Stockton, California made history in June 2012 when it became the largest U.S. municipality in history to file Chapter 9 bankruptcy. It wasn’t the first Golden State city to do so, and what’s happening in out west is spreading to the
The city of Montreal has been in turmoil for much of 2012, following massive student demonstrations in opposition to a government-imposed hike on university tuitions. While mostly peaceful, some demonstrators resorted to vandalism and blocked access to bridges and schools.
“Both parties have equally participated in abandoning the limited role of the federal government,” says Sen. Tom Coburn (R-Oklahoma), whose new book, The Debt Bomb: A Bold Plan to Stop Washington from Bankrupting Our Economy, argues that Republicans and Democrats
“What would have cost tens of thousands of dollars…can now be done for hundreds of dollars, so it’s easier to fake stuff now,” warns Roger Bate, resident scholar at the American Enterprise Institute (AEI) and the author of “Phake: The
“In the same week that NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg was pushing the idea [of banning super-size soft drinks] he also celebrated National Donut Day with the world’s largest box of Entenmann’s donuts that were the size of manhole covers,” says
“Liberals are sure they’re in the reality-based community and anyone who disagrees with them either has a bad brain, or in some other way rejects empiricism and science, and they are the only ones working with the building blocks of
The Obama-Biden campaign has just released the cartoon slideshow “The Life of Julia,” which takes “a look at how President Obama’s policies help one woman over her lifetime–and how Mitt Romney would change her story.” In our remix of that
On Tuesday, April 24 members of the Occupy movement gathered in DC at the Department of Justice to protest “mass incarceration” of black and Latino youth, demand the release of convicted cop killer Mumia Abu-Jamal, end the “racist death penalty,” and more. Among
How is Washington, D.C. supposed to run the world when it can’t even fix its own escalators? Strap on some steel-toed safety shoes–you’re gonna need them–as Reason.tv correspondent Kennedy investigates D.C.’s dismal and dangerous subway system. Metro, the sprawling 106-mile
This month Alabama lawmakers were itching to make it a criminal offense to annoy people online (isn’t that what the interweb is all about?), and a national pollexposed the split personality of Americans who pretend to support individual responsibility, all the while cheering
Does the fate of a federal government with limited powers rest in the hands of Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia? And if so, will he rule against broad federal powers (as he did in the Gonzales case) or in favor of the
“If I was in the Obama administration, I would not be comfortable with how the last three days went.” Reason’s Damon Root was in attendance for the third and final day of oral arguments before the Supreme Court on the
Reason’s Damon Root got a coveted seat for the Supreme Court oral arguments on the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA). Day one of this epic judicial showdown focused primarily on whether or not the individual mandate constitutes a
As the legality of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act – a.k.a. Obamacare – goes before the highest court in the land, here are three reasons to chuck the whole program even before it gets underway. 1. It Represents
Norman Smith seemed to be making progress in his liver cancer recovery at Cedars-Sinai hospital in Los Angeles, Calif. He had some of the best doctors in the world, he was on a transplant list and he had completed a
“Considering that we had this big Tea Party movement in 2010, there has been very little talk about actually cutting spending,” says American Enterprise Institute’s James Pethokoukis, “except that Mitt Romney doesn’t want a lunar colony.” Pethokoukis is a former
“What would happen if there was a Republican nominee who wants to legalize heroin running against Barack Obama – who’s cracking down on the war on drugs?” asks Reason’s Matt Welch. “More than for any other reason,” says Welch, “that’s why it’s going to make
“They…come in with weapons, they seized a half-million dollars worth of property, they shut our factory down, and they have not charged us with anything,” says Gibson Guitars CEO Henry Juszkiewicz, referring to the August 2011 raid on his Nashville
The city of Harrisburg is Ground Zero for America’s municipal debt crisis. Pennsylvania’s capital city has liabilities estimated at $610 million, which is nearly 10 times its annual budget. The city is so deep in the red that last year it
“The fall of the (Berlin) Wall only occurred 20 years ago. It’s very recent, but it’s very important, perhaps one of the most important historical events of our age,” says Justinian Jampol, the founder and Executive Director of the Los
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=89kx4hBrBrE] “The new debate in the Republican party needs to be between conservatives and libertarians,” says Sen. Jim DeMint (R-S.C.). “A lot of the libertarian ideas that Ron Paul is talking about…should not be alien to any Republican.” Yet
Chicago tried banning it. Now California wants to do the same. But what’s so controversial about foie gras, the fattened liver of a duck or goose that many diners consider a delicacy? “Foie gras is universally cruel,” says animal rights
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eGIoDTtUS80] “When you look at government policies, there’s a massive transfer of wealth from the young and relatively poor members of society toward the old and relatively members of society,” says Veronique de Rugy, a Reason magazine columnist and
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JzX4pDYAhmE&list=PL2DD00E99B83A258A] This month’s killjoys are bent on making the Big Apple dry (or not?), and banning electronic (a.k.a. “fake”) cigarettes from public places (wait, isn’t the anti-smoking movement supposed to help addicts kick the habit?). But the new year’s
[youtube kG28GvQz6UA nolink] Everybody and their brother – even Stephen Colbert – is freaking out about “super PACs,” which are an outgrowth of the Citizens United decision in 2010. Traditional political action committees (PACs) are subject to federal limits on
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2uX8UeQYNlc] The Supreme Court is back in session with major decisions coming on the legality of Obamacare, Arizona’s anti-immigration law, and the right of property owners to due process. How’s the court expected rule in these cases and what
“I think we ought to give our children the best we possibly can and I think we’re moving in that direction,” says renowned political operative James Carville. “Yes, I’m very excited about it.” Reason caught up with the Louisiana native
On May 10, 2011, 43-year old Allen Kephart died after having a Taser applied to him multiple times by three San Bernardino, California, sheriff’s deputies during a routine traffic stop in Lake Arrowhead. “I feel that my son was murdered,
With the new year just around the corner, Reason.tv is looking back at some of our favorite videos of 2011. Here is a five-video playlist of the most watched videos of the the past year, including Remy’s Debt-Ceiling Rap, Peter
They touch our lives in so many ways, and Reason.tv kicks off awards season by acknowledging those who have devoted their lives to minding other people’s business. Live (to tape) from the fourth floor of the Sepulveda Center in Los
It was supposed to be a “slice of Americana and of childhood dreams,” says U.S. Army Specialist Mark Grapin, who lives in Fairfax County, Virginia. He’s talking about the treehouse he built for his two sons after returning from his
In seasons past, Grandma only had to worry about getting run over by a reindeer. With “Grandma Got Run Over by TSA,” web sensation Remy gets us in the holiday mood with a song about Christmas, Homeland Security, and the
[youtube u3qE1Sh9E8g] “Lakewood is not really a suburb anymore, it’s a particular kind of urban place that looks suburban superficially but which is netted fully in an urban fabric,” says author D.J. Waldie who is most famous for writing Holy
Christopher Hitchens died yesterday. In 2007, Christopher Hitchens headlined Reason’s “Very Secular Christmas Party” in Washington, D.C. by providing a dramatic reading of Tom Lehrer’s “Christmas Song.” Click above to watch. Reason.tv’s Nick Gillespie has written an obituary: I’m saddened
“Ever since the War on Drugs, everything has hit the fan,” says Romesh Bhattacharji, former Narcotics Commissioner of India. Rather than continue the unnecessary and costly drug war, Bhattacharji advises the United States to simply “Relax, take it easy, [and]
High, persistent unemployment and a sluggish economy underscore what all but the most-dedicated supporters of Barack Obama know to be true: The president’s 2009 stimulus program was a massively expensive bust. Understanding why the stimulus failed is an important step
Remy mourns the impending loss of his beloved incandescent light bulbs with a song set to familiar music. Written and performed by Remy and produced by Meredith Bragg. About 2.30 minutes. Go to Reason.tv for downloadable versions. Subscribe to Reason’s