2004 – Joseph Bast | Writing

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I want government out of the bedroom and out of my wallet. Neither major party, at least at the national level, is serious about limiting the size of government in either department, let alone both.

Essays

Election 2004: What Did It Mean?

December 1, 2004

Municipal ownership of broadband network is probably not in the best interests of residents and most businesses, even in communities not well served today by private providers.

Essays

Broadly Speaking, This Is Not the Government’s Business

November 10, 2004

What is really at stake on November 2, 2004? Five key areas of domestic policy: taxes, budget deficits, health care, education, and environment.

Essays

What’s Really at Stake on November 2?

October 1, 2004

Any job that didn’t involve mopping floors looked like a good career move to me. I insisted, though, that I not be paid less than what I was making as a janitor. Dave Padden hired me despite my inexperience and obvious lack of negotiating skills.

Essays

Looking Back: Heartland’s Twentieth Anniversary

September 1, 2004

The school voucher movement is one of the most successful efforts now underway to translate libertarian ideas into public policy.

Essays

Three Objections to School Vouchers … Answered

August 1, 2004

Justice and reconciliation demand things be said and done that would genuinely help those who must cope with the legacy of one of history’s great crimes and tragedies.

Essays

Apologizing for Slavery

July 1, 2004

Poitics is not a matter of one election, but of elections taking place year after year. This year’s unelectable best candidate may be electable next year, running for a different office or under a different party’s banner.

Essays

The Idiot’s Guide to Politics

June 1, 2004

Where do elected officials go for information on public policy issues? They read newspapers, often three or more a day.

Essays

Rational Ignorance Revisited

May 1, 2004

Bad public policy clearly helped create the circumstances that led to the killing of Dantrell Davis, Starkesia Reed, and Siretha White.

Essays

The Killing Can Be Stopped

April 1, 2004

Illinoisans are not spineless apathetic wimps. We’re just Rationally Ignorant Voters. We’re RIVs, not FIBs.

Essays

FIBs, RIVs, and Rational Ignorance

April 1, 2004