Call Me a Heretic, But I Don't Buy the Fed Religion
I just didn’t know—until the other day, when it finally hit me. Jerome Powell is God, and the FOMC is the Holy of Holies. The cherubim floating above them, fluttering their…
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Essays
Writing by John Tamny and Parkview contributors, from the latest commentary to the collected archive.
210 essays · Newest first
Clear filtersTrusting Tractor-Driving Good Ole' Boys More Than Harvard Faculty
Social scientists tell us that men think about sex 99.9728% of the time. The remaining 0.0272% occurs immediately after sex, when their only thought is how quickly they can exit the scene.…
Cultural Confidence: The Missing Ingredient of Western Prosperity
What our greatest civilizations shared wasn’t just power or prosperity—it was a fierce belief in themselves, something the modern West is forgetting . Did you hear about the…
If I Were CEO of Starbucks, I Would Fire the Strikers
Dear Starbucks Employees, I saw the sign on my neighborhood Starbucks’ front door announcing that you are on strike. The way to get ahead in life is not to sabotage the hand that…
Egregious Errors by Kings FDR and Mom Jeans Gave Us 2025 Shutdown
It is the year 2125. A long time ago, in a far-away land of kings and queens (not all queens in those times were the crown-wearing kind), there was a kingdom ruled by knaves and fools. Its…
Don't Be Ridiculous, No One Will Starve Without SNAP
Remember Mr. Potter from It’s a Wonderful Life ? I love that guy. In fact, I have a portrait of him hanging over the fireplace in my study. He uttered one of the great lines in…
Industry and Self-Reliant Ingenuity Will Create Much Better Schools
Karl Marx was a visionary, but his vision was not based on objective reality. Your author, the eminent and all-knowing Rob Smith—soothsaying sage and cosmic psychic—is also a…
Abigail Spanberger Is Zohran Mamdani Without His Personality
Those of you from outside the Old Dominion have certainly read about the shocking statements and belief systems emanating from Abigail Spanberger, running for governor and her running mate…
To Make America Great Again, Good Fathers Should Spank Again
Saturday, I was having lunch at a sidewalk café when a family walked by. Their four-year-old boy tripped and fell on the sidewalk. His mother rushed to him, hugged him, and asked a…
The Mass Firing of Federal Workers Will Be the Genius of This Shutdown
OH WHAT A BEAUTIFUL MORNING! There's a bright, golden haze on the Capitol Dome There's a bright, golden haze on the Capitol Dome. My spirits are as high as an elephant's eye And it looks…
There Will Always Be Abundant Work. What Matters Is the Quality Of It
The steam engine. Trains. Oil. Electricity. Flight. Nuclear power. The computer chip. The Internet. All of these innovations were transformational, but artificial intelligence (AI) might be…
Have I An Investment for You: Drive-Thru Exorcism
Who wants to invest in my newest venture? You will make oodles of money. You will need a wheelbarrow to carry all the cash to the bank. I only need $100 million. I can send you the private…
You Didn't Ask For a Sermon From Me, But You'll Get One
When you are lying on your deathbed, reflecting on how your life has been spent, you’re not going to lament that you didn’t make more money or wish you had accrued more power.…
I'm a Legal Purist Who Loves the Law For What It's Intended To Be
I think that while I am certainly a conservative/libertarian ideologue, my allegiance is to a set of ideas and not a political party. There are several Democrats (adverse to my political…
Order and Cleanliness Are the Foundations of Discipline and Character
Growing up, I don’t remember anything I learned in school that I hadn’t already learned—or could have easily learned—from my parents. My mother taught me to read…
In Economics, the Unseen Is Much More Important Than the Seen
Dear Reader, by now you know I’ve never been wr…, wrr…, wrrrro… damn, my keyboard won’t even type that word! However, although I’ve never been wr _ _…
You're Missing Out on America When Driving If SiriusXM Is Your Sound
I left Richmond headed up I-95 to New England. Final destination: Newport, Rhode Island. I’m an old-school radio dial guy. No SiriusXM or podcasts for me. I’m constantly…
Book Review: David Chandler's "The Binghams of Louisville"
This is a “Did He Do It?” Book, David Chandler's The Binghams of Louisville . Did Robert Worth Bingham drug his wife, Mary Lily Keenan Flagler, to get her to sign a last-ditch…
Applying the 'Bedford Falls Rule' to the Federal Reserve
At heart, I’m a confederate. Rather than centralizing power in omnipotent institutions, I favor a confederation of smaller entities bound together by culture rather than coercive…
Book Review: Henry Fielding's "The History of Tom Jones, A Foundling"
I apologize for my absence. It’s been a fortnight since I last visited with you, and I know such a lengthy and unplanned departure distresses you beyond measure. I truly appreciate…
Don't Believe the Self-Serving Nonsense From the Media About UVA
I recommend Big Balls to take over the presidency of the University of Virginia now that Jim Ryan has effectively been defrocked. Please don’t believe the self-serving nonsense the…
The Mullahs Apparently Decided U.S. Presidents Are Pushovers
Supreme Leader: Fellas , no need to worry about anything. I know what I’m doing. Have I ever steered you wrong? Didn’t I manipulate the West—and that hick peanut…
There Should Be a "No Crying" Rule In All Areas Of Leadership
I’m not a big fan of the 19th Amendment. Don’t get me wrong—I value women as much as men—I just think when it comes to rational decision-maki… oops,…
Take $3B From Harvard and All Universities, Don't Give It To Trade Schools
I’m opposed to President Trump’s idea of taking $3 billion in federal grant money from Harvard and giving it to trade schools; however, I’m very much in favor of taking $3…