Fifty years ago, on August 15, 1971, President Richard Nixon announced that the U.S. government would cease honoring its pledge to pay gold to redeem the dollars held by foreign central banks. Nixon declared he was taking “action necessary to defend the dollar against...
Economics
TGIF: Evict the President
by Sheldon Richman | Aug 13, 2021 | Economics, Featured Articles, Justice, Libertarianism, Politics, Sheldon Richman, TGIF
President Biden has reversed himself under pressure from his progressive flank and has given the go-ahead for a new moratorium on renter evictions throughout most of the United States for individuals making up to $99,000 a year (couples, $198,000). The twist is that...
Eviction Moratorium: A Postmortem on Private Property
by Michael Milano | Aug 11, 2021 | Economics, Featured Articles
At the beseeching of congressional Democrats and the fanatical urgings of Nancy Pelosi, who called the extension of the federal eviction moratorium a “moral imperative,” the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has issued a new nationwide ban on evictions...
Ending the 2021 Lockdowns Before They Start
by Ludwig von Mises Institute Editors | Aug 9, 2021 | Economics, Featured Articles
Sixteen months ago, in March 2020, we argued for an end to government-imposed shutdowns of businesses, schools, churches, restaurants, and events due to the covid virus: The shutdown of the American economy by government decree should end. The lasting and far-reaching...
Automation: A Luddite’s Dystopia and the Future of Work
by Marcos da Rocha Carvalho | Aug 4, 2021 | Economics, Featured Articles
Andrew Yang ran his presidential campaign on the promise of providing American citizens with a monthly stipend to counter the effects of job loss. According to Yang, “up to 30% of jobs are at risk of automation.” The fear of the impact of new technologies is nothing...
Biden’s New Budget Busting Bill
by Jim Bovard | Aug 3, 2021 | Economics, Featured Articles, Politics
Since the 1800s, surly Americans have derided politicians for spending tax dollars “like drunken sailors.” Until recently, that was considered a grave character fault. But Joe Biden’s American Rescue Plan Act shows that inebriated spending is now the path to national...
Is Wholefoods’ ‘Conscious Capitalism’ Effective Altruism
by Antony Sammeroff | Jul 27, 2021 | Economics, Featured Articles
Wholefoods, one of the most consciously ethical companies in the world, was picketed by animal rights activists in 2003. At first, CEO John Mackey was incensed. After all, Wholefoods are the good guys! Couldn't these would-be revolutionaries take their complaints to...
TGIF: Critical Race Theory and the Schools
by Sheldon Richman | Jul 23, 2021 | Economics, Featured Articles, Justice, Libertarianism, Sheldon Richman
The government's K-12 schools--aka "public schools--are once again a battleground on which a bitter dispute is playing out. Wait!--once again? The government's schools have been a battleground since their inception in the 19th century. Since that's where the children...