The Financial Markets Are Spooked by Debt, So Why Aren't We?: Podcast
Reason editors debate The Memo, situational libertarianism, Super Bowl highlights, and the political road back to fiscal sanity.
Economics
Woman Still Getting Civil-War Survivor Benefits Shows How Federal Policies Mortgage the Future
Abraham Lincoln couldn't have dreamed that 21st-century Americans would still be paying for pensions created under him.
Stockton's 'Basic Income' Plan Diverts City From Its Real Duties
The city wants to spend a grant it got giving residents $500 a month for two years.
California Politicians Want to Create a Government-Owned Marijuana Bank
Federal pot prohibition breeds state socialism.
What About the Debt? Trump's SOTU Ignores a $20 Trillion Time Bomb
If a Republican president can't address a Republican-controlled Congress without paying lip service to the idea of cutting spending, what good are Republicans?
Sadly, America's Not the Freest Country in the World
The U.S. used to come in second or third in rankings, but according to the latest Human Freedom Index it's at 17.
Nope, Trump Doesn't Get Credit for Low Black Unemployment
Some of Trump's economic policies could be good for everyone, including African Americans. But those numbers aren't his doing.
Free Banking for Bitcoin? How the Lightning Network Could Help
How do we scale the system for broad use?
Trump's 'America First' Plan Is Naked Special-Interest Policymaking
When anyone says, "I'm for free trade, but it must be fair trade," they are really saying: "I am not for free trade."
Keep Government Closed
Government shutdowns are opportunities to reveal how unnecessary much of government is.
Trump Launches Solar Panel Trade War with China
Will the economic and social benefits of the solar panel tariffs outweigh their costs? Not likely.
The Case Against Education: Economist Bryan Caplan Says Government Spending of $1 Trillion a Year on Schooling Is a Waste
"If all we're trying to do is prepare people for a job, why not prepare them with a job?"
Sexual Politics Needs More Economics: Podcast
Probing uncomfortable gender and generational splits on the latest Reason podcast.
Is Tax Reform Already Working?
Companies are paying bonuses, raising wages, and committing to major new investments. Is this a sign of the tax law's success-or just clever corporate PR?
Who Knew Letting People Keep More of Their Money Leads to Good Things?
Anyone who studies economics instead of partisan talking points, for one.
Minimum Wage Hikes Inflict Maximum Pain
Hiking the minimum wage is feel-good humanitarian idea that's guaranteed to hurt actual humans.
Start Saving Now, Because Social Security Is Screwed
If Congress doesn't address its insolvency issues, payouts will need to be slashed by a quarter starting in fewer than 20 years.
Arizona Legislator Wants to Yank State Support From Groups That Don't Like 'Free Markets'
Arizona Rep. Bob Thorpe's bill is nakedly unconstituional
Seattle's Minimum Wage Killed the 'Five-Dollar Footlong'
Unfortunately, that's not all it's doing.
Stossel: NY Strangles Small Business
Keeping up with New York regulations is enough to shut down some businesses.
Regulations at 'Lowest Count Since Records Began Being Kept in the Mid-1970s'
Economy advances while administrative state recedes; lefty commentators hardest hit.
'Economists Say' a Lot of Things. Many of Them Are Wrong
Appeals to what 'economists say' is used to coat liberal policy positions with a veneer of scientific certitude.
Don't Worry, Oregonians: Most of You Are Still Banned from Pumping Your Own Gas
A backwards, protectionist law mandating an obsolete job has been only slightly relaxed.
Memphis Privatizes Its Parks to Get Rid of Confederate Statues
Private spaces are a great way to minimize social conflict.
Is Bitcoin in a Bubble, or Is It Massively Undervalued?
Evaluating the current cycle of buzz
Report: California's $15 Minimum Wage Will Destroy 400,000 Jobs
A loss of opportunities equal to about four percent of the workforce.
Federal Labor Board Reverses Bad Decision that Made Corporations Responsible for Franchise Decisions
Union influence (and the pursuit of deep pockets) temporarily overruled economic literacy and common sense.
The Fourth Circle of Helvetica
Il Caffè, a Swiss newspaper, writes about American private prisons
Is Trump Really Trying to Steal Employees' Tips?
The latest hysterical overreaction to a regulatory rollback
There's No Such Thing as a Free Ride
Dynamic tolling is no more "price gouging" than any time prices go up because of a scarcity of supply.
The Nanny State vs. The Nanny Goat
Peak goat is finally achieved as goat yoga appears in a taxpayer-subsidized, goat-themed baseball stadium.
Treasury's Tax Reform Analysis Confirms Republicans Don't Give a Damn About the Deficit
Republicans will regret this the next time a budget-busting Democratic proposal comes along.
Supreme Court Won't Decide Whether Civil Rights Act Bans Anti-LGBT Discrimination
Lower courts are split on whether sex-based protections cover orientation.
Bitcoin Confuses Alan Greenspan
Mainstream economists were trained to believe that currencies need to be managed by central banks. So this new form of money is...hard to grasp.
Who's Ready for Some Trillion-Dollar Republican Deficits?
Fiscal hawks, from their perch in the wilderness, predict we may again see 13-digit deficits as soon as next year
Trump Just Made Two National Monuments Smaller. How Big a Deal Is That?
The feds still own the land.
Tax Bill Mixes Very Encouraging Developments With Very Disappointing Ones
The GOP would be on higher ground if it stood on principle for a tax code that treats everyone the same.
The Winners in the AT&T-Time Warner Merger Will Be Consumers
The DOJ fundamentally misunderstands the market for access and content.
