Outside the Beltway

One Missouri legislator is going on a crusade against a “problem” that may not actually exist.

While the issue of income inequality is quite real, Oxfam’s numbers are not.

For the fourth time in three years, a Federal Court has ruled that Florida’s law requiring drug tests for welfare recipients is unconstitutional.

Yet another example of the need for context when discussing stats.

Michael Brown’s stepfather made incendiary comments in the wake of the Grand Jury announcement, but they do not amount to a crime.

A critic of the imperial presidency becomes an imperial president.

Fresh off his third statewide win in four years, Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker appears to be getting ready to run for President.

A popular idea that does nothing useful while simultaneously violating the Constitution.

There’s nothing wrong with choosing not to vote.

Mandatory quarantines are a massive violation of personal liberty. We ought to be careful in how, when, and why we impose them and who they are directed toward.

For the ninth time since 1974, the next Governor of Maine will likely be elected with less than 50% of the vote.

And Alaska makes 30.

As we head into a new conflict, perhaps we ought to give more thought to fiscal issues than the President is to overall strategy.

Now on to solving the complex puzzle of the post-referendum UK.

It’s all over but the voting in Scotland.

With just nine days to go, it’s anyone’s guess how the Scottish Independence vote will turn out.

Another Federal appellate Court has struck down state law bans on same-sex marriage, but the only thing that matters now is the Supreme Court.

Bestiality and prostitution are legal in Denmark. And not just separately.

17-year veteran of the LAPD says, “If you don’t want to get hurt, don’t challenge me.”

Once something that generally benefited Republicans, social issues are now becoming a wedge issue for Democrats.

Hopes for a temporary respite in the Gaza conflict faded away today.

My latest for The National Interest, “Europe’s Free Ride on the American-Defense Gravy Train,” has posted.

Thad Cochran has been officially certified as the winner of the Mississippi GOP Primary Runoff Election, but it’s not over yet.

Rush Limbaugh is still really, really angry about subsidized birth control. And lots of other stuff.

A piece at Foreign Policy provides a chance to give some thought to institutions.

A US-EU free trade zone is a no-brainer. But the devil is in the details.

Republican overreach could end up helping the President and his party.

Coming across as uncaring doesn’t help advance your political arguments.

A Federal Appeals Court has struck down a D.C. law requiring tour guides to get a license and pass a test.

A clash over Separation Of Power and the Imperial Presidency, coming soon to a Federal District Court in Washington, D.C.

A New York Federal Judge has ruled that unvaccinated children can be forced to stay home during outbreaks.

There is no such thing as a consistent free market, limited government case in favor of restricting immigration, whether legal or illegal.

TNR makes the worst possible case for a proposition that’s almost certainly right.

The May Jobs Report was fairly good, and it marks the end of a jobs recession that started six years ago. But things aren’t entirely rosy.

The latest chapter in an all too familiar story.

The tragedy in Santa Barbara will. inevitably, revive the same old gun debate. But can it ever evolve beyond shouting?

Many who speak with great passion about the Constitution rather frequently make anti-Federalist arguments.

It might not be pretty.

The “Founders” founded a government and the “Framers” were framing the basic structure thereof. This should be obvious.

Middle East peace talks are apparently in such bad shape that the U.S. is thinking of releasing Jonathan Pollard as an incentive to Israel.

Republican leaders continue to say stupid things. They may still retake the Senate in November.

A surprisingly disappointing jobs report for December.

There are some signs that there may be room to strike a deal on the extension of unemployment benefits, but it’s likely to require some drama on Capitol Hill before it happens.

From Florida, a small victory for Fourth Amendment rights.

The Sunbelt continues to dominate.

Does your kid qualify for subsidized lunch? One candidate for Senate in Georgia wants to put them to work.

In an ordinary post-recession world, we wouldn’t need to talk about extended unemployment benefits, but times are far from ordinary.