Bradley Thomas | The Libertarian Institute

The State’s Priority Is Protecting Itself, Not You

by Bradley Thomas | Jun 3, 2020 | Criminal Justice, Featured Articles, Libertarianism

Murray Rothbard pointed out in his book Anatomy of the State how the state is far more punitive against those that threaten the comfort and authority of government institutions and workers than they are against crimes against citizens. This, according to Rothbard, exposed as a myth the notion that the state exists to protect its citizens. “We may test the hypothesis that the State is largely interested in protecting itself rather than its subjects by asking: which category of crimes does the State pursue and punish most intensely—those against private citizens or those against itself?”...

The Statist Origins of Modern Health Insurance

by Bradley Thomas | May 18, 2020 | Economics, Featured Articles

With roughly 36 million people having filed for unemployment across the country in the last two months in the wake of the coronavirus shutdown, one issue receiving more scrutiny from some quarters is the issue of employer-based health insurance. With so many laid off temporarily or permanently out of work, there is increasing concern about how many of those will be uninsured because when they lost their job, they also lost their source of health insurance. About half of Americans receive their health insurance through an employer-sponsored plan, which means the recent layoffs could...

Coronavirus Lockdown: The Political Versus The Voluntary

by Bradley Thomas | May 3, 2020 | Featured Articles

The government lockdown is mandatory. Re-opening is not. The contrast is stark and worth exploring as it underscores the difference between political and voluntary means of organizing society. Most states have imposed mandatory “stay at home” or “shelter in place” orders, confining citizens to house arrest, save for ‘essential’ purposes like buying food or prescription medicine. This represents the political means of organizing society. These are typically one-size-fits-all orders from state governors that allow for no leeway based upon each state’s widely diverse population demographics and...

Pandemic Hospital Layoffs Reveal the Prevalence of Wasteful Healthcare Spending

by Bradley Thomas | Apr 19, 2020 | Economics, Featured Articles

Aside from a few hotspots like New York City or Detroit, hospitals across the country are at such low capacities that many are laying off staff and seeing their bottom lines threatened during the current coronavirus pandemic. For instance, in my home state of North Carolina it was reported “After hospitals and doctor’s offices across North Carolina canceled nonessential procedures and in-person appointments because of the coronavirus pandemic, many nurses and medical staff were laid off or had their hours reduced.” “It’s definitely not the situation you might think would happen during a...

How the CARES Act Will Delay Economic Recovery

by Bradley Thomas | Apr 8, 2020 | Events, Featured Articles

The economic fallout of the government’s shutdown in response to the coronavirus pandemic has been unprecedented. Nearly ten million people have filed for unemployment benefits in just two weeks. The 6.6 million claims from the last week of March doubled the previous week, and both weeks smashed the previous one-week record of 700,000 claims in 1982. To mitigate the damage of this mass level of unemployment, the federal “stimulus” bill, called the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act), includes two key provisions that will serve to prolong the negative economic...

Panic Buying, Medical Rationing Underscore Importance of Free Markets

by Bradley Thomas | Mar 27, 2020 | Economics, Events, Featured Articles

The recent coronavirus panic has provided a stark reminder about the scarcity of economic goods. From people hoarding and stockpiling common household items like toilet paper and hand sanitizer to the downright morbid reports of doctors in Italy and Spain having to pick and choose who should receive medical care, the issue of resource scarcity has been thrust front and center. To be clear, when economists refer to scarcity, it doesn’t just refer to empty shelves or a general lack of supply of something. Instead, we mean that goods are objects of choice: its use for one purpose or user...

The Unseen Consequences of the Coronavirus Response

by Bradley Thomas | Mar 23, 2020 | Economics, Events, Featured Articles

While sicknesses and death mount from the coronavirus pandemic, the responses by all levels of government have been overwhelming. School closings, business closings, cancellations of sporting events and concerts, “stay in place” orders, hysterical panic spread by the corporate press, and massive government “stimulus” and bailout plans have all been justified as a means to save lives and “flatten the curve” of the spread of the virus so the healthcare system isn’t overwhelmed. These efforts have been made in an attempt to head off what some are predicting would be a historic mass pandemic...

Direct Payments From Government is Not the Way to Stimulate the Economy

by Bradley Thomas | Mar 18, 2020 | Economics, Events, Featured Articles

The latest in the Federal government’s response to the coronavirus pandemic is President Trump’s announcement of a “stimulus package” estimated between $850 billion to $1 trillion. The plan reportedly includes $50 to $100 billion bailouts to the airline industry, $200 to $300 billion in small business assistance, and at least half a trillion in “direct payments or tax cuts.” On that last option, it is further reported that potentially $250 billion would go toward direct payments to citizens, a form of a “rebate check” of sorts. As cnbc.com reported, “Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said...