Trump Must Choose: Tariffs or Lower Prices
Domestic deregulation will decrease the cost of living. Trade barriers will do the opposite.
Economics
Trump's 'External Revenue Service' Is a Public Relations Effort. It Won't Change How Tariffs Work.
Trump promises to "tariff and tax foreign countries to enrich our citizens." That's not how it works.
Pepsi Suffers the Wrath of (Lina) Khan
Outgoing FTC Chair Lina Khan sues Pepsi for violating Robinson-Patman Act.
Many Workers Don't Want To Return to the Office. That Could Help Shrink the Government.
Remote work is a plus for many people and businesses, but that’s not necessarily true of D.C.
Finding Trillions in Federal Cuts Is Easy. But Will Trump and Musk Follow Through?
DOGE won't necessarily have to kill any of Republicans’ sacred cows—but they will have to be put on a diet.
Cutting Off Trade Will Make the U.S. Poorer and China More Totalitarian
Politicians in both major parties see the People's Republic as an economic and military threat. But the real threat is an isolated China.
Price Controls Won't Build Homes in L.A.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom must allow prices to rise if he wants homes to be rebuilt as quickly as possible.
As Fires Burn, Private Firms and Personal Effort Step In Where California Officials Fail
Californians are turning to private firefighting and security, but officialdom gets in the way.
The FDA Proposes a De Facto Cigarette Ban, Which Would Expand the Disastrous War on Drugs
Mandating negligible nicotine levels in tobacco products would create a big black market and criminalize currently legal transactions.
The Way Out of Our Inflation Mess
For all the excitement about the incoming administration and a return to the 2019 economy, market stability rests on the precarious assumption that the government will eventually put its fiscal house in order.
Biden's Legacy: He Didn't Build That
After four years, the president leaves behind a long, expensive record of non-accomplishment.
Can the Private Sector Really Replace All Government Functions?
I can't stand big government, but I think we need something. Michael Malice says I'm wrong.
Javier Milei Slashes Argentina's Inflation in Just 1 Year
Austerity measures and bold economic reforms led to the country's lowest inflation rate in over four years.
Trump's Inauguration Won't Change the Fact That People Dislike High Gas Prices
The incoming administration is grappling with uncomfortable political consequences of the tariffs Trump wants to impose.
California's Insurance Regulation Fixes Came Too Little, Too Late
Decades-old, voter-approved restrictions on insurers raising premiums have created a regulatory disaster to match the natural one.
When New Jersey Hiked Minimum Wages, Fast Food Prices Rose
If politicians want stuff to be more affordable, they should stop implementing policies that have the opposite effect.
Athletes Find New Way To Avoid Taxes
Restructured contracts may help franchises who have a certain competitive disadvantage.
Tyler Cowen: Why Do We Refuse To Learn From History?
Economist Tyler Cowen on historical lessons, populism today, and the philosophical debates within libertarianism.
Janet Yellen's Short-Term Thinking Could Cost the U.S. Big
The Treasury Secretary’s debt decisions during the pandemic locked in low rates—but only for two years. Now, taxpayers are paying the price.
Thank Jimmy Carter for Cheap Airfare
And also smartphones and FedEx, all of which were made possible by his push to abolish bad regulations.
Regulations Are Driving Up Ride-Sharing Prices in Washington, D.C.
City code protects incumbent transportation services by outlawing independent drivers.
Will 2025 Be the Year of U.S. Fiscal Sanity?
With inflation risks persisting and entitlement spending surging, the situation cannot be ignored. But we never should have gotten to this point to begin with.
Douglas Irwin: Why Trump's Tariff Plans Are Dangerous
The trade economist details the most alarming protectionist policies proposed by the incoming Trump administration.
With U.S. Steel Decision, Biden Turned His Back on Opposing Monopolies
Blocking Nippon Steel from acquiring U.S. Steel lays the groundwork for a major consolidation of American steelmaking that will harm consumers and the economy.
Why the Race and Gender Politics of White Dudes for Harris Failed
It's still the economy, stupid.
Seattle's Minimum Wage Hike Hurts Workers
Increasing the cost of labor decreases the quantity of labor demanded.
Blocking the U.S. Steel Sale Is a Perfectly Disgraceful End to Biden's Political Career
It's a disgraceful decision that serves as a perfect epitaph for Biden's political career.
Corpse President Says Companies Can't Do What They Want
Plus: Subway system crime by the numbers, Bernie Sanders' H-1B visa hate, surgeon general still stupid, and more...
Restaurant Reservation Markets Are Good. Outlawing Them Is Not.
Reselling restaurant reservations helps allocate seats to those who most want them.
The U.S. Tax Code Is Way Too Complex. Here's How To Fix It.
The high cost of complying with our tax code encourages wasteful tax avoidance strategies and distorts work and investment decisions.
Photo: The Disappearing Satoshi Nakamoto Statue
An Italian bitcoin enthusiast pays homage to the person or people who started the cryptocurrency revolution.
Supreme Court Can Protect Property Owners From Eminent Domain Abuse
A Utica, New York, land grab offers the justices an opportunity to revisit a widely criticized precedent.
The Best of Reason: Bidenomics Goes Out With a Whimper
There's a good reason Biden eventually stopped saying Bidenomics. Americans didn't like the results of his economic policies.
Bootleggers and Baptists in the U.S. Steel Deal
Progressives and environmental groups have teamed up with a rival steelmaker to lobby against the U.S. Steel deal.
2024's Most Undercovered Stories
Surely 2025 will be a freewheeling romp, right?…Right? Happy New Year!
New York's Climate 'Superfund' Is Costly, Arbitrary, and Unconstitutional
Increasing energy costs in New York will not significantly address climate change.
Jimmy Carter, 'The Great Deregulator,' 1924–2024
Nobel-winning economist Vernon Smith says the 39th president radically improved air travel, freight rail, and trucking in ways that still benefit us immensely.
RIP Jimmy Carter, the 'Passionless' President
The libertarian case for the late Jimmy Carter.
Everybody Hates Prices
How much should a Wendy's Baconator cost? Elizabeth Warren thinks the government should help decide.
Liverpool Lost Its U.N. World Heritage Status. Now It's Thriving.
The English city protects its historical sites while embracing growth and redevelopment.
The Government Took a Developer's Land and Gave It to a Competitor. In New York, That's Business As Usual.
The case gives the Supreme Court an opportunity to revisit a widely reviled decision that invited such eminent domain abuses.
Can Nativists and Dynamists Coexist Within Trump's MAGA Coalition?
An ongoing online debate over visas for highly skilled foreign workers is revealing a fissure that might define Trump's second term.
Make Cars (and Everything Else) Cheap Again
Plus: Superfund is back, Biden signs a lot of laws, MAGA vs. tech Christmas, and more...
Byrne Hobart: What happened to progress?
Finance and tech writer Byrne Hobart discusses how bubbles are a good thing, overcoming stagnation, and the religiosity of space exploration.
Privatize the Postal Service, Amtrak, Airports, and More
Privatization isn't about cutting corners; it's about unleashing and leveraging the ingenuity and competitiveness of the private sector to deliver better services at lower costs.
Nippon Steel-U.S. Steel Merger Poses No National Security Threat
The Committee on Foreign Investment doesn't recommend blocking the merger, and neither should President Joe Biden.
