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Mob Rule Is No Path to Liberty

Trump rioters in front of Capitol

Jose Luis Magana / AP

The Cato Institute has long worked to encourage people everywhere to better understand and appreciate the principles of government that are set forth in America’s Founding documents. Among these principles is the peaceful transfer of power after free and fair elections. “The assault on the Capitol is a tragic violation of these principles,” writes Cato President and CEO Peter Goettler. “We condemn these actions in the strongest terms, support the rule of law and the Constitution, and reject the attempts to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election.”

  • “Mob Rule Is No Path to Liberty,” by Peter Goettler
  • “Only Impeachment Is Censure Enough,” by Gene Healy
  • “Reflections on the President’s Conduct,” by Robert A. Levy

Deregulating Legal Immigration: A Blueprint for Agency Action

Joe Biden 2013 official picture

President Trump restricted legal immigration through a series of unprecedented regulations and presidential orders during his one term. Once President‐​elect Joe Biden takes office, he will have the opportunity to reverse these actions and deregulate what is—and was even before Trump—an overly burdensome and expensive legal immigration system. This compendium of 30 concise proposals by 15 authors—including several of America’s leading immigration law experts—can help the Biden administration operate the immigration system as openly and efficiently as the laws allow.

  • “Deregulating Legal Immigration: A Blueprint for Agency Action,” by David J. Bier

Featured

Commentary

Donald Trump and the Limits of Free Speech

By Johan Norberg. The Spectator.

The right to free speech is a negative right. It guarantees you the right to be left alone, to speak your mind. But it does not give others an obligation to lend you their printing press.

Blog

Capitol Hill Insurrection Fallout: More Bad “No Fly” List Proposals

By Patrick G. Eddington.

What’s needed right now is a reminder that every time a major, security‐​related national trauma takes place, the public demands Congress “do something” in response, and that congressional response is almost always something the nation regrets later.

Commentary

Joe Biden’s Foreign Policy Dream Team Is Disappointing

By Ted Galen Carpenter. National Interest (Online).

Surveying the views of the Biden foreign policy team, one is struck by the extent of utterly conventional thinking.

Blog

The Libertarian Alternative

By Robert A. Levy.

In essence, libertarianism is the political philosophy of personal and economic freedom.

Blog

Trump Cannot Stay In Power By Declaring Martial Law

By Walter Olson.

The president of the United States has no lawful authority to reverse or suspend the outcome of an election by sending in the military or invoking martial law or the Insurrection Act. 

Commentary

Pushing Vapers Back to Cigarettes? a Dangerous New Provision in Federal Law

By Trevor Burrus. New York Daily News.

We continue to impose ineffective and harmful restrictions on vaping.

Commentary

Why a Racial Priority for COVID-19 Vaccine Distribution Poses Problems

By Walter Olson. The Detroit News.

It’s time to close the door on this bad idea.

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Trump’s Blackwater Pardons

Featuring Sahar Khan and Caleb O. Brown. January 16, 2021.

Trump Team Stymies Diplomacy in Yemen

Featuring John Glaser. January 15, 2021.

Ian Vasquez discusses the Human Freedom Index on The Bob Harden Show

Featuring Ian Vásquez. January 15, 2021.

Social Media Reaction to the Attack on the Capitol

Featuring Will Duffield, Matthew Feeney, and Caleb O. Brown. January 14, 2021.
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Policy Opportunities and Executive Power in the Biden Presidency

January 21, 2021 3:00 PM to 3:30 PM EST
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Featuring David Boaz, Executive Vice President, Cato Institute; and Gene Healy, Vice President, Cato Institute; moderated by Caleb O. Brown, Host of the Cato Daily Podcast.

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Section 230: A Look Ahead in a New Era

January 26, 2021 4:00 PM to 5:00 PM EST
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Featuring Will Duffield (@Will_Duffield), Policy Analyst, Cato Institute; Kate Tummarello (@ktummarello), Policy Director, Engine; Mike Masnick (@mmasnick), Editor, Techdirt; moderated by Matthew Feeney (@M_feeney), Director, Project on Emerging Technologies, Cato Institute.

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