Big Government

One of the modern hero-myths the State has cultivated about itself is that government vaccination programs drastically reduced some common communicable diseases in the twentieth century. For decades, the government has required certain vaccinations for entry into schools, and most parents have passively submitted to the inoculation of their children. Now, in response to increasing evidence that vaccines may not be the boon to our health that has been supposed, opposition to mandatory vaccination programs is building.

Religious social services soon may be getting a new ally in their efforts to rescue people from the clutches of poverty, drug addiction and other personal problems: the federal government. The hook is "compassionate conservatism," and as the linchpin of President Bush's domestic policy, stand-and-deliver time has come early. But his plan, if fully realized, should succeed mainly in underscoring the folly of state-sponsored private charity of any type.

Government intervention designed to stop the spread of disease is making matters worse, by destroying property and institutionalizing a moral hazard. Christopher Westley explains.

Bush's tax cut proposal is way too modest. Here's James Ostrowski's plan for a $21 trillion tax cut. It would not only get the economy going; it would restore a free market.

There was a time when the word reform described a process of renewal, of change, and of taking new steps towards correcting a problem. With the rise of campaign finance reform, that is no longer the case.

Conflict will forever plague public education so long as its users have different expectations and values. There is only one way out of this mess, writes Tibor Machan, and the solution is far-reaching and radical.

Under the Bush system in Texas, teachers teach the test. They drill until ninety percent of the kids can pass it. The weakest among the students dictate the pace and method. It is a dreary and unimaginative approach to teaching. But if your goal is to boost overall scores, no question: this is the way to do it.

In a free market, it is wholly unwarranted. Brad Edmonds considers three cases.

Why do economists disagree on how to handle downturns? Chris Westley explains that some believe the market works and others do not.

Traffic is a powerful and persuasive argument against the domestic and international drug war. Review and critique by Dale Steinreich.