20 years ago in reason


â€œSomething deeper and more important than shrinking popularity is at work. Bill Clintonâ€"the smart guy with a policy prescription for every illâ€"has run headlong into the U.S. Constitution. Clinton is stretched too thin not because he has the wrong personality or the wrong chief of staff but because U.S. presidents just arenâ€™t supposed to do so much.â€

â€"Virginia Postrel, â€œSystem Overloadâ€

â€œNeither [former White House Press Secretary Jim] Brady nor [Acting Attorney General Stewart] Gerson suggested how many lives the Brady Bill might save. Nor did they cite studies showing how similar laws, enacted by more than 20 states, have reduced crime. Thatâ€™s because there are no such studies. All the scholarly research has found that laws like the Brady Bill have no statistically significant impact on crime.â€

â€"David B. Kopel, â€œGun Playâ€


â€"Jacob Sullum, â€œA Matter of Timeâ€

â€"July 1993