Opinion
Why Big City Newspapers Are Dying
Written by Sam Blumenfeld
The announcement about a year ago by the New York Times that it might close down the venerable Boston Globe, unless the paper could cut costs and begin to make money, came as a shock to many Bostonians. The Times bought the Globe in 1993 for $1.1 billion because it assumed that in an area with Harvard, MIT, Tufts, Boston University, Boston College and other schools of higher leaning, they would have lots of liberal readers and make lots of money. But this much-touted Athens of America, which prides itself on its intellectual history, has become, like the rest of America, a victim of our general literacy decline.
As the owner of a small restaurant, it felt good the other morning to open the newspaper and read this sentence: “Be proud, small-business owners! You're now the most trusted group in America. Listen up, federal government! You're neglecting small business — and most people think so.”
How Bureaucrats Solve Problems
Written by Becky Akers
As if the indignities, gross inconvenience and downright danger of commercial aviation weren’t enough, your flight now stands as much as a 15 percent greater chance of cancellation. That’s thanks to a rule from the federal Secretary of Transportation, Ray LaHood, taking effect today. As usual, his excuse was “fixing” a problem government created in the first place. Even more usually, his solution only exacerbates the problem as the notorious unintended consequences afflict passengers — but not Ray LaHood.
Who Are The Real Rebels?
Written by Steve Farrell
Aldolf Hitler taught: “Make the lie big, make it simple, keep saying it, and eventually they will believe it”
Maybe you’ve heard this big one repeated a few times: The Founding Fathers were parochial, self-serving rebels against the existing order — not unlike today’s Progressives, Communists, and Globalists, who, nevertheless, shall we dare admit it, rebel for something far more progressive, unselfish, and universal, even to inspire us all to hitch a ride on that high and holy Third Wave to Utopia!
Salt Tyrants
Written by Walter Williams
Here's how my June 14, 2006 column started: "Down through the years, I've attempted to warn my fellow Americans about the tyrannical precedent and template for further tyranny set by anti-tobacco zealots. ... In the early stages of the anti-tobacco campaign, there were calls for "reasonable" measures such as non-smoking sections on airplanes and health warnings on cigarette packs. In the 1970s, no one would have ever believed such measures would have evolved into today's level of attack on smokers, which includes confiscatory cigarette taxes and bans on outdoor smoking. The door was opened, and the zealots took over."
