The Berlin Wall that came down 20 years ago this month was an apt symbol of communism. It represented a historically unprecedented effort to prevent people from “voting with their feet” and leaving a society they rejected.

In the ideal world of economics, firms that take excessive risks go bankrupt, their competitors pick up the pieces and the economy marches on. Some call it “creative destruction.”

Supporters of the climate bill passed by the House and the similar bill under consideration in the Senate — including President Obama and Democratic congressional leaders — say that the cap-and-trade approach would guarantee greenhouse-gas reductions.

After a U.S. senator was shot on Fox's drama “24” this year, another character blurted out the make and model of the assassin's submachine gun.

A reader recently challenged us to explain what he sees as a contradiction in our editorial positions. We support the goal of universal health care, but argue that President Obama must keep his pledge not to pay for it with borrowed money.

Here is the good news on the climate front: The Europeans have ratcheted down their emissions targets, the Chinese are getting serious about solar power and energy efficiency, and Washington is lumbering toward a carbon cap.

The Federal Reserve Board has long been one of the rare institutions in our democracy — like the Supreme Court — whose internal processes are largely shielded from public view.

As everybody knows, the two biggest battles on Capitol Hill — reforming health care and regulating Wall Street — have unleashed massive campaigns from the enemies of free markets.

Iran's expanding nuclear program poses one of the Obama administration's most vexing foreign policy challenges. Fortunately, the conditions for containing Tehran's efforts may be better today than they have been in years.

Ivory poaching is back, big time, and the Internet is awash with photos of bloodied tusks and elephant carcasses.