Justice
TGIF: Full versus Shrunken Liberalism
by Sheldon Richman | Oct 11, 2024 | Economics, Featured Articles, Foreign Policy, History, Justice, Libertarianism, Politics, Sheldon Richman, TGIF
Language, like the old common law and other customs, is a decentralized, undesigned, spontaneous institution. It serves humanity well. Nothing is perfect, of course, but no alternative—if one were conceivable—could hold a candle to it. One of the downsides is that...
TGIF: Tariffying Trade-Warmonger Trump
by Sheldon Richman | Oct 4, 2024 | Economics, Foreign Policy, Justice, Libertarianism, Politics, Sheldon Richman, TGIF
"The word tariff, properly used, is a beautiful word. One of the most beautiful words I’ve ever heard. It’s music to my ears." —Donald Trump The once and possibly future president threatens to wage economic warfare against countries and companies everywhere if they...
TGIF: Who Cares about Inequality?
by Sheldon Richman | Sep 27, 2024 | Economics, Featured Articles, Justice, Politics, Sheldon Richman, TGIF
What accounts for the preoccupation with income and wealth inequality? We hear about it every day. Isn't our absolute living standard what matters and whether it is improving or deteriorating? I'll bet that's what regular people care about. However, the professional...
TGIF: “We Are All Social Engineers Now”
by Sheldon Richman | Sep 20, 2024 | Economics, Featured Articles, Justice, Politics, Sheldon Richman, TGIF
I don't know if anyone has actually said, "We are all social engineers now," but someone might as well have. (The variation "We are all Keynesians now" was declared a long time ago, even by Milton Friedman, although see this.) When I say "all," of course, I don't mean...
TGIF: What Government Has Wrought
by Sheldon Richman | Sep 6, 2024 | Economics, Featured Articles, Justice, Libertarianism, Politics, Sheldon Richman, TGIF
Imagine two candidates for president, and ask yourself who is more likely to win. Candidate A observes that people are facing generally rising prices. Their total at the supermarket checkout is higher than last year. Filling up the car at the gas station takes a...
TGIF: Doing Good at a Profit
by Sheldon Richman | Aug 30, 2024 | Economics, Featured Articles, Justice, Politics, Sheldon Richman, TGIF
[P]eople started to believe that the bourgeoisie and its economic activities of trade and innovation were virtuous, or at least tolerable. In every successful lurch into modern riches from Holland in 1650 to the United States in 1900 to China in 2000, one sees a...
TGIF: Back to Barbarism
by Sheldon Richman | Aug 23, 2024 | Economics, Featured Articles, Justice, Politics, Sheldon Richman, TGIF
Has Kamala Harris inadvertently done free-market advocates a favor? Let's not get too hopeful, but maybe. How so? By pandering to voters and marketing herself as a consumer watchdog who will stamp out (undefined) supermarket "price gouging." This could create teaching...