The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) recently released proposed rules allowing individuals to opt out of Obamacare’s abortion and contraception mandates for moral or religious reasons. These new rules should be cheered by all who agree with Thomas Jefferson that forcing people to subsidize that which they find abhorrent is “sinful and tyrannical.”

Many people know that the state of West Virginia came to be during the Civil War, but very few know that its admission to the union was particularly controversial. Even in the north, free from the influence of the departed southern states, many opposed Lincoln’s desire to admit West Virginia. Standing against Lincoln’s ultimate stance, those who offered candid deference to the Constitution considered Congress’ enabling act that admitted West Virginia as an unconstitutional usurpation.

In 1917 President Woodrow Wilson addressed Congress calling for a declaration of war against Imperial Germany and delivered his famous line “the world must be made safe for democracy.” Wilson was convinced that democratizing foreign nations, by force if necessary, would lead to the “elevation of the spirit of the human race.”

Wilson was wrong, and his strategy failed, with disastrous results.

The Canadian Hockey League (CHL), which consists of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL), the Western Hockey League (WHL), and the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL), is currently embroiled in a “$180-million class-action lawsuit. The suit on behalf of all current and many former players seeks outstanding wages, overtime pay, holiday pay and vacation pay.”

In May of 2018, Representative Eric Swalwell (D-CA) wrote an opinion column for USA Today in which he called for significant increases in gun control, following the murder of Gary Jackson, a 28-year old security guard from Oakland, California, whose killer was armed with an “AK-47-style semi-automatic assault rifle.” Swalwell was the prosecutor in the case, and his exposure to Jackson’s autopsy reports emboldened him to seek significant gun control legisl

There has been an increasing push for wealth taxes as of late. Supporters for new and larger wealth taxes contend that as the population ages, there won’t be enough wage earners to fund the public purse. In other words, there will be less wage-based income to tax as time goes on. But there will still be plenty of pensioners to pay for.

I recently had the opportunity to visit San Francisco for the first time. Coastal towns tend to be a bit more interesting in terms of cuisine (seafood being one of the more varied palate options) as well as architecture (steep hill structures are ever a testament to human ingenuity) and San Francisco scores high in both categories. However one area where it currently scores quite low is in the aroma zone. At first I thought perhaps they had a very inefficient sewer system near the shoreline retail sector, but as we explored deeper toward the city center it became clear something was amiss.

With meagre resources at his disposal, an individual is likely to allocate these resources (i.e., his wealth) towards essentials such as food, clothing and a roof over his head.

He is unlikely to allocate his meagre wealth to less essential goods as far as life and wellbeing is concerned. His variety of consumer goods is likely to be very limited.

As his real wealth begins to expand, the individual is likely to expand the variety of goods consumed, thereby raising his living standard.