By Jeffrey A. Tucker If you test positive or refuse to be tested at all in New Zealand, prepare to be shipped out to a quarantine camp recently established by the government. Shocking, yes, but we have an analogous system in the US. If you test positive (which is not the same as actually being sick), you will be removed from school or forbidden from coming into the office. … [Read more...] about Lockdowns Recreated a Pre-Modern Caste System
Trends & Strategies for Maximum Freedom
Trick-or-Treating Bans Are the Scariest Part of Halloween in 2020
By Kerry McDonald Halloween is creepy this year and it has nothing to do with the costumes and face paint. Several cities and counties have placed an outright ban on children’s trick-or-treating due to COVID-19 fears, while others are strongly urging families to forgo the practice. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) advises individuals and families to … [Read more...] about Trick-or-Treating Bans Are the Scariest Part of Halloween in 2020
Government Should Address the Monopolies It Created Before Tackling Big Tech
By Nicholas Anthony It may be the age of technology, but things are not looking good for Facebook, Google, Amazon, and Apple. The House Judiciary Subcommittee on Antitrust, Commercial, and Administrative Law has concluded their 17-month investigation into the big four. They argue that “companies that once were scrappy, underdog startups that challenged the status quo have … [Read more...] about Government Should Address the Monopolies It Created Before Tackling Big Tech
How to Limit Social Media’s Power without Growing Government
Op-Ed by Peter St. Onge Censorship by private companies is a topic that divides free marketers but has suddenly become important in the wake of Twitter and Facebook’s recent attempts to squash a New York Post story alleging corruption in the Biden family. Last year, economist James Miller argued that just as the power company can’t turn off your electricity for being a Trump … [Read more...] about How to Limit Social Media’s Power without Growing Government
Why There is No Such Thing as an Exploitative Monopoly in a Free Market
By Per Bylund What's a telltale sign of economic illiteracy? I'm starting to believe the worst is the claim that markets lead to monopoly and the accumulation of wealth in a few hands. Why? Because it makes no sense at all on the face of it and has no logical explanation, so it is indicative of fundamental confusion and misunderstanding. Granted, many great thinkers … [Read more...] about Why There is No Such Thing as an Exploitative Monopoly in a Free Market
The New Feudalism
By Jeffrey A. Tucker On February 28, the idea of locking down and smashing economies and human rights the world over was unthinkable to most of us but lustily imagined by intellectuals hoping to conduct a new social/political experiment. On that day, New York Times reporter Donald McNeil released a shocking article: To Take On the Coronavirus, Go Medieval on It. He was … [Read more...] about The New Feudalism
Major Social Media Companies Aren’t the Good Guys — They’re Also Not Monopolists
Op-Ed by Ryan McMaken There are plenty of good reasons to hate social media. It negatively affects mental health. It provides a skewed and inaccurate view of the real world. It is a tool of manipulation employed by deeply partisan billionaires. But there is one thing that every social media company is not: a monopoly. Yet, some critics of these companies casually throw … [Read more...] about Major Social Media Companies Aren’t the Good Guys — They’re Also Not Monopolists
New Report Shows Stunning Success of Apprenticeship Program as College Alternative
By Brad Polumbo The average American college student graduates with $30,000 in debt, and the cost of college has more than doubled since 1985 even after accounting for inflation. Unfortunately, due to a lack of other options, many students feel forced into this expensive system even when they can’t afford it or don’t really need a traditional college degree to pursue their … [Read more...] about New Report Shows Stunning Success of Apprenticeship Program as College Alternative
Socialist Critique of Libertarian Children’s Books Drives Massive Surge in Sales
By Kerry McDonald As Connor Boyack recently discovered, there is no such thing as bad publicity. The creator of the popular Tuttle Twins children’s book series, which reinforces libertarian values and free-market principles, saw his book sales surge after an established progressive magazine wrote a lengthy feature article attacking the books. Current Affairs published the … [Read more...] about Socialist Critique of Libertarian Children’s Books Drives Massive Surge in Sales
How Not to Respond to Alarming Social Media Censorship
Op-Ed by Yaël Ossowski Call it election interference, censorship, or simple editorializing, but Twitter and Facebook's throttling of several New York Post articles this week has drawn lots of criticism. The stories allege that Hunter Biden, former Vice President Joe Biden’s son, introduced Ukrainian energy adviser Vadym Pozharskyi to his father after receiving … [Read more...] about How Not to Respond to Alarming Social Media Censorship
New Study Pegs COVID-19 Crisis Costs at $16 Trillion—So Far
By Jon Miltimore Estimated costs of the coronavirus pandemic are in. The results are not pretty. A new study co-authored by Harvard economist David M. Cutler and former World Bank chief economist Lawrence H. Summers places the costs of the COVID-19 pandemic north of $16 trillion. “The estimated cumulative financial costs of the COVID-19 pandemic related to the lost … [Read more...] about New Study Pegs COVID-19 Crisis Costs at $16 Trillion—So Far
Why COVID Kids May Grow Up To Be Libertarians
By Emma Elliott Freire The Coronavirus crisis hit children as hard as any other segment of the population. All familiar routines were suddenly ripped away from them. Thousands are still doing school online. Many state mask mandates include young children. For children old enough to remember it in the future, the year of Coronavirus will be a significant event in their … [Read more...] about Why COVID Kids May Grow Up To Be Libertarians