Center for Property Rights

2009 W⁠i⁠n⁠t⁠er Journal

By: The James Madison Institute / 2009

Message from the Publisher – J. Stanley Marshall

Here’s what Barack Obama could do as President to improve American education.

From the Editor’s Desk

Healthcare reform: Mr. (Adam) Smith goes to Washington.

Letter to the Editor

A reader recalls an interesting afternoon spent in West Virginia with “James Madison.’
Cover Story
Beware When Government Runs Both Politics and the Economy – J. Robert McClure

Our nation’s founders knew: Power corrupts. Absolute power corrupts absolutely.
Articles
Government Policies Led to Wall Street’s Risky Business – Randall Holcombe

Congress is now ducking responsibility for a mess its mandates helped to create.

The National Financial Crisis and Hurricane Insurance – Donald D. Brown, Dennis A. Ross, and Leonard Schulte

To avoid financial ruin, Florida needs to restore the private market in property insurance.

Fixing Social Security: Private Accounts Still Make Sense, Despite Wall Street’s Woes – Heidi Biggs

Some of the “solutions’ being considered in Congress would be job killers.

A Disturbing Erosion of Property Rights in Florida – Ari Bargil

When is your property no longer yours? When the Florida Supreme Court says so.

Recent Merit-Selection Reform Can Improve Florida’s Courts – William Large

Nominating commissions help Florida avoid some of the drawbacks of electing judges.

Credit James Madison for “Full Faith and Credit’ – Thomas V. DiBacco

This provision of the Constitution “is mired today in controversies regarding whether states, including Florida, may be required to accept same-sex marriages of other states.”
Point-Counterpoint: Healthcare
The Case for Single-Payer National Health Insurance – Ray Bellamy, M.D.

America’s current healthcare system is broken. The year ahead could see the federal government finally taking steps toward a viable solution.

Healthcare Reform Must Empower Individuals – David McKalip, M.D.

America’s current healthcare system is broken. The year ahead could see the federal government misdiagnosing the problem and prescribing the wrong solution.
Book Reviews
Liberal Fascism: The Secret History of the American Left from Mussolini to the Politics of Meaning (A book by Jonah Goldberg) – Reviewed by Francisco Gonzalez

Liberals have tried to pin the blame for Fascism on the political Right. They’re wrong.

Somebody’s Gotta Say It (A book by Neal Boortz) – Reviewed by Jim Ashlock

The libertarian lawyer and talk-show firebrand makes some valid points if you can get past his in-your-face style and inflammatory rhetoric.