23 May 2008 15:56:00 EDT

By David Boaz: "Perhaps most strikingly, 44 percent of voters said yes to Zogby�s question, �Would you describe yourself as fiscally conservative and socially liberal, also known as libertarian?� So there would seem to be a huge potential audience for a Libertarian candidate who could raise money, get media attention, create online buzz, and present a compelling and articulate case for peace, freedom, and limited government."

The Global Food Crisis : Political Factors

Wed, 21 May 2008 09:48:00 EDT

AfricanLiberty.org produced this short video about the political factors behind the Global food crisis.