Essay Archive

By Mike Winther, President of the Institute for Principle Studies Private Property, Mass Transit, and the Exercise of Rights The political and civil rights that we cherish cannot be fully exercised without certain tools. These tools are material things that allow or enhance the exercise of a right.  These material things are property, which has ownership that can be either … Read More

An IPS Essay By Michael R. Winther, President of the Institute for Principle Studies Note to readers: While the following article is addressed specifically to the Tea Party movement, the principles discussed here are relevant to every organization and movement in support of a cause. Freedom Movement Manifesto: Could We be Campaigning our Way to Defeat? One of the most … Read More

An IPS Essay By Michael R. Winther, President of the Institute for Principle Studies Read Us Our Rights One of the most important and fundamental principles of government involves a question of origins—not the origin of the species, but the origin of rights. It is difficult to discuss any aspect of government without addressing some question about rights. The Stanford … Read More

An IPS Essay By Michael R. Winther, President of the Institute for Principle Studies Health Care in America The following article was originally published in early 1994. At the time that he wrote this article, Mike Winther was the Executive Director of the Society for Handicapped, a Modesto, California-based charity. Although this article was written over a decade ago, we … Read More

An IPS Essay By Dr. Shawn Ritenour, Professor of Economics at Grove City College The Federal Reserve: An Economic and Ethical Disaster Increasingly whenever tragedy strikes, be it a natural disaster such as Hurricane Katrina or criminal wickedness such as mass murder, the American masses turn to the state to soothe their anxiety and solve their problems. They often do … Read More

An IPS Essay By Michael R. Winther Equality and Liberty: Friends or Foes? Equality is an often-cited virtue in our society, but depending on how we define equality, it may be more vice than virtue. What exactly is the equality that we think we value? Before we say that we favor equality, we must first determine what we want to … Read More

An IPS Essay By Michael R. Winther, President of the Institute for Principle Studies Five Principles At this time in our nation’s history, it is increasingly difficult to write about a political or economic issue without invoking some reference to our faltering economy and the increasingly enormous government bailout expenditures. These economic circumstances represent an excellent opportunity for teaching the … Read More

By Michael R. Winther, President An IPS essay, published September 2008 In Defense of Speculation Whenever there is a shortage of any particular commodity, the media is sure to draw our attention to profits being made by “greedy speculators” who reap their windfalls while the ordinary citizens struggle to survive. The recent run-up in the prices of crude oil and … Read More