Author: Brian Phillips

  • Using People as Pawns

    Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and Texas Gov. Greg Abbott have recently made headlines for sending immigrants to “sanctuary states,” i.e., states that do not cooperate with federal immigration officials. Both claim that they are trying to send a message to Joe Biden. In truth, they are simply playing to their base and using people as…

  • Force is Destructive

    Force is not a creative power. Force is a destructive power. The only goal that can be achieved through force is destruction. Force cannot build a house, write software, grow food, or create any value. The only thing that force can “achieve” is the destruction of values. However, if you examine nearly any political issue,…

  • The Onion Files Amicus Brief

    The Onion, which calls itself “America’s Finest News Source,” recently filed an amicus brief with the United States Supreme Court in defense of Anthony Novac. In 2016, the aspiring comic created a parody of the Parma, Ohio, Police Department’s Facebook page. He was subsequently arrested and charged with “disrupting police operations.” The Onion’s brief brilliantly…

  • An Amendment in St. Paul

    An Amendment in St. Paul When voters approved one of the nation’s most draconian rent control laws, developers in St. Paul reacted exactly as had been predicted: they halted housing projects. In September, the St. Paul City Council amended the rent control ordinance to exempt properties less than twenty years old. This returns a smidgen…

  • The Childless Left Isn’t the Problem

    In 2021, Ohio Senate candidate J.D. Vance blamed America’s problems on the “childless left.” He singled out Vice-President Kamala Harris, transportation secretary Pete Buttigieg, Senator Cory Booker and Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez as examples. Despite Vance’s claim, the childless left isn’t the problem. Certainly, Harris, Buttigieg, Booker, and AOC are a part of the problem. But…

  • Profits are Pro-people

    When pharmaceutical companies refused to waive their intellectual property rights to the COVID-19 vaccines, they were attacked for putting profits before people. When landlords increase rents to a level that tenants cannot afford, the property owns are condemned for putting profits before people. These attacks, and others like them, are unjust. Profits are pro-people. The…

  • Individual Rights: The Ultimate in Local Control

    In his concurring opinion in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, Associate Justice Clarence Thomas wrote, “In future cases, we should reconsider all of this Court’s substantive due process precedents, including Griswold, Lawrence, and Obergefell. Because any substantive due process decision is ‘demonstrably erroneous, we have a duty to ‘correct the error’ established in those…

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    The Whole Truth

    The headline for a recent article on CNBC.com declares, “The 7 most affordable U.S. states to retire—and none of them are Florida” illustrates the intellectual dishonesty that is prevalent in today’s media. The article states that Michigan is the most affordable state in which to retire according to a study issued by Bankrate. This is…

  • Semi-fascism and Democracy

    Joe Biden recently condemned “far-right extremism,” calling comments made by Republican leaders, including Trump, “semi-fascism.” Biden is correct to identify the growing elements of fascism within the Republican party. However, he fails to recognize the fascist elements within his own policies. Biden and Trump are two faces of fascism. In an article titled, “The Fascist…

  • An Agency of Force

    Government is an agency of force. Everything it does is ultimately backed by physical coercion. Government dictates how much you should pay in taxes. Refuse to do so and somebody with a gun will show up to seize your property, throw you in jail, or both. In most locales, government dictates how you can use…