Author: Laurence M. Vance

The only thing worse than a Christian young man joining today’s military is a Christian young woman joining today’s military. I recently heard through the grapevine that the daughter of a former student of mine joined the military. Either the Navy or the Air Force, I forget which branch. My guess is that she is about 20 years old. This is horrible. A Christian young woman has no business being in the military. Let me briefly state ten reasons why. Time to buy old US gold coins Before I do, let me preface my remarks by saying that many of … Continue reading →

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Back in 2015, I subjected the tax proposals President Obama made in his State of the Union address to a libertarian analysis. It’s time to do the same for President Trump, albeit briefly. On April 26, Trump released a one-page outline of his plan for “Tax Reform for Economic Growth and American Jobs.” He claims that it is “the biggest individual and business tax cut in American history.” This is actually Trump’s third tax plan. The first was released in September of 2015 and the second was released in September of 2016. Each of them was much more detailed than … Continue reading →

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At a maximum rate of 35 percent, the U.S. corporate tax rate is one of the highest in the world, and the highest of all the advanced, industrialized nations. And then there is corporate income tax on the state level. Forty-four states and the District of Columbia levy a corporate income tax with rates ranging from 4 percent in North Carolina to 12 percent in Iowa. Nevada, Ohio, Texas, and Washington impose more insidious gross receipts taxes instead of corporate income taxes. Delaware and Virginia impose both; South Dakota and Wyoming impose neither. Some companies are fleeing the United States … Continue reading →

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Rep. Jim Banks (R-IN) has a warped view of federalism. He serves on the House Armed Services Committee, the House Committee on Science, Space, & Technology, and the House Veterans Affairs Committee, he previously served in the Indiana legislature, he holds a B.A. and an M.B.A., he is a veteran, he has worked in the private sector, and he has spoken at CPAC. In other words, although Banks is a member of the Stupid Party, he is not an idiot. But in an article for the Heritage Foundation (“How Federalism Can Give Head Start a New Start”) about the Head … Continue reading →

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Rep. Jim Banks (R-IN) has a warped view of federalism. He serves on the House Armed Services Committee, the House Committee on Science, Space, & Technology, and the House Veterans Affairs Committee, he previously served in the Indiana legislature, he holds a B.A. and an M.B.A., he is a veteran, he has worked in the private sector, and he has spoken at CPAC. In other words, although Banks is a member of the Stupid Party, he is not an idiot. But in an article for the Heritage Foundation (“How Federalism Can Give Head Start a New Start”) about the Head … Continue reading →

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Review of Gordon L. Heath, ed., American Churches and the First World War (Pickwick Publications, 2016), x + 213 pgs., paperback. It is fitting that American Churches and the First World War was recently published since it has now been 100 years since the United States foolishly entered World War I in total disregard of the warnings of the Founding Fathers to stay out of European wars.  As the author of War, Christianity, and the State: Essays on the Follies of Christian Militarism, the subject matter of this book is near and dear to my heart. Yet, it is generally … Continue reading →

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In the beauty of the lilies Christ was born across the sea, With a glory in His bosom that transfigures you and me: As He died to make men holy, let us die to make men free, While God is marching on. . It’s not Memorial Day yet, but I want you to be prepared for the blasphemy and idolatry that will soon spew forth from preachers in pulpits and Christians in pews like smoke from the bottomless pit (Revelation 9:2). Memorial Day has degenerated into Military Appreciation Day Number 1. This is followed on the calendar by the Fourth … Continue reading →

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The war on drugs is insidious. A kidney patient in Maine has been taken off a transplant wait list for using medical marijuana, even though both the medical and recreational use of marijuana is legal in Maine. Garry Godfrey has Alport Syndrome, a hereditary disease which causes renal failure at a young age. He suffers from debilitating pain, nausea, and anxiety, which he treats with medical marijuana. “I’ve tried so many pharmaceuticals and none of them worked, but the medical cannabis does,” he said. “It helps me function. It helps me take care of my kids.” “You should not be … Continue reading →

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It’s déjà vu all over again. The inauguration of Donald Trump on January 20 means that, once again, the Republicans have absolute control of the government. The Republicans regained control of the Congress that they had lost during the last two years of the presidency of George W. Bush when House Republicans won a majority of seats in the 2010 midyear elections and Senate Republicans won a majority of seats in the 2014 midyear elections. Just like when the Republicans held a majority in both Houses of Congress during the last six years of Bill Clinton’s presidency, all that was … Continue reading →

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Adapted from a talk given at the Authors Forum at the 2017 Austrian Economics Research Conference at the Mises Institute. Gun Control and the Second Amendment, my twenty-fifth book, is a collection of nine essays relating to gun control and the Second Amendment that I wrote over the past six years for Campaign for Liberty, the Tenth Amendment Center, and the Future of Freedom Foundation. Although all of the essays are online, being the humanitarian and entrepreneur that I am, I thought it would be a good idea to publish them in booklet form. The essays are arranged in chronological … Continue reading →

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Back in 2013, Barronelle Stutzman, the owner of Arlene’s Flowers in Richland, Washington, refused to provide flowers for a gay friend’s same-sex wedding. The legal battle that ensued has now ended: The Washington State Supreme Court just unanimously ruled that the florist violated the state’s anti-discrimination law. The case has given rise to some misconceptions about discrimination. Here is the back story. In 2012, the state of Washington enacted Senate Bill 6239, which recognized same-sex marriage. Gay men Robert Ingersoll and Curt Freed, who had been a couple since 2004, decided to get married in September of 2013. At the … Continue reading →

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A Baptist pastor in California is upset and concerned that city leaders and planners have been studying and discussing issues regarding cannabis and the effect it would have on the community to grant cultivation permits for medical marijuana. He says he was asked to share his opinion on the matter, which he did in a long article, and which I have read so you don’t have to. What follows is a series of questions I have based on what the pastor wrote in the article. The things he was saying about marijuana should be quite apparent. What if just because … Continue reading →

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Review of John Marciano, The American War in Vietnam: Crime or Commemoration? (Monthly Review Press, 2016), 196 pgs., paperback. On May 16, 2012, President Obama announced a Commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the Vietnam War and the “more than 58,000 patriots” who died there. The Commemoration is sponsored by the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund, the National Park Service and the Department of Defense. It will last for thirteen years until the 50th anniversary of the end of the conflict arrives in 2025. It will “sponsor thousands of activities over the next ten years, including concerts, educational curricula, school visits … Continue reading →

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That the presidency of Barack Hussein Obama was an “obomination” there is no question. During his presidency I wrote of his radical associations, his life spent in the service of racial preference, his aberrant Christianity, his cultural Marxism, his dictatorial ambitions, his warmongering and militarism, his “signature health care law,” and his desire to further redistribute Americans’ wealth. It would be hard for Obama’s record to be any worse than it is. Yet, some people still feel the need to lie about Obama’s record. Obama’s actions were so bad and so bad so often that it is incredible that anyone … Continue reading →

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Not a review of Joseph E. Capizzi, Politics, Justice, and War: Christian Governance and the Ethics of Warfare (Oxford University Press, 2015), vii + 223 pgs., hardcover. This book is part of Oxford’s Studies in Theological Ethics, a series with six other titles. The author is Professor of Moral Theology and Ethics at the Catholic University of America. I fully intended to read and write a review of this book, especially since the first of three “central claims” listed on the first page that the author says he makes in the book is “The moral life of a Christian is … Continue reading →

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