In recent years, the dream of home ownership has gotten farther and farther out of reach, as house prices have escalated. According to a recent study, the primary cause is excessive zoning laws - that is, government over-regulation.

Inspecting IDs is a waste of time and money, but it's ideal from the bureaucratic point of view because it doesn't solve the problem.

If we can't decide between the bird lovers and the cat lovers without a jury trial, how are we going to decide what to do about "honor killing," "female circumcision," and other facets of "diversity"?

Is American citizenship of such little concern that we don't mind it being awarded as the result of a crime?

Bureaucracies never die, and India's still uses genuine red tape.

"It is the duty of every officer of His Majesty's Navy, to discharge powder and shot in the general direction of the enemy."

If Mr. Bush really wants a new immigration law, there's a simple way for him to get one.

Brazil serves as an object lesson in how government incompetence - not greed, not really bribery even, certainly not totalitarianism, just simple incompetence - can make life difficult on an otherwise free and vibrant economy.