Friday Roundup 1-28-22

Rock singer Graham Nash recently slammed Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. for using a Nash song—“We Can Change the World”–for an anti-vaccination campaign. Nash said,

I do not support his anti-vaccination position as the history of the efficacy of the Covid19 vaccines is well documented. When I wrote “We Can Change the World” I did not expect that an institution such as this one that claims that it fights for individuals’ freedoms would so readily and recklessly infringe upon and, by its association with its cause, mischaracterize the intellectual property rights of a songwriter for its own purposes.

Comedian and pundit Bill Maher recently denounced Democrats as “completely toxic” to ordinary Americans. “I keep saying this to the Democratic Party. The reason why you’re so toxic is because you’ve become the party of no common sense.” It’s difficult to argue with Maher on this point. However, the real issue isn’t a lack of common sense. The real issue is the principles that animate the Democratic Party. Those principles include the supremacy of the State and the moral duty for individuals to sacrifice to the group.

The United States Supreme Court has agreed to hear Sackett v. EPA, a case that has been slowly winding through the courts for fifteen years. The case began when the Sackett’s started building a new house in Idaho. The EPA declared their property a “wetlands,” and demanded that they stop construction and return the land to its natural state. The EPA threatened fines of $30,000 for disobedience. The Pacific Legal Foundation is representing the Sacketts in this case.

Similar Posts

  • Friday Roundup 8-6-21

    Barry Fagin, a Senior Fellow at the Independence Institute in Denver, correctly notes that conservatives are very confused about the meaning of property rights. As examples, he cites Florida Gov. Rick DeSantis’ ban of “vaccine passports” and conservative calls to regulate social media companies like Facebook and Twitter. Fagin concludes that property rights have fallen…

  • |

    Friday Roundup 10-22-22

    Charlie Simms, the owner of a development company in Ohio, makes a point that needs to be included in discussions regarding affordable housing. Housing advocates consider affordable housing to mean below market rate housing. However, as Simms writes, “When builders and developers speak of affordable housing we’re talking about how to build homes that the…

  • Whatever it Takes

    A growing number of European countries are requiring anyone going into public to be vaccinated. Switzerland, for example, prohibits the unvaccinated from eating in restaurants, attending concerts, or going to the gym. Austria will make vaccination mandatory on February 1. These measures have broad public support. The vaccinated majority sees the unvaccinated minority as an…

  • Friday Roundup 10-29-21

    In 2019, California legalized accessory dwelling units (ADU), commonly called a granny flat or mother-in-law apartment. When a resident of Malibu wanted to build an ADU for her ailing mother, the city denied a permit. The daughter wanted her mother nearby, but there wasn’t space in her house for her mother. For her and her…

  • The Roundup 9

    The Guardian has an article on the border wall that touches on a deeper, and equally divisive issue: drug prohibition. A former customs agent is quoted: ” “You got to ask yourself: why are all the drugs and illegal immigrants coming through? Why? Because of the demand for illegal drugs and illegal labour, not much…

  • |

    The Failure to Discriminate

    Many conservatives oppose vaccine mandates, regardless of its source. They see no difference between a government mandate and a mandate issued by a private employer. The failure to discriminate—to recognize the differences between two or more things—isn’t surprising. Many conservatives do the same when they claim Big Tech is engaged in censorship. Certainly, mandates issued…