COVID Stimulus Money Lined the Pockets of Scammers and Fueled Inflation
Money supposedly spent to help Americans may actually have done a lot of damage.
Economics
Brussels Mayor Attempts To Shut Down National Conservatism Conference by Force
It's a good thing opponents of the move can appeal to the liberal values of free speech, free association, and equal treatment under law.
Study Finds Occupational Licensing Laws Depress Wages in Other Industries
A Cato Institute policy brief found that while licensed occupations see a nice bump in pay, licensing requirements lower wages for other similar occupations.
Government Data Refute the Notion That Overprescribing Caused the 'Opioid Crisis'
The CDC’s numbers show that pain treatment is not responsible for escalating drug-related deaths.
U.S. Defense Spending Continues To Spiral Out of Control
Increased spending does not automatically equate to higher quality—something that is often lost in this debate.
Minneapolis Is About To Kill Ride-Sharing
Chasing Seattle's shadow, Minneapolis' new ride-share wage law threatens to derail the gig economy.
Don't Forget To Claim Drug Dealing Income on Your Taxes
According to IRS guidance, any income derived from illegal activity is taxable, and there's no statute of limitations on when they can go after you.
Poll: Americans Don't Think All This Government Is Worth What We Pay for It
The situation is more dire when you consider how much federal spending is financed by debt.
California Politician Proposes Bill Making It Illegal To Contact Employees After Working Hours
State Rep. Matt Haney says he wants to attract workers back to California. But his "right to disconnect" legislation would likely scare businesses away.
Say No to This: America's Fiscal Norms Are in Decline
Despite their informal nature, those norms have historically constrained U.S. fiscal policy. But they're eroding.
J.D. Vance Thinks U.S. Steel's Shareholders Weren't Adequately Warned of J.D. Vance's Efforts To Block Sale
Vance's latest gambit is pretty nonsensical, intellectually embarrassing, and obviously self-serving. But that doesn't mean that it's not dangerous too.
Inflation Is So Back
Consumer prices rose 0.4 percent in March and the annual inflation rate ticked up to 3.5 percent, the highest rate seen since September.
New Federal Rules for Independent Contractors Will Destroy Freelancers' Livelihoods
A similar law in California had disastrous consequences.
Milei Sets Aside Dollarization Plan Due to Politics
In a recent interview, the Argentine president said he would have ended up in prison if he dollarized the economy.
Congress Could Overturn a New Rule Limiting Credit Card Late Fees. Good.
Sen. Tim Scott introduced a bill Monday to block the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's action by invoking the Congressional Review Act.
Congress Could Swipe Your Credit Card Reward Points
Sens. Dick Durbin and J.D. Vance want to put the Federal Reserve in charge of credit card reward programs.
Biden Announces Second Attempt at Widespread Student Loan Forgiveness
The new plan is much less ambitious than the president's 2022 blanket forgiveness effort, mostly relying on an expansion of previous smaller-scale debt cancelation schemes.
Mississippi Tethers Real Estate Agents to Outdated Rule
As remote work becomes the new normal, Mississippi's insistence on an archaic 50-mile radius for real estate supervision faces scrutiny.
Baptists, Bootleggers, and IVF in Alabama
Did the Alabama legislature's response to a controversial state supreme court decision give a special interest special treatment?
Progress, Rediscovered
A new movement promoting scientific, technological, and economic solutions to humanity's problems emerges.
Did Capitalism Fail During the Pandemic?
Columnist Joe Nocera debates Soho Forum Director Gene Epstein.
San Francisco Bill Would Let People Sue Grocery Stores for Closing Too Quickly
A proposed ordinance would empower people to sue supermarkets that close without giving the city six months' advance notice.
What the Biden Administration Could Learn From California's Attempt To Ban Independent Contracting
Instead, the White House is pushing for similar job-killing regulations on the national level.
Review: This Young Podcaster Is Channeling Adam Smith
A locked-down high schooler started asking libertarian thinkers what people in her generation should know.
Marco Rubio Is Wrong About Industrial Policy
Breaking down Rubio's factually flawed and logically incoherent call for more government involvement in the economy.
Politicians Are Showering Manufacturing Companies With Crony Subsidies for 'Job Creation.' It Won't Work.
These handouts will flow to businesses—often big and rich—for projects they would likely have taken on anyway.
Taxpayers Refuse To Pay New Stadium Expenses for Billionaire Sports Owners
Jackson County, Missouri, voted not to extend a sales tax that would have benefited the Chiefs and the Royals.
Drug Dealers Did Not Kill Cecilia Gentili. Prohibition Did.
If drug warriors really wanted to punish "those responsible" for the transgender activist's death, they would start by arresting themselves.
Why Palantir Cofounder Joe Lonsdale Left California for Texas
The entrepreneur, who founded the Cicero Institute to fix government and the University of Austin to fix higher education, wanted space to flourish.
With Rising Debt, the U.S. Federal Government Is in Bad Company
Governments around the world have been on a borrowing spree, and prosperity has suffered.
Trump and Biden Both Get Globalization Wrong
Free trade brings us more stuff at lower prices.
No, Biden's New Rail Crew Mandate Doesn't Make 'Common Sense'
Requiring two-person crews on freight trains wouldn't have prevented the East Palestine disaster. It's simply a giveaway to Biden's labor union allies.
Trump's and Biden's Terrible Tariffs
Plus: A listener asks if Trump or Biden have done anything to secure the blessings of liberty.
Turkey's Strongman Had a No Good, Very Bad Weekend
The Turkish opposition ran circles around President Recep Tayyib Erdogan's party in local elections. It could be the beginning of the end of his 20-year reign.
Biden Is Against Corporate Welfare Except When He's for It
Government officials seek to shape the economy to the liking of politicians.
E.U. Regulations Created a Port Wine Black Market
Over 1,500 types of wine are protected by European Union regulations.
Taxpayers Will Soon Find Out if They'll Have To Finance Fancy Stadiums for the Chiefs and the Royals
Jackson County, Missouri, residents should not be billed for the undertakings of private businesses.
Minimum Wage Laws Make for Great Politics, but Fewer Jobs
Hiking wages through law is a crowd-pleaser, but it kills employment unless you’re a robot.
Milei To Slash 70,000 Government Jobs To Reform Argentina's Economy
The cuts are part of the president's broader strategy to achieve fiscal balance at any cost.
Report: Trump's Proposed Tariff Would Cost Families $1,500 Annually
A 10 percent tariff on all imports would trigger more inflation at the grocery store, particularly for products such as fresh fruit and coffee.
Most Americans Aren't Buying Biden's Misleading Narrative That the Economy Is Getting Better
The question of how best to measure inflation has no single and straightforward answer, but most people know that the president's economic claims aren't true.
The Immigrant Workers Who Died on the Baltimore Bridge Were Hardworking Heroes
The Key Bridge collapse highlighted the valuable contributions of immigrant workers, many of whom take on foreseeable—and, in this case, unforeseeable—risks.
New Georgia Law Limits Film Tax Credits. But Marvel Would Still Qualify.
While the state senate's bill would cap tax credits at 2.3 percent of the state's budget, any production filming at a big enough studio would be exempt.
Squatters Invaded His Mom's House—so He Fought Back
Thanks to "squatters' rights" laws, evicting a squatter can be so expensive and cumbersome that some people simply walk away from their homes.
Biden and Trump Try To Wish Away the Looming Entitlement Crisis
Neither presidential candidate is willing to back the reforms necessary to close the gap between revenue and benefits.
How Capitalism Beat Communism in Vietnam
It only took a generation to go from ration cards to exporting electronics.
