Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross Should Shut Up About Soup Cans, Already
If he believes this economically illiterate nonsense, he shouldn't be trusted to run the Department of Commerce. If he doesn't believe it, neither should you.
Economics
Trump Orders Tariffs on Steel and Aluminum. Can Congress Stop Him?
A 25 percent tariff on steel and a 10 percent tariff on aluminum will take effect in 15 days, unless GOP lawmakers take unusual steps to stop them.
Nordic 'Glass Ceiling' Shows How Gender Equity Suffers From Government Overreach
"The rise of the Nordic welfare state has been a double-edged sword" for women's professional progress.
U.S. Steel CEO Celebrates Tariffs That Will Help His Industry and Hurt Everyone Else
The benefits of a huge new tariff on steel will be highly concentrated in the steel industry, while the costs will be borne by other parts of the economy.
Trump's Tariffs Will Hurt America's Automobile Industry, Including Workers Who Build Cars
And the EU's response to the tariffs will whack workers who build motorcycles.
Rand Paul, on Trump: 'I Think He Will Sign Audit the Fed if We Can Get it to Him'
Given the state of the modern GOP, that's a very big "if." But the senator is trying for a vote again this week.
4 Bad Arguments for Trump's New Tariffs
When it comes to trade, the president believes a lot of nonsense.
Rand Paul: 'A Tariff Is Simply a Tax'
Senator tells Reason "most of the businesses in Kentucky are quite worried about a trade war." But will a weak Congress confront Trump?
Stossel: Trump's Steel Tariffs Will Hurt Americans
John Stossel says voluntary, free trade improves lives.
Trump's Steel Tariffs Will Help, Not Hurt, China
The proposed tariffs are an exercise in ego, not economics.
The Fruits-of-Their-Labor Clause
It's right there in the North Carolina Constitution -- and the N.C. Supreme Court has just enforced it, in a case brought by a public employee, but potentially applicable to economic liberty claims brought by private businesses in the future.
Trump's Impulsive Trade War Is Lousy Economics and Worrisome Politics
President's hasty new "trade war" will damage the American economy while continuing his process of removing tariff-reduction from two-party politics.
Trump Has Exposed the GOP's Shallowness on Fiscal Restraint and Free Markets
He's made the party's economic agenda an extension of the culture wars.
Trump's Tariffs Will Crush the Beer Industry
And they'll make lots of other things more expensive too.
Shocker! Rent Control Makes Housing Scarcer and More Expensive
San Francisco rent control reduced affected rental housing by 15 percent while boosting citywide rents by 5 percent.
Justice Kennedy Takes Aim at Public Sector Unions in Janus Oral Arguments
"It seems to me your argument doesn't have much weight."
Trumpism's Enduring Legacy to the GOP will be a Relentless Culture War
The party's commitment to fiscal restraint and limited government have vanished
Monday's Big Supreme Court Case Will Decide the Future of Public Sector Unions
Janus v. AFSCME could end mandatory union dues payment. Counter-intuitively, it might strengthen the labor movement.
Meet Mark Janus, Whose Supreme Court Case May End Compulsory Union Dues: Podcast
The social worker at the heart of Janus v. AFSCME explains why no public employee should be forced to pay union dues.
The Federal Government's Finances Are a Total Wreck
And the biggest liabilities don't even appear on the official balance sheet.
Countering the Threat of the Malicious Use of Artificial Intelligence
Are smart Roombas booby-trapped with bombs in our future?
Poker Champion Annie Duke on Making Smart Bets in Life, Politics, and Football
"Life is like poker," says Duke: Good choices and good outcomes don't always correlate.
When Governments Suspend Their Own Rules
Special economic zones can be anything from tools of crony capitalism to seeds of a freer world order.
Is Degrowth the Only Way to Save the World?
Welcome to the latest gussied up version of Malthusian eco-pessimism!
Trump's New Budget Plan Proves He Won't Even Pretend to Care About the Debt
The era of big government is far from over.
Put 'Humanity First,' Demands 2020 Democratic Presidential Candidate Andrew Yang
No robots need apply.
Trump Infrastructure Plan: Privatization, Deregulation, and Spending
The plan would see $200 billion in new federal spending, but it would also open up opportunities for private infrastructure investment.
Trump's New Budget Plan Is a Fiscal Disaster
The administration's spending blueprint continues the fiscal decline that began during the Bush era.
Trump Wants to Privatize the International Space Station
Which would be cool. But it probably won't happen anyway. So everybody chill.
Did We Get the Tea Party Wrong?: Podcast
An autopsy for the brief limited-government era of conservatism that ended on Friday
The Tea Party Is Officially Dead. It Was Killed by Partisan Politics.
I helped make the grassroots activist movement a reality. But now the party's over.
How GOP Fiscal Sanity Died, in 7 Easy Steps
Here are the moments when Republicans, including professed deficit hawks, snuffed out the 2009-2014 flicker of budgetary sanity
Economic Impacts of Climate Change Likely Limited in This Century, Says New Study
Combining econometric and climate models: How lucky do you feel?
What Jimmy Carter and Jerry Brown Can Teach Us About Deregulation
As we prepare for a new "era of limits," Democrats may need to reclaim their party's forgotten history of rolling back government.
3 Cheers for Capitalism: #MeToo Swimsuits, Girl Scout Cookies at Pot Shops, and Jimmy Buffett Not Begging For Food
If you ever wondered why free enterprise and capitalism triumphed over command economies and communism, I've got some answers right here.
The Senate Budget Deal Proves Republicans Love Government Spending
The GOP leadership cheers on a bipartisan spending spree.
Institute for Justice Sues New Jersey Over Ban on Home Bakers Selling Their Cakes
"These women can give their baked goods away for free."
Senate Reaches Bipartisan Deal to Keep the Government Open By Spending More Money On Everything
Both parties agree on more spending and bigger deficits.
L.A.'s New Trash Cartels Are Exactly the Dumpster Fire Critics Warned About
Exclusive city-mandated monopolies lead to sky-high prices and crappy service. Who could have predicted it?
Wait: The Government Is Incompetent, So We Want it To Do *More*?
The feds can't pass a budget or do much very well, yet a record level of Americans want it more involved in our lives. That's not as crazy as it seems.
Governments Hate Bitcoin and Cash for the Same Reason: They Protect People's Privacy.
Officials want to track every financial transaction you make, and they see cryptocurrencies and cash alike as barriers to achieving that goal.
The Dow Is Down. The Dow Is Up. Either Way, It's Not Because of the President.
Markets respond to politics, but presidents shouldn't claim control.
