By Richard M. Ebeling It seems that every generation or two, fundamental economic ideas are questioned and challenged. The reasonable and important idea that governments should balance their budgets on an annual basis was challenged in the 1930s by the rise of Keynesian Economics and the counter-argument that deficit spending was desirable, if it was used to maintain full … [Read more...] about Debt, Deficits and the Cost of Free Lunches
Richard Ebeling
The Plague of Meddling Political Busybodies
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
The Presidential Political Circus Has Begun
By Richard M. Ebeling Like the carnival side shows at the circus, the candidates for the Democratic party nomination — do I even need to name the more than 20 of them? — are all standing in front of their respective campaign tents trying to attract the potential voter onlookers to join them inside, hope for that campaign contribution and support during the primaries so they … [Read more...] about The Presidential Political Circus Has Begun
What 19th-Century Foreign Writers Said about American Freedom and Prosperity
By Richard M. Ebeling If you look at the results of relatively open and competitive market economies over the years, the decades, and especially the last two centuries, the only conclusion that can reasonably be reached is that free market liberal-oriented societies provide the conditions and opportunities for constant and continuous material and social betterment for the … [Read more...] about What 19th-Century Foreign Writers Said about American Freedom and Prosperity
Central Banking Is Central Planning
By Richard M. Ebeling At a time when the appeal of and demands for a new “democratic” socialism seem to have caught the imagination of many among the young and are reflected in the promises of a good number of political candidates running for high office, there is one already-existing socialist institution in America with few opponents: the Federal Reserve System. The … [Read more...] about Central Banking Is Central Planning