Author: Laurence M. Vance

No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon. ~ Matthew 6:24 John McDougall is deluded. He is a captain in the U.S. Army. He is an ordained minister. He is a chaplain stationed at Joint Base Lewis-McChord near Tocoma, Washington. He is a veteran of both the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. He is a West Point graduate. He holds a degree in mechanical engineering. He also holds a Master of Divinity degree. He … Continue reading →

Now the serpent was more subtle than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden? And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden: But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die. And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: … Continue reading →

The relationship between conservatives and libertarians is sometimes a confrontational one. A reader recently forwarded to me a response to one of my articles critical of conservatism. To paraphrase, simplify, and summarize: “How dare Mr. Vance compare conservative Republicans to Hillary Clinton! There are plenty of differences between them. Doesn’t he know that they like chocolate ice cream and she likes vanilla?” That is the extent of the guy’s argument. I’m sure he could come up with a hundred differences between Republicans and Clinton. And so could I. But when the two are compared on issues of substance—foreign aid, welfare, … Continue reading →

It’s official. Republicans in the House and Senate have finally agreed on a new budget resolution for fiscal year 2016. There is not a lot you need to know about the new Republican budget, so in this brief article I aim to tell you everything you need to know. First, a little review. According to the Budget and Accounting Act of 1921, the president must annually submit a budget to Congress by the first Monday in February. Because the government’s fiscal year runs from October 1 to September 30, the budget submitted in February is actually for the next fiscal … Continue reading →

It is one thing to be a genuine conservative or a libertarian-leaning conservative and identify as a Republican so you can get elected to office in the American two-party monopoly system. It is one thing to register to vote as a Republican so you can vote for what you think is the lesser of two evils in the Republican primary. It is one thing to hold your nose and vote Republican so you can keep those evil Democrats out of office. But it is another thing altogether to say that you are proud to be a Republican. Here is former … Continue reading →

I get a lot of e-mail. Some of it not so nice. I received the following e-mail a few weeks ago with the subject line “I’m Sick Of It”: Your misplaced hatred of the military is disgusting. I think we can agree that the mission of the U.S. military has been misused and abused all too often by just about every POTUS, and THAT is where your hostility should voice itself. Not on the individuals, who are UNDER CONTRACT, and are REQUIRED BY LAW  to go wherever they’re sent. You are obviously an otherwise intelligent and educated man. So GROW UP AND BLAME … Continue reading →

A good friend who is a pastor asks a sincere question about libertarianism and assisted suicide. The fact that he even asked shows that he is a thinking man who is not quick to accept the traditions and talking points that pass for sound doctrine in too many conservative churches today. Before continuing, since some conservatives—and especially conservative Christians—are already stammering, stuttering, and spluttering because of what they think I might say, I should say that I don’t want anyone to commit suicide, I don’t think anyone should commit suicide, I don’t think doctors should help anyone commit suicide, I … Continue reading →

What do past events in Nigeria have to do with current actions of U.S. government employees? Everything. Muhammadu Buhari was just elected president of Nigeria after running unsuccessfully for the office in the 2003, 2007 and 2011 elections. He previously ruled the country as a dictator for 20 months in the mid 1980s after coming to power in a military coup. This was after he, while holding the rank of colonel, attended the U.S. Army War College in Pennsylvania and graduated in 1980 with a master’s degree in Strategic Studies. He himself was overthrown in a coup in August of … Continue reading →

Conservative Republicans are sometimes said by the media to be “libertarian” or “libertarian-leaning.” This is especially true if they say something about marijuana legislation being left up to the states because of the Tenth Amendment. A recent article in the Huffington Post about the attitude of certain Republican politicians—all presidential hopefuls—toward marijuana legalization reminds me to mention the drug war litmus test, especially as we head into another election season. In an interview with Reason last year, Ted Cruz—the first to declare his candidacy for the Republican nomination for president—said: “I think we can have an intelligent conversation about drug … Continue reading →

The Republicans are out with yet another tax reform plan. This time Senator Marco Rubio of Florida has joined with Senator Mike Lee of Utah to give us the “Economic Growth and Family Fairness Tax Reform Plan.” Although it is touted as a “pro-growth, pro-family tax reform plan” and contains many good features, it also subsidizes the poor and soaks the rich. Rubio and Lee rightly say in their introduction that “our current system taxes too much, taxes unfairly, and stifles economic opportunity for American families, businesses, and individuals.” But because it is a tax reform plan rather than a … Continue reading →

Although she is no longer first lady, a U.S. senator from New York, or Secretary of State, and has not officially announced her candidacy to be the Democratic nominee for president, Hillary Clinton can’t seem to stay out of the news. Conservatives love to hate Hillary almost as much as they love to hate Obama. And rightly so. Most lately it has come out that she used a private server for all of her e-mails when she was President Obama’s secretary of state from 2009 to 2013. At the very least, she concealed government documents from the very government she … Continue reading →

[A shorter version of this essay was presented at the 2015 Austrian Economics Research Conference at the Mises Institute.] Since the beginning of the U.S. invasion of Iraq in 2003, two words that have rarely been seen together are “Baptist” and “pacifist.” We have instead been subject to things like high-profile Baptist leader Jerry Falwell writing a defense of the Iraq war titled “God Is Pro-War,” Richard Land, head of the Southern Baptist Convention’s Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission, writing to President Bush that his “policies concerning the ongoing international terrorist campaign against America” were “both right and just,” and … Continue reading →

If you attend church, especially on the Sunday before a national military appreciation day (Memorial Day, July Fourth, & Veterans Day), you have probably seen the blasphemous Christian cross and American flag or Christian flag and American flag lapel pins that some men wear to church on their suit coat. Although I have never seen one of these “God and country” Christians wear one of these pins anywhere else, I suppose that some men do wear one on other occasions when they wear a suit coat. I have never come across a Bible and American flag lapel pin, although such … Continue reading →

Conservatives are out with yet another of their policy proposals. But as usual, it is heavy on reform and light on repeal. The Heritage Foundation, a D.C. think tank “whose mission is to formulate and promote conservative public policies based on the principles of free enterprise, limited government, individual freedom, traditional American values, and a strong national defense,” and Heritage Action for America, which takes “the conservative policy visions outlined by our sister organization,” and makes them “a reality,” “have teamed up to outline specific recommendations for the 114th Congress.” The document is titled Opportunity for All, Favoritism to None. … Continue reading →

“We want a diplomatic solution but we cannot close our eyes to tanks that are crossing the border from Russia and coming into Ukraine. We cannot close our eyes to Russian fighters in unmarked uniforms crossing the border, and leading individual companies of so-called separatists in battle.” ~ Secretary of State John Kerry Yes we can. We can close our eyes. It is called a foreign policy of neutrality, minding our own business. We should close our eyes. It is called a foreign policy of nonintervention, staying out of European wars. This is not isolationism; it is Jeffersonianism: I have … Continue reading →