Norman Singleton | The Libertarian Institute

Trump White House Flips Script at FTC

by Norman Singleton | Sep 10, 2025 | Economics, Featured Articles

On August 13, 2025, President Donald Trump signed an executive order repealing predecessor Joe Biden’s July 2021 executive order “Promoting Competition in the American Economy.” The Biden order called for greater enforcement of antitrust laws and other efforts to limit market concentration. The Biden order codified an approach to antitrust policy popularized by Biden's Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Chair Lina Khan and head of the Justice Department’s Antitrust Division Johnathan Kanter. The result was a flurry of antitrust suits seeking to block mergers and acquisitions in businesses...

MAGA or ‘Khanservatism’?

by Norman Singleton | Apr 23, 2025 | Economics, Featured Articles

Temu, a Chinese-based online retailer that has been available in the United States since the fall of 2022. Quickly become a leading online retailer, Temu has grown so fast that Bernstein analyst Robin Zhu projects that the site will generate as much as $1.8 billion in merchandise sales this year. Temu was the Apple store’s most downloaded app in 2024—and it currently has over 51 million American users. Temu’s rise has not been without controversy. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has accused Temu of using slave labor and manipulating their prices to avoid having to pay U.S. taxes and comply...

‘Khanservative’ or Artful ‘DOGER’?

by Norman Singleton | Apr 16, 2025 | Featured Articles

When President Donald Trump appointed Brendan Carr as chair of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), he said Carr would be a “warrior for free speech.” Unfortunately, Chair Carr has been a warrior against social media companies and broadcast networks whose “content moderation” and programming choices do not meet with his approval. For example, Chair Carr has threatened to block the merger of Paramount (who owns CBS) and Skydance Media because of allegations that CBS edited their interview with Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris to make her appear more coherent. Chair Carr’s...

Lew Rockwell, Champion of Liberty

by Norman Singleton | Feb 18, 2025 | Featured Articles, Libertarianism

This summary of Lew Rockwell’s contributions to the liberty movement will show that Lew has done more to spread libertarian ideas than anyone else not named Ron Paul. Lew was born in Boston in 1944. His father was an “Old Right” Republican who gave Lew a copy of Henry Hazlitt’s classic Economics in One Lesson for for his twelfth birthday! Lew would later edit Hazlitt while working as an editor for the conservative publisher Arlington House. Lew also edited Ludwig von Mises. In 1979, Lew went to Capitol Hill to work as Ron Paul’s Chief of Staff. Dr. Paul and Lew have been close friends and...

Donald Trump Is Protecting Free Speech

by Norman Singleton | Jan 27, 2025 | Criminal Justice, Featured Articles

Donald Trump wasted no time implementing his agenda by issuing a series of executive orders just hours after being sworn in as the 47th president. The orders covered subjects ranging from immigration, to energy production, to a freeze on both new federal regulations and hiring federal employees. One order that has not gotten nearly as much attention as it deserves is the one Restoring Freedom of Speech and Ending Federal Censorship. This order states that it is federal policy to “ensure that no Federal Government officer, employee, or agent engages in or facilitates any conduct that would...

Hands Off My Social Media!

by Norman Singleton | Nov 4, 2024 | Featured Articles

Democrats have found a new superstar to help get out the progressive vote: Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Chair Lina Khan. Khan has done town halls with Representatives Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL) and Mark Pocan (D-WI), Senate candidate and current Representative Ruben Gallego (D-AZ), and Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT). Khan’s appearances are official government events—not campaign rallies. However, politicians would not appear at an event in an election year unless they where sure it would appeal to a key constituency. It may seem odd that politicians would consider it helpful to...

Lina Khan Gets It Wrong (Again)

by Norman Singleton | Oct 28, 2024 | Economics, Featured Articles

60 Minutes recently aired an interview with Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Chair Lina Khan conducted by veteran reporter Lesley Stahl. This may have been the first time in their 58-year history that 60 Minutes has profiled an FTC chair, but Lina Khan is not the “typical” FTC chair. President Joe Biden picked Lina Khan to head the FTC because she is a (maybe the) leading advocate for “neo-Brandeisians.” Named for former Supreme Court Justice (and progressive icon) Louis Brandeis, this movement seeks to restore the “big is de facto bad" approach that dominated antitrust from the passage of the...

Will Congress’ Chinese Derangement Syndrome Ground Drones?

by Norman Singleton | Jun 27, 2024 | Featured Articles

Those who hoped that our leaders have recovered from China Derangement Syndrome (CDS) may soon be disappointed. This is because Congress is considering including legislation targeting Chinese drone manufacturer DJI to this year’s National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). DJI is the world’s largest drone manufacturer and is estimated to control between 65% and 90% of the world’s drone market. DJI’s drones are user-friendly and can safely be operated even by novice drone users. One reason for DJI’s popularity is it protects their users’ privacy. DJI does not store user data within its system...

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