The Zoning Theory of Everything
Land use policies explain the battles over everything from the Great Recession to abortion to Donald Trump.
April 2023
Cover Story
Speak Loudly and Carry a Big Bat: Ron DeSantis Is on Deck
Does he want to limit government, or is he just out to win at all costs?
Features
The Drug Exception to the Second Amendment
Conservatives have been slow to recognize the threat that drug prohibition poses to gun rights and other civil liberties.
The Luddites' Veto
Beware of activists touting "responsible research and innovation." The sensible-sounding slogan masks a reactionary agenda.
Interview
'All the Parents Want Is a Chance To Make That Choice'
Virginia Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears wants state education dollars "to follow the child instead of the brick building."
Topics
Don't Just Hire 'Better Cops.' Punish the Bad Ones.
Convincing law enforcement officers that those who do wrong will suffer consequences is by far the most powerful tool for changing police behavior in the long run.
Candid Cameras in Congress
During the recent multiday battle over the next speaker of the House, media outlets were free to capture Congress members negotiating, debating, and even losing their cool.
Blame Regulations, Not Foreign Buyers, for High Housing Costs
Restricting foreign real estate ownership has something for both sides—conservatives don't like foreigners, and progressives don't like capital.
Short on Adderall? Blame DEA Production Caps
Each year, the DEA sets production limits for certain drugs, including some ingredients in common amphetamine pills like Adderall.
Google Supreme Court Case Tests Whether Tech Firms Are Liable for User Content
Section 230 helped the internet flourish. Now its scope is under scrutiny.
These New Laws Stop Cops From Lying to Kids
Yes, even children should have access to an attorney.
Congress Hasn't Passed a Budget on Time in 27 Years
Congress' end-of-year rush to fund the federal government has become the norm.
Raising Fees Won't Fix the Visa Process
The problem is the immigration process itself, not a lack of funding.
How Rising Tuition Poked a Hole in the College Bubble
While the population has grown, the number of college students has declined in the past decade.
Shoddy Research Reinforces Anti-Vaping Narrative
Thanks to tendentiously sloppy research, most Americans think vaping is just as dangerous as smoking. That’s not true.
Welcoming Our New Chatbot Overlords
After launching, ChatGPT hit 1 million sign-ups much faster than Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter did.
Culture
Is Internet Spoonie Culture Keeping People Sick?
While the FDA keeps experimental treatments out of reach, the spoonie world makes a diagnosis into an identity.
Books
Waco Offers New Insights From ATF Agents
Historian Jeff Guinn's account focuses on the ATF's oft-overlooked fiasco in the 1993 affair rather than the FBI's widely reported involvement.
E.E. Cummings Celebrated Libertarian Utopia
His most popular book, The Enormous Room, was recently reprinted for its 100th anniversary.
Reviews
Review: The White Lotus Explores the Misery of Wealth
The HBO series features what Ayn Rand would call "second-handers."
Review: You Must Remember This Grapples With the Dangers of Nostalgia
A new novel by Reason contributor Kat Rosenfield
Review: Are Memes Upending Democracy?
In Meme Wars, so-called "disinformation" experts call for the suppression of more ideas and speakers to protect democracy.
Review: Pelosi in the House Is a Nepotistic Puff Piece
The glowing documentary makes no mention of her failures or even shortcomings as speaker.
Review: The Progressive Backlash Against Influencer Moms
Momfluenced bemoans unrealistic expectations set on American mothers but then establishes new ones.
Review: I Saw Humans Working at the 'Automated' McDonald's
McDonald's invested in some spiffy new toys, but almost everything else stayed the same.
Review: The Clumsy Anti-Muskism of Glass Onion
Hating tech billionaires is The Current Thing.
ETC.
Sen. Pat Toomey on Cryptocurrency and FTX's Collapse
"It's not clear that FTX would have existed, at least at its scale, if we had domestic guidelines for American companies," the former senator tells Reason.
Brickbats: April 2023
News of politicians, police, and bureaucrats behaving badly from around the world.
