Counter Markets

Financial Newsletter for Free Marketeers and Libertarian Entrepreneurs

Regulations

Proposed Federal Vaping Ban Is Bigger Than Vaping

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By John Michaels The Trump administration is aggressively pushing an unconstitutional ban on all flavored vape products after reports that over 1,000 people have become ill and roughly two-dozen people have died, supposedly from “vaping.” Vaping has been called an “epidemic” even though vaping has been around for over 10 years with no prior reports of anything like this … [Read more...] about Proposed Federal Vaping Ban Is Bigger Than Vaping

How Government Regulations Mean Fewer Doctors

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By Paul Boyce The physician shortage is real, present, and only set to worsen. A recent analysis by the of American Medical Association Colleges projected a shortage of up to 122,000 physicians by 2032. This is firstly impacted by an aging population. As the baby boomers come into retirement, demand will increase rapidly. To make matters worse, roughly 33 percent of … [Read more...] about How Government Regulations Mean Fewer Doctors

You Can’t Create Jobs by Outlawing Work

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By Michael Munger The difference between contractors and employees is important. A “contractor,” from the Latin verb to draw together different things, is someone who brings their own tools and skills, and does a (relatively) brief stint of work in a defined task. An “employee,” from the Latin verb to be entangled, associated, or connected, is someone who predictably works … [Read more...] about You Can’t Create Jobs by Outlawing Work

Did California Just Kill the Gig Economy?

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By Brittany Hunter California may have just passed a death sentence on the gig economy. Late Tuesday night, as many California residents slept in their beds, the state legislature passed a bill that is expected to impact hundreds of thousands of independent contractors across the state. For months now, the state assembly has been debating controversial legislation … [Read more...] about Did California Just Kill the Gig Economy?

What Vexes Small Business More than Taxes and Regulations?

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By Jeffrey A. Tucker The latest survey of small business contains a surprise. Or maybe it is not a surprise if you are or know a small business owner. Over the last six years, the concerns of taxes and regulations are being eclipsed by a new number-one concern: the lack of quality in the workforce. Now, what does quality in staffing mean? It could mean skills. In the … [Read more...] about What Vexes Small Business More than Taxes and Regulations?

Massachusetts’ Addiction to Regulation Keeps Most Pot Sales on the Black Market

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By Max Gulker Since Massachusetts residents passed a 2016 referendum legalizing recreational cannabis, the fate of the industry has largely been in the hands of the state’s Cannabis Control Commission. Having licensed 23 pot stores across the state, and set rules for individual growers, the commission is now drafting rules for marijuana delivery services. You may be … [Read more...] about Massachusetts’ Addiction to Regulation Keeps Most Pot Sales on the Black Market

The High Cost of Occupational Licensing

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By Antony Sammeroff One of the most fundamental things about economics — which many people who are passionate about politics do not understand — is that the economy is not like a chess board where you can move one piece with deterministic and predictable consequences. On the contrary, an economy is an intricate fabric of interrelated institutions and actors all of whom act … [Read more...] about The High Cost of Occupational Licensing

From Booze to Bitcoin Mining – Why Violent Prohibition Is Always Harmful

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Op-Ed by Graham Smith Stories continue to emerge about newly discovered illegal mining operations being busted by state and corporate authorities. Just last week Iranian media reported the seizure of 177 Bitcoin mining units worth over $270,000 being smuggled via truck in the Arak region. On July 31, Russia’s Kraskom power company reported illegal siphoning of power from … [Read more...] about From Booze to Bitcoin Mining – Why Violent Prohibition Is Always Harmful

Competition Should Be Neither Restricted Nor Mandated

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By Connie Lin Imagine two different track races. In the first race, there are 100 competitors who are all Olympic athletes. In the second race, there are 100 competitors, but all of them are obese yet were eligible to enter because of connections with the coach. Which race has more competition? They both have the same number of competitors, but obviously, that does not … [Read more...] about Competition Should Be Neither Restricted Nor Mandated

How Regulation Wrecks Innovation

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By Adam Thierer Even in an age of hyper-partisanship, people still like a good underdog story and few are better than the small start-ups taking on the giants of industry. Entrepreneurialism helps create jobs, innovations, and other economic and social opportunities. It’s a story everyone can get behind. Everybody, that is, except the incumbents and their political … [Read more...] about How Regulation Wrecks Innovation

The Plague of Meddling Political Busybodies

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By Richard M. Ebeling Who knows what might be better or best for you? You or those in the government? We all make mistakes and misjudgments, but who is most likely to have a wider and deeper appreciation of your wants and desires, you or a bureaucrat in an often-faraway government agency? Who is more likely to have an insight into the options and opportunities for achieving … [Read more...] about The Plague of Meddling Political Busybodies