Blog Profile / Reason

Steve Chapman on the Differences Between Obama and Nixon

In recent days, people have likened Barack Obama to Richard Nixon, particularly on the misuse of the Internal Revenue Service for political advantage. But equating the two, writes Steve Chapman, is like concluding that babies are like poisonous snakes because some of them have rattles. View this article.

Obama Is Not Nixon

Don't Do the Crime

When Keandre Varner found his principal's mug shot online, he posted it to Instagram, along with his opinion that she had been arrested for DUI. In fact, Jamille Miller-Brown, principal of Georgia's Riverdale High School, had been arrested...Show More Summary

"Bitches Don't Know Economics is About Human Action"

From the Instagram account of Tom Walls, resolute libertarian, friend of Reason, snapper of Ludwig von Mises selfies, and so much more. Discuss. Read Human Action online for no price (other than giving up your illusions).

Nick Gillespie and Rep. Justin Amash Talk Libertarian Foreign Policy, Abortion, and More

Rep. Justin Amash (R-Mich.) is often touted as “the next Ron Paul.” Endorsed by the Republican Liberty Caucus and Young Americans for Liberty, the 33-year-old Amash has made waves by explaining all of his votes on social media, a practice he began during his single term as a Michigan state legislator. Show More Summary

A New Kind of Republican

Police Response to School Water Balloon Fight: Violence and Arrests

Count the overwrought responses to this incident. Enloe High School in Raleigh, N.C., called police out due o what appears to be a water balloon fight (overwrought response number one). Police arrested seven of the students (overwrought response...Show More Summary

Should Pot-Growing Parents Lose Their Kids? If You Think So, Watch This Vid

To paraprhase John Lennon, "Drug War is Over (If You Want It)." But even as a majority of Americans believe pot should be reated like booze and beer, Colorado and Washington state move forward with full legalization, and Illinois prepares...Show More Summary

Federal Appeals Court Says Shorter Crack Sentences Must Be Retroactive

Last Friday I noted that the Fair Sentencing Act of 2010, which shrank the penalty gap between the snorted and smoked forms of cocaine, does not apply retroactively. Later that same day, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit said hat...Show More Summary

Free the California 12! Activists March Clemency Petitions to Governor Jerry Brown

Three members of the California Innocence Project are walking 600 miles from San Diego to Sacramento to draw attention to the “California 12”—a dozen inmates in California jails for whom there is powerful evidence of innocence. Brian...Show More Summary

Sheldon Richman: Abolish the IRS (and the Income Tax With It)

As this demonstrates, once government undertakes to tax income, it acquires even more power through its authority to define “income,” “taxable income,” subsidiary terms, and the rules of exemption. There is no escape, writes Sheldon Richman, from arbitrariness and caprice. View this article.

Abolish the IRS (and the Income Tax With It)

West Wing Weak: Reason TV's 90-Second Guide to Obama's Worst Seven Days

[Editor's Note: As of right now, Reason's video has about four times as many views as the official White House version hat we're satirizing. Please favorite, like, share, and subscribe o our YouTube channel. Who knows? If we drive the...Show More Summary

Watch Matt Welch Talk Administration Scandals on MSNBC at 4:30 PM ET

For a half-hour beginning at 4:30 pm eastern time, I will be part of the "braintrust" panel on MSNBC talking about the various government scandals swirling around Washington.

M.D. Kittle: The IRS Abuse Scandal Keeps Growing

IRS management has painted a picture of misguided underlings who acted “inappropriately” by writing up watch lists, targeting conservative agencies, and stalling their applications for tax-exempt status. But as M.D. Kittle reports, the scandal is far bigger than just that. View this article.

The IRS Abuse Scandal Keeps Growing

Nick Gillespie on Red Eye Talking Obama, 3D Guns, and More

On May 8, I appeared on Fox News' Red Eye with Greg Gutfeld to alk about President Obama's pitch to college grads that they should trust the government more, what 3D-printed guns mean for centralized power, whether Facebook is creating a generation of psychotics, and much more. Show More Summary

J.D. Tuccille Talks Terrorist Databases and Open Societies on RT

We know the feds are perfectly capable of losing track of terrorism suspects. With competence an open question, how legit are their other terrorism busts, such as that of a Russian-speaking truck driver in Idaho? And, while the fedsShow More Summary

Eminent Domain for No One's Gain: New London Groundbreaking Ceremony Postponed

In case you were wondering what’s happening in New London, Connecticut, proud home to the nation's most famous dump, the answer is still a whole lot of nothing. In 2005, the U.S. Supreme Court allowed New London officials to seize an...Show More Summary

Cincinnati IRS Workers: Following Orders or Freelancing?

The IRS scandal around targeting tax-status applications for Tea Party groups is centered around the actions of he Cincinnati branch office. So what's local news saying? Here's a report from the local Fox 19 station. What about those...Show More Summary