Laurence M. Vance
Lew Rockwell
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Past articles by Laurence:
Republicans, Foreign Policy, and Federalism
Although the Republicans regained control of the U.S. House of Representatives in the November midterm election, they were the opposition party for the first two years of Joe Biden’s presidency. But just what did the Republicans oppose? I have every so often for the past fifteen years referred to a tool I use to judge Republicans in Congress. I am referring to “The Freedom Index: A Congressional… → Read More
Trump’s Big Lie about Medicare and Social Security – The Future of Freedom Foundation
In a recent brief video message to his supporters, former president and current 2024 presidential candidate Donald Trump warned Republicans about cutting Medicare or Social Security: Under no circumstances should Republicans vote to cut a single penny from Medicare or Social Security to help pay for Joe Biden’s reckless spending spree. . . . Do not cut the benefits our seniors worked for and… → Read More
Over Half of All Americans Receive Government Health Care
Most developed countries in the world have some form of socialized medicine in which almost all healthcare professionals are employed by the government, healthcare providers are primarily privately employed but bill the national health system, or something in between. Most Americans think that we don’t have socialized medicine here, but the truth is that over half of all Americans receive some… → Read More
Should Christians Vote for Marijuana Legalization?
In the recent midterm election, voters in 37 states also had the option of deciding on 132 statewide ballot measures. Five of those ballot measures were related to marijuana. Two of them passed. Recreational marijuana is now legal in Missouri and Maryland, bringing the total number of states where it is legal to 21. In 14 of those states, recreational marijuana was legalized via a ballot… → Read More
Five Trillion Dollars Is Not Enough – The Future of Freedom Foundation
The federal government seized from the American people almost $5 trillion ($4.896119 trillion) in fiscal year 2022 (Oct. 1, 2021 through Sept. 30, 2022), according to The Monthly Treasury Statement of Receipts and Outlays of the United States Government (MTS), published by the Bureau of the Fiscal Service.The federal budget has never decreased when Republicans had control of the government.… → Read More
Another Double Whammy
I have pointed out many times that the Sunday before Memorial Day, otherwise known as Military Appreciation Day No. 1; the Sunday before Independence Day, otherwise known as Military Appreciation Day No. 2; and the Sunday before Veterans Day, otherwise known as Military Appreciation Day No. 3; are holy days in most conservative, evangelical, and fundamentalist churches. As we know, Memorial Day… → Read More
Why So Many Military Suicides?
More active-duty military personnel and veterans of post 9/11 wars and have committed suicide than the number of military personnel killed in combat since then. Why are so many veterans and active-duty military personnel killing themselves? I thought that all members of the military were heroes? I thought that service members were anointed by God? I thought that they were God’s gift to humanity?… → Read More
The Problem with Marijuana Legalization – The Future of Freedom Foundation
Although the medical use of marijuana has been legalized in 37 states, its recreational use is legal only in 19 states. (South Dakota voters approved a recreational marijuana initiative in the 2020 election, but it was overturned by a state circuit judge and upheld by the state supreme court.)Marijuana legalization should never be confused with marijuana freedom. [Click to Tweet] That is still a… → Read More
The Effectiveness of Medical Marijuana Is Not the Issue – The Future of Freedom Foundation
Earlier this year, Mississippi became the 37th state to legalize the medical use of marijuana, which is also legal in the U.S. territories of the District of Columbia, the Northern Mariana Islands, Guam, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands. Since California became the first state to legalize medical marijuana in 1996, every couple of years, another state or two are added to the list (there were… → Read More
Libertarian Lessons from the Super Bowl – The Future of Freedom Foundation
Even most non-sports fans like me know that the Super Bowl is the annual championship game of the National Football League (NFL). It is one of the world’s most watched sporting events, and it has the most expensive commercials (lately $7 million for 30 seconds). Some people watch the game just to see the commercials and the halftime show. Super Bowl Sunday in February is also one of the most… → Read More
And Then There Were Three – The Future of Freedom Foundation
The Additional Ukraine Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2022 (H.R.7691), which provides $40.1 billion for “appropriations for defense equipment, migration and refugee assistance, regulatory and technical support regarding nuclear power issues, emergency food assistance, economic assistance, and seizures of property related to the invasion,” that is, for U.S. defense contractors, recently passed… → Read More
Conservatism, Libertarianism, and John Stuart Mill – The Future of Freedom Foundation
Although most conservatives of today seem to have forgotten him, conservatives of yesteryear honored and revered Russell Kirk (1918–1994). After receiving his bachelor’s degree from Michigan State College (now University), Kirk earned his master’s degree at Duke University and then his doctor of letters from the University of St. Andrews. Kirk was a prolific writer who wrote not only for… → Read More
Six Reasons Why
Two articles about Social Security on msn.com recently caught my eye. In “6 Reasons You Won’t Get Social Security,” Rob Poindexter explains why you might miss out on receiving Social Security benefits. In “6 Groups Who Cannot Rely on Social Security,” Miranda Marquit explains why several types of people should not count on receiving Social Security benefits. Poindexter six reasons are: (1) you… → Read More
Overturning Roe v. Wade Will Not End Abortion in America – The Future of Freedom Foundation
Just as the Supreme Court case of Roe v. Wade did not legalize abortion in America, so the overturning of Roe v. Wade will not end abortion in America.The issue of abortion doesn’t trump the Constitution.[Click to Tweet] In Roe v. Wade (1973), the Court held that a woman’s right to an abortion fell within the right to privacy protected by the Fourteenth Amendment. The states may not ban… → Read More
Your Social Security Increase Just Might Be Taxed Away – The Future of Freedom Foundation
Social Security recipients got a nice benefit increase this year, but according to a report by The Senior Citizens League (TSCL), “Almost half of all households that receive Social Security benefits might pay taxes this year on a portion of their benefits.” This raise and the possible reduction in benefits reveals the true nature of Social Security.Social Security is welfare for senior… → Read More
State Marijuana Bills Are a Far Cry from Marijuana Freedom – The Future of Freedom Foundation
Although many states and territories have legalized the medical or recreational use of marijuana, the federal government still classifies marijuana as a Schedule I controlled substance under the Controlled Substances Act (CSA) with “a high potential for abuse,” “no currently accepted medical use,” and “a lack of accepted safety for use of the drug under medical supervision,” the possession of… → Read More
Discrimination for Me but Not for Thee
After the announcement of the retirement of Supreme Court justice Stephen Breyer, President Biden immediately made his own announcement about Breyer’s successor: White men need not apply. He didn’t actually say that, of course, but he might as well have since he announced, not that he would nominate the most qualified person to fill the vacancy on the Court, but that he would only nominate a… → Read More
Maskhole Lies
I don’t know who came up with the term, but it has been about a year now since I first saw militant advocates of mask wearing referred to as maskholes. I am not on Facebook, so I did not see this pro-mask graphic that someone posted until it was brought to my attention. What a bunch of lies. As a human I have the right not to wear a mask? Is that so? I flew to Philadelphia at the end of… → Read More
The Early Church and Veterans Day
Another Veterans Day has come and gone. Because I had just written two articles about military bases and military personnel in October, I did not have a special Veterans Day article this year. Some people were expecting one, and expressed to me their disappointment. What follows here is something that I have thought about writing for a long time that would have been suitable for Veterans Day. We… → Read More
Why Not Abandon All Foreign Bases?
Neoconservatives—like Michael Rubin at the American Enterprise Institute (“The One Foreign Base Biden Should Abandon”)—haven’t gotten over President Joe Biden’s withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan. But Rubin is also upset that “the Biden administration is determined to hold on to the one base that America should have abandoned a decade ago.” This is Incirlik Air Base in Turkey. Rubin… → Read More