By Barry Brownstein Your morning cup of coffee, A.J. Jacobs wants you to know, is a miracle of human cooperation. Jacobs writes in his book, Thanks A Thousand: A Gratitude Journey, “This marvel I see before me is the result of thousands of human beings collaborating across dozens of countries.” Jacobs continues: It took the combined labor of artists, chemists, politicians, … [Read more...] about I, Coffee: Why You Should Thank 1,000 People for Your Cup of Morning Joe
Free Market
6 Reasons for Optimism in 2020
By Tyler Brandt “The 2010s have been the best decade ever. The evidence is overwhelming.” Those are the words of Cato Institute senior fellow Johan Norberg, penned in an op-ed for the Wall Street Journal. Norberg’s words seem hyperbolic at first glance, but he may be right. In many ways, the world is getting better every day, and at an explosive rate. This is contrary … [Read more...] about 6 Reasons for Optimism in 2020
Healthcare and “Market Failure”
By Marc Fouradoulas In the face of illness and suffering, private markets for healthcare services allegedly fail. Since the 1960s, neoclassical economists have legitimized the regulation and collectivization of this sector under the term "market failure." This assumption forms the foundation of the discipline of health economics and its attempt to replace the failed market … [Read more...] about Healthcare and “Market Failure”
The Wealth Redistribution Scam That Is “Inflation”
By Thorsten Polleit The world over people are told that central banks pursue “price stability” by making sure that consumer goods prices do not rise by more than 2 percent per annum. This is, of course, a big sham. If the prices of goods rise over time, it does not take that much to understand that prices do not remain stable. And if the prices of goods increase over time, … [Read more...] about The Wealth Redistribution Scam That Is “Inflation”
The Miracle of the Free Market
By Richard M. Ebeling One of the great fallacies arrogantly believed in by those in political power is the notion that they can know enough to manage and command the lives of everyone in society with better results than if people are left to live their own lives as they freely choose. The fact is, there is far more in the world that successfully manages and “regulates” … [Read more...] about The Miracle of the Free Market
Violence, Homesteading, and the Origins of Private Property
By David Gordon Those who us who accept self-ownership and a Lockean account of property acquisition must face an important objection. In this account, self-owners occupy land and other natural resources, in that way acquiring exclusive rights to the land or resources. Once they done so, they may transfer their titles to the property they have acquired through exchange or … [Read more...] about Violence, Homesteading, and the Origins of Private Property
The Link Between Prosperity and Freedom Is Even Stronger than You Think
By Vincent Geloso For some decades now, economists have assembled data measuring “economic freedom” in order to create an index that can be tracked over time. The idea of an index of economic freedom is to measure the extent to which individuals are free to pursue their self-interest and how secure are the fruits of this pursuit. Some 400 articles have been written using … [Read more...] about The Link Between Prosperity and Freedom Is Even Stronger than You Think
US Government Worried Crypto Can Shift Power to Private Sector
By Kevin Helms Cryptocurrency is one of the top issues for the U.S. Treasury. Particularly, the Treasury is worried decentralized cryptocurrencies can shift some functions away from the government to the private sector and raise the issue of self-government, according to Deputy Secretary of the Treasury Justin Muzinich. Also read: US to Strictly Enforce Crypto Rules … [Read more...] about US Government Worried Crypto Can Shift Power to Private Sector
Free Competition Is Voluntary Cooperation
By E.C. Harwood From the viewpoint of anyone who is considering all the economic activities of a social group, “free competition” is another name for voluntary cooperation. This may seem a surprising statement, especially in modern times when many advocates of cooperative enterprise are criticizing competition and the profit motive. That cooperation is the opposite of … [Read more...] about Free Competition Is Voluntary Cooperation
How Cronyism Created New York City’s Taxi Medallion Bubble
By Daniel Kowalski If one wanted to study the difference between an industry that exists in a very free market and its exact counterpart in a system of extreme government regulation, then you don’t need to look further than the New York City taxi industry. New York City yellow cabs entered government regulation in 1937 when city officials decided that something needed to be … [Read more...] about How Cronyism Created New York City’s Taxi Medallion Bubble
Free Markets Promote Those Who Peacefully Improve Others’ Lives
By Gary M. Galles Dog-eat-dog, “survival of the fittest” rhetoric has long been a favorite grenade thrown by opponents of private property, voluntary exchange systems (i.e., capitalism without crony as a modifier). But it is striking that they never answer a central question without which their verbal assaults are logically meaningless—fit for what? Fit as Determined by … [Read more...] about Free Markets Promote Those Who Peacefully Improve Others’ Lives
How to Make Health Care Unaffordable and Inaccessible
By Bradley Thomas Whether it’s Medicare for All or some other variant of a single-payer plan, the leading 2020 Democratic presidential candidates are in agreement that more government control will make health care more affordable and accessible. The presumption behind these plans is that there is currently too much freedom in the health care industry, and only more state … [Read more...] about How to Make Health Care Unaffordable and Inaccessible