Free Republic

Much has already been written about Elliot Rodger and his horrific acts of murder in Isla Vista, California last month. And some may wonder why an economic policy writer would take up such a subject. But one must remember that economics is a study of human behavior, generally about financial decisions but also the underlying reasons behind those decisions. Many have speculated that Rodger was simply a troubled kid, suffered from depression and/or was just pure evil. I personally do not share that view. I believe that there was a reason why Rodger became the person who he was because...

The families of three college students stabbed to death by a 22-year-old before he gunned down three more victims said the U.S. health and legal systems valued the rights of the mentally ill over those who become their victims. Police said Elliot Rodger, the son of a film director, stabbed the students in his apartment on May 23, before shooting and killing three more victims in the town of Isla Vista near the campus of the University of California at Santa Barbara. He then shot himself. "The system is clearly broken. It should have protected our sons, who were so...

So a 22-year-old son of Hollywood privilege goes on a murder spree, killing 6 and then himself. People who write for a living mount their favorite hobby horses and tell us “what it all means.” Since we are all critics now, I want to get in on the action. What do we know? Quite a lot, actually. The killer wrote a “manifesto:” apparently a must-do for people who want to go out with a bang, and who have the time and leisure to chronicle their lives. I read the whole thing and it's fascinating because it reads like a movie...

His parents said they were so concerned that they called police. Officers who showed up at Rodger’s doorstep for a mental health check in April, however, found a well-mannered if shy young man whom they concluded posed no risk. They hadn’t seen the videos, and by the time law enforcement had, it was too late: Rodger had gone on a deadly rampage. The sheriff’s office “was not aware of any videos until after the shooting rampage occurred,” Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office spokeswoman Kelly Hoover said. Sheriff Bill Brown has defended the officers’ actions, but the case highlights the challenges...