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
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
Why the Fluoride Debate Misses the Point
By Mike Winther, President of the Institute for Principle Studies Why the Fluoride Debate Misses the Point This article addresses the issue of community water fluoridation, not from a medical or scientific standpoint, but from the perspective of individual rights and liberty. This commentary ignores the issues relating to the safety or efficacy of fluoride. I will leave the medical and scientific merits of the issue to those who are far more knowledgeable in those disciplines. What I intend to demonstrate in this article, however, is that forced fluoridation is wrong regardless of its health effects. I suspect that many who … Read More