By Kerry McDonald As officials in many areas impose new pandemic lockdowns and restrictions going into the holiday season, things can seem bleak. Depression rates are up, people are fleeing cities in droves, elected leaders regularly violate their own orders, and fraud is rampant in the government’s COVID-19 stimulus programs. It’s understandable to feel frustration and … [Read more...] about Entrepreneurship Is Accelerating at the Fastest Rate in Decades During This Pandemic
Entrepreneurship
New Jersey Slaps Lyft With $16 Million Tax Bill, Continuing Pressure On “Gig Economy” Business Model
By Tyler Durden While Uber and Lyft may have found some respite on Election Day, with California voters allowing the two companies to continue to function as "gig" companies that don't need to take on the liabilities of employing their independent contractors, that doesn't mean the ridesharing giants won't face continued business model pressures elsewhere in the … [Read more...] about New Jersey Slaps Lyft With $16 Million Tax Bill, Continuing Pressure On “Gig Economy” Business Model
Why Everyone is Vulnerable When the Government Determines the Essentialness of Someone’s Livelihood
By Sam Bocetta Did you ever think that there would come a time when going to work or meeting with consenting individuals would be acts punishable under the law? Or if going to a grocery store or something as basic as getting a haircut would be forbidden by the authorities? To say that the coronavirus has changed the world as we knew it is an understatement. It has made … [Read more...] about Why Everyone is Vulnerable When the Government Determines the Essentialness of Someone’s Livelihood
How to Be a Producer In a Nation of Consumers
By Daisy Luther In this world, there are two kinds of people. You can be a consumer or you can be a producer. Neither one is inherently good or bad – these are just descriptive terms. You can produce 100% of your own food and have a terrible heart, one that rejoices in the misfortune of others. You can never produce a single thing in your whole life and be kind and … [Read more...] about How to Be a Producer In a Nation of Consumers
Uber, Lyft Shares Soar After California Voters Pass Proposition 22
By Tyler Durden According to the Associated Press, gig economy companies Uber Technologies Inc., Lyft Inc., and DoorDash Inc. have prevailed in their expensive quest to keep drivers classified as independent contractors. California voters approved Proposition 22 Tuesday evening, which would exempt gig-economy companies from a state law requiring them to classify their … [Read more...] about Uber, Lyft Shares Soar After California Voters Pass Proposition 22
5 Economic Principles My Kids Learned on Halloween
By Kerry McDonald Halloween is the perfect holiday for children to discover the humanity of trade. Trick-or-treating may be the main attraction, but the spontaneous candy swap negotiations that occur afterwards are often just as enjoyable and help children learn important economic principles. Fortunately, my community was not one of those to ban trick-or-treating this … [Read more...] about 5 Economic Principles My Kids Learned on Halloween
Is Self-Sufficiency Possible? — James Corbett, Sal The Agorist, Peter Quinones and Ernest Hancock
By The Corbett Report Derrick writes in to ask about agorism, self-sufficiency and trade without fiat currency. To help answer this important question, James talks to Sal The Agorist, Peter Quinones and Ernest Hancock. ? SHOW NOTES An Agorist Primer “Agorism” on corbettreport.com SalTheAgorist.com Community Technology by Karl Hess The Survival Podcast … [Read more...] about Is Self-Sufficiency Possible? — James Corbett, Sal The Agorist, Peter Quinones and Ernest Hancock
Entrepreneurship Is Skyrocketing During the Pandemic
By Kerry McDonald The pandemic and related government lockdowns have caused widespread economic and social disruption over the past several months. There is much to despair about, as tens of thousands of small businesses have permanently closed and rates of depression and suicide rise. Yet, there are signs of hope. Uncertainty and fear might stop many of us from taking risks … [Read more...] about Entrepreneurship Is Skyrocketing During the Pandemic
Private Enterprise Fuels the Community
By Max Gulker Residents of Berkshire County, the mostly rural far-western slice of Massachusetts where AIER makes its home, joke that Bostonians don’t know the final fifty miles of their state exists. Kudos to the Boston Globe, therefore, for gazing past Springfield and Amherst to tiny Housatonic–population just over one thousand–at the edge of that frontier. The … [Read more...] about Private Enterprise Fuels the Community
Don’t Scapegoat Business for Mask Mandates
Op-Ed by Barry Brownstein Many days my Facebook feed includes another indignant post from someone who when asked to wear a mask responded by righteously refusing to patronize the business. If it’s about a restaurant, the poster typically includes a tedious recital of a conversation with the manager. The offended customer claims to expose the illogic of being able to sit … [Read more...] about Don’t Scapegoat Business for Mask Mandates
The Resilience and Brilliance of the World’s Poorest: The Case of Pagpag
By Art Carden Global poverty has been falling dramatically over the last few decades, but a lot of people in the world still live in conditions that are absolutely appalling by the standards of the developed world. We insult them, though, by seeing them as mere victims or by blaming them for their plight when, for most of the poor people throughout history, they have been … [Read more...] about The Resilience and Brilliance of the World’s Poorest: The Case of Pagpag
Ride Sharing and the Absurdity of “Protecting” Workers Out of a Job
By Raymond C. Niles Lyft and Uber have gotten a temporary reprieve and have been walked back from the gallows. A California appeals court has issued a temporary restraining order barring enforcement of California law AB5, which would have forced both companies to reclassify their drivers as employees, rather than as independent contractors. Both companies had planned to shut … [Read more...] about Ride Sharing and the Absurdity of “Protecting” Workers Out of a Job