Alex Epstein

Alex Epstein is a philosopher who applies big-picture, humanistic thinking to industrial and environmental controversies. He founded Center for Industrial Progress (CIP), a for-profit think tank and communications consulting firm focused on energy and environmental issues, in 2011 to offer a positive, pro-human alternative to the Green movement. He is the author of The Moral Case for Fossil Fuels.

Government Bailout Crack

Every few days we hear that another leading financial institution has written down billions more on subprime investments gone bad. Nearly every major financial institution, it turns out, had a hand in loans to low-credit borrowers--borrowers whose ability to pay often...

Retire Social Security: Social Security Is Morally Bankrupt

August 14 marks Social Security's 73rd birthday--placing it eight years past standard retirement age. But, despite the program's $10-trillion-plus dollar shortfall, no politician dares to suggest that this disastrous program be phased out and retired; all agree on one...

Free Google, Microsoft and Yahoo! From Antitrust Fascism

Yahoo! has just released its first-quarter earnings numbers, and neither the market nor analysts are impressed. What will be the company's next move? Multiple suitors claim that they can leverage Yahoo!'s online products and talented employees better than Yahoo!'s...

Too Big To Bail

Every few days we hear that another leading financial institution has written down billions more on subprime investments gone bad. Nearly every major financial institution, it turns out, had a hand in loans to low-credit borrowers--borrowers whose ability to pay often...

“Net Neutrality”: Destroyer of Internet Freedom

Advocates of "net neutrality" are apoplectic amid reports that ISP Comcast slowed down file-sharing programs on its network. The FCC is threatening action against Comcast, while advocates of a new net-neutrality law sponsored by Congressman Edward Markey are taking...

Don’t Save Social Security

With the first Baby Boomer collecting Social Security last week, on the heels of a Bush administration announcement that Social Security faces a $13.6 trillion shortfall, the issue of how to "save" Social Security is once again on the table. While we can expect fierce...

The Injustice of “Doing Something” about Subprime

As we witness large numbers of defaults on subprime loans--loans extended to those with no credit or bad credit--many are calling for the government to do something to stop the suffering. At the same time, many recognize that a bailout of struggling homeowners would...

“Open Access” and the Tyranny of the FCC

In January the FCC will auction off the prized 700 MHz spectrum of wireless bandwidth. But instead of offering the spectrum to the highest bidder to employ it however he judges best (for example, a mobile video-on-demand service), the FCC will force the winner to...

Why Businessmen Love Atlas Shrugged

If you ask any hundred successful businessmen chosen at random to name the book that has most inspired them, you will undoubtedly hear one title repeated over and over: Atlas Shrugged--Ayn Rand's epic novel, which celebrates its 50th anniversary this month. Why do...

Who Really Supports Our Troops?

In the aftermath of General David Petraeus's controversial report to Congress on the progress of the troop surge in Iraq, debate over what to do with our troops in Iraq is as strong as ever. And, as always, both liberals and conservatives claim that they, and only...

The Un-American Call for National Service

The lead article in a recent issue of Time magazine makes the case for "universal national service"--which the article describes as "the simple but compelling idea that devoting a year or more to national service, whether military or civilian, should become a...

Celebrating Income Inequality

Democrat and Republican candidates for President are debating one another on nearly every issue--but nearly all are united on one thing: America faces a crisis of "income inequality." The rich are getting richer, the refrain goes, while the poor and middle class are...

What to Do About Rising Gas Prices

With gasoline prices at their highest point in recent years, the knee-jerk response of many is to call for the government to "do something" to force prices lower. But no matter what the price of gasoline is, such calls are wrong. All market fluctuations in the price...

The Religious Right’s Culture of Living Death

Applauding the Supreme Court's decision to uphold a ban on so-called partial birth abortions, President Bush called it a victory for "building a culture of life in America." The idea of a "culture of life" has been a rallying cry for religious conservatives in their...

Neither Liberals nor Conservatives Support Our Troops

Supporters and opponents of President Bush's Iraq War are clashing in a furious debate over who truly supports our troops. The President's critics say they are supporting our troops by setting a timetable to bring them home from an "unnecessary" war. Supporters of the...

Repeal Sarbanes-Oxley

Imagine opening tomorrow's newspaper and reading this: "Citing all-too-frequent child abuse and neglect, Congress has proposed the Parenting Reform Act. Under the proposed law, all parents must swear that they have not 'caused unreasonable physical harm or danger' to...

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