It's been estimated that the final costs for New Orleans'; reconstruction will top $200 billion. As American taxpayers, we can only ask this question: Why?

In recent years, the dream of home ownership has gotten farther and farther out of reach, as house prices have escalated. According to a recent study, the primary cause is excessive zoning laws - that is, government over-regulation.

Inspecting IDs is a waste of time and money, but it's ideal from the bureaucratic point of view because it doesn't solve the problem.

According to the Wall Street Journal, newly-minted lawyers are having difficulty finding gainful employment.

Mr. Washington said, "Government is like fire - an uncertain servant and a fearful master," but he missed the essence. At its core, governance boils down to two questions: "Who says?" and "Who pays?"

If you buy something, that ought to mean you can do whatever you like with it - but big companies want to end that right.

Americans can show good judgment, and do have a conscience, and are willing to be reasonable - if the other side is being reasonable too.

Brazil serves as an object lesson in how government incompetence - not greed, not really bribery even, certainly not totalitarianism, just simple incompetence - can make life difficult on an otherwise free and vibrant economy.