By Sarah Skwire Ludwig von Mises’s essay “Economic Calculation in the Socialist Commonwealth,” references Aristophanes’ play The Birds and the medieval fantasy of the idyllic and work-free Land of Cockaigne when Mises notes of socialist planners that, Economics as such figures all too sparsely in the glamorous pictures painted by the Utopians. They invariably explain how, … [Read more...] about Aristophanes, Central Planning, and the Enduring Appeal of Utopian Fantasies
Technology
California’s High-Speed Train Makes Solyndra Look Like a Bargain
By David Boaz The ongoing saga of California’s high-speed bullet train may end up being as classic a story of Democratic politicians’ hubris as the Solyndra debacle. The difference is that the bullet train is still going—well, not the train itself, but the taxpayer spending on the planning—despite some optimism earlier this year that Gov. Gavin Newsom was going to put the … [Read more...] about California’s High-Speed Train Makes Solyndra Look Like a Bargain
Electric Cars Aren’t Nearly as Green as People Think
By Catherine Alles For years, I’ve imagined how great it would be to own an electric car. Instead of spending almost 40 bucks every week or so on gas, I could just drop by my local outpost and charge my car while I buy organic vegetables. Wouldn’t that be great? Not only for myself but also for the environment? Maybe not. Although electric cars are a step in the right … [Read more...] about Electric Cars Aren’t Nearly as Green as People Think
We Should All Regulate Facebook and Google
By Max Gulker Our economy depends on the continued forward march of technological progress. But with this growth come new problems and, inevitably, new regulation. We must ensure that this regulation does not stifle tomorrow’s innovations, whose details we cannot predict in advance. In a recent New York Times op-ed, Kara Swisher zeroes in on the way the large tech … [Read more...] about We Should All Regulate Facebook and Google