In the early 19th century, John Taylor of Caroline warned about the fusion of big government, big banks, and finance capital. All three could be tamed, but only if they never aligned. He particularly worried about the impact unconstitutional tariffs, federally funded internal improvements, and a central bank would have on the American political order. These were the vehicles for the paper jobbers to take …more
American foreign policy is a disaster. It has been since the 1860s. Most people forget that the American empire was not created in the last thirty years. It began as an extension of the moral self-righteousness of the Republican crusade against the South during the War. Democracy and American liberty needed to be extended across the globe. So did the dollar, but that didn’t have …more
Jamelle Bouie is almost always wrong. But he is the best opinion columnist at The New York Times. Why? Because he at least does some research before he scribbles for the newspaper, and his essays are generally thought provoking. Take for example a recent column that suggested the Founders make a critical mistake. I agree, but not for the reasons Bouie suggests. The Founders make …more
According to recent polling, about 20 percent of Americans support secession. It is higher in some areas like Texas and the South, but even among Democrats, support for secession has increased in the last several years. The establishment can’t figure out why. The Washington Post recently published a piece trying to figure it out. They backed into the answer, but were still confused as to …more
In case you missed it, last week New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham issued an executive order making it illegal for citizens to carry firearms in public–both open and concealed carry–for 30 days in Albuquerque and the surrounding county. She called it a response to a “public health” emergency. The “Constitutional conservatives” went nuts. How dare she violate the 2nd Amendment! In fact, a resident …more
About a week ago, a listener sent me an article from National Review that encouraged its readers to declare their independence from Thomas Jefferson. He was outraged and wanted my thoughts. I could just call it stupid, but the article provides a teachable moment for Americans interested in anything that resembles the American tradition. We could call these people conservatives or paleo-libertarians. The traditional term …more
The Federalist Papers are the most overrated series of essays in American history. That’s not a hot take. It’s a fact. They hold more weight because of the stature of the authors: Hamilton, Madison, and Jay. But that doesn’t make them any more important or useful than other commentaries on the Constitution written at the same time. In fact, they persuaded very few people and …more
The good news? Progressives admit we’ve won. The bad news? Progressives have changed the game, the field, and the rules. What do I mean by this? You see, progressives have decided that our side was correct about the founding, the Constitution, federalism, secession, the nature of the Union. All of it. But it doesn’t matter. Originalism–real originalism–is dead, and has been replaced by “14th Amendment …more
If you haven’t heard, the world loves Oliver Anthony’s “Rich Men North of Richmond.” The song raced up the charts in one day thanks to a social media tidal wave of support for the red-bearded farmer from Farmville, VA. Before August 9, not many people had heard of Oliver Anthony. He mostly played to the trees and his dogs on about 90 acres of woods. …more
Ain’t no better time for throwing the bums out than right now. Unfortunately, it seems Americans have been saying that since 1783. That was the point of the Republican Revolution of 1800 and every subsequent attempt to check the power of the general government. Throw ’em out and things will be better. But what if that doesn’t work? I know that’s a rhetorical question. It …more
Most Americans recognize a few of the Founding Fathers—Washington, Jefferson, Madison, Hamilton, Adams, Franklin—but what about some of the important but forgotten men who have been lost to time? They have great stories that need to be told. Here are ten whose fantastic lives are in many ways better than fiction.
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