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 Encyclopedia of Philosophy insightfully explains the importance and centrality of our understanding of rights: Rights dominate most modern understandings of what actions are proper and which institutions are just. Rights structure the forms of our governments, the contents of our … Read More
A Household Understanding of the Economic Crisis
An IPS Commentary By Michael R. Winther, President of the Institute for Principle Studies A Household Understanding of the Economic Crisis Despite the “gloom and doom” pronouncement that many commentators are making regarding our current economic situation, the formula for solving our nation’s economic woes is actually very simple. In fact, most average Americans already know the formula—in both a general sense and in detail. The problem is that the majority of Americans who know the solution don’t know that they know the solution. A Grand Deception One of the grandest deceptions in government and economics is the lie that … Read More
Health Care in America
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 feel that it is still timely and relevant to the health care crisis that is once again front-page news in America. We hope this re-publishing will be of educational benefit to our current readership. Introduction The debate over health care … Read More
The Federal Reserve: An Economic and Ethical Disaster
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 the same in response to economic disasters, such as the Great Depression and the current economic mess. From the time it became clear that our economy was in a lot of trouble, eyes turned toward Ben Bernanke, Chairman of our … Read More
Equality and Liberty: Friends or Foes?
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 be equal. What does it mean to say that we want equality for mankind? Do we want everyone to be of equal height, equal intelligence, equal talent, or equal wealth? An important premise: human beings have unequal talents Biological equality … Read More
Natural Rights: A Matter of Origins
An IPS Commentary By Michael R. Winther, President of the Institute for Principle Studies Natural Rights: A Matter of Origins Within the general category of “natural rights”, there are two underlying schools of thought. Both believe that human beings posses certain rights and that these rights cannot be infringed, even by legitimate government action. (This is not to say that these rights are never violated. In fact, these rights are often infringed by governments acting outside of their proper and legitimate role.) Between these two camps, there is only minor disagreement about what these “natural rights” are, and both camps … Read More
The Revolution by Ron Paul
The Revolution: A Manifesto Dr. Ron Paul, Texas congressman and candidate for the Republican nomination in the 2008 presidential race, has been hailed by Judge Andrew Napolitano as “the Thomas Jefferson of our day.” Nicknamed “Dr. No” in Congress due to his willingness to stand alone in opposing legislation that he believes is illegitimate, Ron Paul has demonstrated that he is one of the few politicians left who acts on principle, not on political expediency. His recent book, The Revolution, is proof of his straight-talk belief in sound policies in every aspect of government. Full of common sense and frighteningly … Read More
Render Unto Caesar
An IPS Commentary By Michael R. Winther, President of the Institute for Principle Studies Render Unto Caesar: An Exposition of Matthew 22:15-22 As an advocate of limited government and an advocate of government by biblical standards, I am frequently asked about Jesus’ words when He tells us to “render unto Caesar what is Caesar’s.” Many Christians have difficulty reconciling this admonition of Jesus with the concept of limited taxation, supposing that Jesus is instructing Christians to always render unconditional submission to the state in both action and finance. Let’s look at Matthew’s account of this teaching. Matthew 22:15-22 (ESV) Then … Read More
Five Principles
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 principles of good government, so I want to add some important principle analysis to these events. Most of my readers are very familiar with the “$700 billion” legislation that authorized the federal government to bail out failing financial institutions, but … Read More
In Defense of Speculation
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 gasoline has, predictably, resulted in calls for regulations to limit the activities of speculators in the oil market. Should we allow government to “protect” us from this speculation? Let’s take a deeper look. Let me start by saying that the … Read More