By Gor Mkrtchian Protected public lands in the United States — including national forests, national parks, and similar areas — cover nearly 500,000 square miles, or 14 percent of the land area of the United States. The existence of these government-controlled lands gives the federal government immense power over much of the United States, and in some US states, the federal … [Read more...] about Privatizing Public Lands Doesn’t Mean Turning Them Into Shopping Centers
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Subjective Value: Why One Man’s Trash Is Another Man’s Treasure
By Mitchell Harvey I have a friend who recently returned to her home in Germany after finishing her studies at Monash. Having spent the last two years modeling profit-optimizing and utility-maximizing behavior, she is now baffled by the habits of her parents. Apparently, in Germany, it is incredibly easy to get high-quality bike parts online at very low prices. Despite … [Read more...] about Subjective Value: Why One Man’s Trash Is Another Man’s Treasure
The Past Is a Nice Place to Visit. You Wouldn’t Want to Live There.
By Art Carden “Wouldn’t it have been nice to live in the past, when things were so much simpler? When we were rooted and connected? When we lived in harmony with one another, with nature, and with the generations that came before us?” You’ve probably heard someone say that or something like it. Nostalgia for “the good old days” puzzles me because quite frankly, they were … [Read more...] about The Past Is a Nice Place to Visit. You Wouldn’t Want to Live There.
Support for $15 Minimum Wage Plummets When Americans Are Told Its Economic Impact
By Jon Miltimore Minimum wage laws, I’ve noted, are popular with the public. This no doubt explains why House Democrats passed a bill Thursday that would raise the federal minimum wage to $15 an hour. Yet the minimum wage’s apparent popularity might be political pyrite (fool’s gold). A newly published Business Insider survey found that support for the minimum wage … [Read more...] about Support for $15 Minimum Wage Plummets When Americans Are Told Its Economic Impact
When Government Fails, Communities Take Care of Themselves
By Kira English People often assume that government welfare programs provide the resources and safety net that local communities cannot. But in the early- and mid-20th century, systemic racism often meant that African American communities were excluded from government welfare programs. In the face of this injustice, we see numerous examples of communities stepping up to take … [Read more...] about When Government Fails, Communities Take Care of Themselves
Bitcoin Mining And Money Laundering
By Vin Armani Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only, you should not construe any such information or other material as legal, tax, investment, financial, or other advice. The ignorant view on Bitcoin, at least since the Silk Road takedown, has been that “Bitcoin is used for crime.” The media’s scandalizing of the Silk Road story certainly introduced … [Read more...] about Bitcoin Mining And Money Laundering
What The 15-Hour Work Week Prophets Failed To Account For
By Saul Zimet There is a utopian vision shared by hard workers everywhere: One day we will look back on all our accomplishments and say “at last, the age of respite and luxury has finally arrived!” But as the forecasted luxury manifests all around us, the respite is nowhere in sight. John Maynard Keynes, one of history’s most influential economists, predicted in 1930 that … [Read more...] about What The 15-Hour Work Week Prophets Failed To Account For
Bitcoin and Voluntaryism – Where Libertarian Philosophy Meets Crypto
By Graham Smith For the uninitiated, voluntaryism is a philosophy based on consent. In the simplest terms it says: “If it’s not voluntary, it’s not moral.” This basic statement is often countered with “Yes, but not everyone agrees on that, some people use violence to get what they want.” This is 100% true. And this is why voluntaryists are not pacifists, but believe in and … [Read more...] about Bitcoin and Voluntaryism – Where Libertarian Philosophy Meets Crypto
4 Ways Employers Respond to Minimum Wage Laws (Besides Laying Off Workers)
By John Phelan Most of you will be familiar with a supply and demand graph. This shows a demand curve, which graphs the relationship between the price of something and the quantity demanded of that something, as well as a supply curve, which graphs the relationship between the price of something and the quantity supplied of that something. It is probably the most basic—and … [Read more...] about 4 Ways Employers Respond to Minimum Wage Laws (Besides Laying Off Workers)
America Outperforms Canada in Surgery Wait Times—And It’s Not Even Close
By Kevin Pham Canadian Medicare, our northern neighbor’s universal health care system, generally receives rave reviews from proponents of nationalized or socialized health care, but the Fraser Institute found that more than 63,000 Canadians left their country to have surgery in 2016. As Americans contemplate overturning our health system in favor of one similar to … [Read more...] about America Outperforms Canada in Surgery Wait Times—And It’s Not Even Close
What If Charity Replaced Taxation?
By Jean Vilbert Health care. Education. Among others, these goods have been considered so important that most current governments make a huge effort to provide them to people with inadequate incomes. Surely, it would be crazy to deny how important these goods are. In a 2016 survey conducted by Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) titled “The 2016 US … [Read more...] about What If Charity Replaced Taxation?
Why Do You Have a Boss?
By Michael Munger Economists love markets. Markets tell us what to do, in efficient, decentralized ways, through the signals conveyed by prices. Prices tell you how much someone else values the thing you are considering using, even if you don’t know who that person is. But one economist, Ronald H. Coase, had an annoying question, way back in the 1930s. His question was … [Read more...] about Why Do You Have a Boss?