Author: Richard A Reagan

It has long been understood that the most effective form of censorship is not that overtly enacted by an authoritarian government, but rather self-censorship. A truly effective tyranny is one in which the citizens are so cowed by the government that they censor themselves, lest they say the wrong thing and lose their job, house, […]

Recent news reports have indicated that US intelligence agencies knew of the coronavirus in late November. The concerns about the virus were detailed in a report issued in November by the National Center for Medical Intelligence. Officials apparently warned that a new contagious disease was sweeping through Wuhan and disrupting daily life in the city. […]

The US right now has the world’s highest number of confirmed coronavirus cases, and one of the highest death totals. That’s understandable, given how large the country is. Its per capita case and death rates are still below those of countries like Italy. But what is really surprising are the numbers coming out of China, […]

The only thing more surprising than how many governments went full Mao in shutting down their economies was how docilely most people accepted the restrictions. From businesses shutting down, to stay at home orders, to police enforcement of social distancing suggestions, Americans by and large have taken everything the government has said and declared at […]

Two months ago no one would have thought that the United States would be all but shut down. But aside from grocery stores, hardware stores, and a handful of other essential businesses, most economic activity in the country has slowed to a crawl. Add to that the fact that over 75% of the population is […]

While most world governments have locked their countries down, restricted people’s movement, and even banned worship services, there’s one country that hasn’t done that: Sweden. In contrast even to its neighbors, Sweden has only made recommendations to its people that they take measures such as social distancing or reducing the size of gatherings to fewer […]

Italy has been by far the worst-hit Western country during the coronavirus outbreak. The country quickly became the epicenter of the virus in Europe, sparking a government shutdown of the country that at the time seemed overly drastic, but which was subsequently followed by numerous countries around the world. That didn’t really help things, as […]

Every day seems to bring yet another state whose governor decides to follow the crowd and issue a stay-at-home order. And while many Americans would willingly thumb their noses at such orders, the fact is that so many businesses have shut down that there just isn’t anything to do outside the house. There are only […]

If there were ever a silver lining to the coronavirus, it’s that it has acted to separate the wolves from the sheep. The fear of the virus has been so whipped up by stories circulating on the internet that even people who once professed to love liberty and traditional conservative values have become rabid authoritarians […]

Congress voted last week on a $2 trillion fiscal stimulus bill, which it claimed would help the country through the self-inflicted crisis resulting from the economic shutdown over the coronavirus. The bill is the largest single spending bill passed in history, and will add nearly 10% to a national debt that is already over $23 […]