Cato Recent Op-eds

Inherently Governmental? by David Isenberg

Fri, 09 May 2008 00:00:00 EDT

Amid all the polemics over the use of private military and security contractors by the U.S. government there are two words one rarely sees, but they lie at the very heart of the debate: "inherently governmental."

The main reason there is debate in the first

The Limits of Monetary Policy by James A. Dorn

Fri, 09 May 2008 00:00:00 EDT

A central banker must know the limits of monetary policy. Pumping up the supply of fiat money cannot generate real economic growth, but it can ignite inflation. Just look at Zimbabwe, where Robert Mugabe's policies have destroyed the currency, which even has an

South Africa Plays Ball with Dictators by Marian L. Tupy and James Kirchick

Thu, 08 May 2008 00:00:00 EDT

Friends of Zimbabwe have long hoped for a peaceful transfer of power in that country. But in spite of losing the March 29 elections to the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC), the regime of Robert Mugabe is clinging to power. Once again, the world's

Healthy McCain by Michael F. Cannon

Thu, 08 May 2008 00:00:00 EDT

John McCain (R., Ariz.) just spent a week rolling out his plan to reform how Americans purchase health insurance. Elizabeth Edwards, the wife of former presidential candidate John Edwards, claims McCain's plan would not cover people with high-cost conditions such as

Valeo's Revenge by Ilya Shapiro

Wed, 07 May 2008 00:00:00 EDT

As Pennsylvania Democrats went to the polls last month in the last big primary before the party's nominating convention, the Supreme Court heard yet another challenge to campaign finance regulation. Whether Barack or Hillary finally wins the Democratic nomination, and

Traders by Daniel J. Ikenson

Tue, 06 May 2008 00:00:00 EDT

Despite Democrats' rhetoric, Americans embrace trade.

Whatever Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama say about the fallout from free trade, producers in Indiana and North Carolina are enjoying a golden age of exports.

Both Clinton and

McCain's Health Care Plan: Radical and Right by Michael D. Tanner

Tue, 06 May 2008 00:00:00 EDT

John McCain is proposing the most radical overhaul of American health-care policy in a decade and a half. Not since Bill and Hillary Clinton's failed reform attempt has a presidential candidate, or even a president, called for such sweeping changes to the way health

Increasing Allure of US Business Schools by David Donadio

Mon, 05 May 2008 00:00:00 EDT

American business schools are creating an increasing number of partner programmes and satellite campuses in Asia. But, in spite of post-September 11immigration restrictions, international students are applying to the primary campuses of business schools in the US

Blame the Fed by Gerald P. O'Driscoll Jr.

Mon, 05 May 2008 00:00:00 EDT

The U.S. economy is in the midst of an old-style credit crunch brought on by a combination of bad policies and incredibly lax underwriting standards at financial institutions. The biggest policy failure was the decision by Alan Greenspan's Federal Reserve to hold

Fairness, Idealism and Other Atrocities by P.J. O'Rourke

Sun, 04 May 2008 00:00:00 EDT

Commencement advice you're unlikely to hear elsewhere.

Well, here you are at your college graduation. And I know what you're thinking: "Gimme the sheepskin and get me outta here!" But not so fast. First you have to listen to a commencement

Insurance? What Insurance? by David Isenberg

Fri, 02 May 2008 00:00:00 EDT

Life in Iraq for private military contractors is dangerous. If they get killed their dependents in theory get insurance but there will be no letters from a military commander of the president, commending them for their service to the country. No chaplain shows up at

The Return of Limited Nuclear War? by David Isenberg

Fri, 02 May 2008 00:00:00 EDT

Recent news has brought nuclear weapons back into the political picture, just as a new report suggests that the United States will have difficulty denying nuclear weapons to regional powers that seek them.

Sen. Hillary Clinton recently confirmed that as

Dangerous Delusions by Richard W. Rahn

Thu, 01 May 2008 00:00:00 EDT

Have you ever wondered why so many people see higher taxes and more government as the solution to every problem, despite the empirical evidence that more government reduces economic efficiency and growth and diminishes our liberties?

As will be shown, the

Rapid Reaction: McCain's Folly by Ted Galen Carpenter

Thu, 01 May 2008 00:00:00 EDT

The Republican National Committee just circulated an outraged e-mail to potential contributors accusing Democrats of distorting John McCain's position on Iraq. McCain gave his political opponents ammunition earlier this year when he encountered a question at a political

Mission Not Accomplished by Stanley Kober

Thu, 01 May 2008 00:00:00 EDT

Today marks five years since George W. Bush declared the end of major combat operations in Iraq. This pronouncement was decidedly premature, and as the president recently admitted, "it's taking longer than I anticipated." But he is still optimistic. Iraq, he insisted,

Focus on Fuel-Friendly Cars, Not Rail by Randal O'Toole

Thu, 01 May 2008 00:00:00 EDT

Many Seattleites assume public transportation is vastly more energy efficient than cars, and that spending more money on transit will attract people out of their cars. In 1979, University of California at Irvine economist Charles Lave showed in The Atlantic

Hillary Clinton's Appeal as an Optimist Has Steadily Declined Among Progressive Thinkers by Alan Reynolds

Thu, 01 May 2008 00:00:00 EDT

It suddenly became clear that Hillary Clinton and her advisors intend to run a negative presidential campaign not negative about other candidates, but about the U.S. economy.

On May 29, Sen. Clinton launched her "Modern Progressive Vision: Shared Prosperity,"

Sliding into Recession by Swaminathan S. Anklesaria Aiyar

Wed, 30 Apr 2008 00:00:00 EDT

After four years of 9% GDP growth, and boasts of overtaking China, Indians are reluctant to believe that the economy is headed for a serious fall. But the stock market has crashed, an indication of the pain ahead.

Western observers have lavished praise on

Character Issues by John Samples

Wed, 30 Apr 2008 00:00:00 EDT

We are often told that presidential campaigns should be about "the issues." But voters will not be enacting laws in November. They will select a president who may well face unexpected dangers or opportunities over the next four years. Voters need to know how candidates

A Pro-Taliban Threat by Malou Innocent

Tue, 29 Apr 2008 00:00:00 EDT

Pro-Taliban militants are currently in talks with one of Pakistan's provincial governments to enforce Shariah, or Islamic law. Though the deal is meant to stop the spreading Islamist insurgency on Pakistan's western border with Afghanistan, if passed, the deal will only