Author: Laurence M. Vance

What is the libertarian view of taxes? Inquiring minds want to know. And some of them are libertarians. In a recent article of mine, “Obama’s Tax Proposals: A Libertarian Analysis,” I subjected President Obama’s proposals to raise taxes—by increasing rates or eliminating deductions—and lower taxes—by increasing tax credits or instituting new ones. But like Republicans miss the point on tax cuts and conservatives just don’t get it when it comes to taxes, some libertarians miss the point or don’t get it either. The libertarian view of taxes is not that taxes should be fair, adequate, sufficient, constitutional, uniform, flat, simple, … Continue reading →

There were 87 beheadings in Saudi Arabia in 2014, up from 79 in 2013. One thing that might cause you to lose your head in that great ally of the United States in the war on terrorism is drug trafficking. The last beheading of the year was of Sadruddin Saeedullah Khan, a Pakistani national, who was convicted of smuggling “a large quantity of heroin” into the Saudi kingdom. He was decapitated by sword in the western province of Mecca after both the Court of Appeal and the Supreme Judicial Council upheld the “religiously right” death sentence imposed by a local … Continue reading →

For those of you who did not watch President Obama’s State of the Union address, you can read a transcript here, as I have. I neither watched it nor the five earlier addresses he gave. And neither did I watch any of Bush’s State of the Union addresses. Actually, I have never wasted my time watching any president’s State of the Union address. I have always loathed Obama for his radical associations, his life spent in the service of racial preference, his aberrant Christianity, and his belief in the redistribution of wealth. I loathed Obama when he was in the … Continue reading →

It’s 1995 all over again. The new Congress—the 114th—is solidly in Republican hands after winning big in a midterm election. The Republicans have a 246-188 majority in the House (there is one vacancy) and a 54-46 majority in the Senate (the two independents caucus with the Democrats). But like back in 1995 (Clinton), the Republican-controlled Congress in 2015 has to govern with a Democratic president (Obama). When the Republicans gained control of Congress in 1995, it was the first time since the 83rd Congress of 1953-1955 that they had controlled both Houses of Congress. Between 1955 and 1995, the Republicans … Continue reading →

The new year brings more than cold weather every year. It’s tax season again. For those who are expecting to receive a tax refund, it is time to start gathering the information, documents, and receipts necessary to file their 2014 tax return. For those who are expecting to make a tax payment, all of this can be put off until the April 15th deadline. The bad news for 2014 taxes (thanks to Obamacare) is that if you or your dependents did not have health insurance in 2014, you have to pay a penalty, the “individual shared responsibility payment,” when you … Continue reading →