People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) makes no moral distinctions between humans and animals, believing, as its alpha wolf Ingrid Newkirk put it once, “A rat is a pig is a dog is a boy.” The organization opposes any instrumental use of animals—no matter how beneficial to human thriving—insisting that they are “not ours to eat, wear, experiment on, use for entertainment, or abuse in any other way.” PETA’s adamant opposition to animal research puts it squarely in the anti-science camp. Not because they are ethically opposed to such experiments—although that marks the group as anti-human in my book—but because the organization routinely slanders animal researchers as cruel and sadistic and persists in its false and dishonest claim Read More ›
The world’s information is literally at our fingertips every hour of the day. Getting info is as easy as pulling out that smartphone or tablet and asking a search engine for the answer. In less than a second, there it is. “How many millimeters are in an inch?” Boom, there it is. “There are 25.4 millimeters in one inch,” the virtual assistant responds. “What’s the capital of Peru?” “Lima is the capital and largest city in Peru.” Done. You are now smarter than you were a few seconds ago. Or are you? It turns out that learning is not as efficient a process as Big Tech would like it to be. The latest research in cognition shows that learning takes time, requires repetition, Read More ›
Stephen Meyer and Hudson Institute’s Arthur Herman writing in The Wall Street Journal:
“President Trump’s announcement that he will meet with North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un caught everyone by surprise. The big question is: Will the meeting reduce the threat of North Korean ballistic missiles?
Given North Korea’s record of deceit, the president will need an insurance policy against Mr. Kim’s penchant for bad-faith negotiating, especially concerning his nuclear program.
Fortunately, Congress can make a down payment this week in its 2018 omnibus spending bill, and soon after when it authorizes the Pentagon’s 2019 budget.”
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President Trump says that his highest legislative priority in 2018 is an infrastructure bill that includes private investments in “roads, rails and regulatory reform.” The best way to enlist the private sector in the passenger rail element of an infrastructure plan is to open the 15 national long-distance corridors and 27 state-supported routes to private competition with Amtrak. Read More ›
The Gilder Fellows Seminar is an intimate study experience with Discovery Institute Fellows, taking place in Seattle, WA in Summer 2018. At the Gilder Fellows Seminar, you’ll have the chance to hear from scholars George Gilder, Michael Medved, Jay Richards, John West, and others. Through guided lecturers and readings, participants will explore questions such as: • Is free enterprise still the best system for human flourishing? • How do we cultivate the “spirit of enterprise”? • What do cultures need to alleviate poverty and create wealth? • How should we respond to the resurgence of interest in socialism? • Is capitalism based on Social Darwinism? • How does capitalism relate to the Bible and the Judeo-Christian tradition? • What makes Read More ›
Seattle, Oct. 4, 2017 | John Ripin Miller, a political leader from Seattle for over 20 years and a highly acclaimed human rights diplomat, died today in Corte Madera, CA, according to Discovery Institute. He had struggled with cancer for several years. In August, Amazon published The Man Who Could Be King, a well-received novel by Miller about a critical decision in the life of George Washington. Mr. Miller was a Senior Fellow of Discovery Institute, and founder of its Cascadia Center on Regional Transportation. Read More ›
Writing at The Independent Review, Senior Fellow George Gilder diagnoses the central problem with Wall Street and big banks today, which he calls “the chaos of floating currencies.” Banks used to help companies of all sectors and sizes, but the new Wall Street favors regulatory overreach, costly litigation, and financial volatility that paralyze Main Street and Silicon Valley. The transformation of American banking and finance arose from a regime of excessive financial regulation, which in turn has roots in the government’s manipulation of money. Continue reading The New Wall Street and the High Cost of Manipulating Money.
On April 5th, Steve Forbes, Chairman & Editor-In-Chief of Forbes Media, and Discovery Institute co-founder George Gilder were in Seattle to discuss some of the biggest issues facing today’s economy. Their discussion covered a wide range of pertinent topics–including trade, technological shifts, increased regulatory and tax burdens, and monetary uncertainty. Visit our YouTube channel to watch our taping of Charting a New Course: How New Ideas on Trade & Money Can Revive the U.S. Economy..
Executive Orders provide temporary relief, but long term structural change is needed for the U.S. to free itself from the regulatory leviathan and permanently limit federal bureaucracies and their army of unaccountable regulators.
Start with two statutory safeguards: 1) Congressional legislation that requires the delivery of $2 of regulatory cost reduction for every one dollar of new regulatory cost increase; and 2) Periodic Congressional reauthorization of regulations affecting industries and the economy — with sunset provisions for those not reauthorized.
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