William "Chip" Mellor, RIP
Mellor was cofounder and longtime president of the Institute for Justice, one of the nation's leading public-interest law firms.
Economics
Trump's Proposed Tariffs Would Add Nearly $250 to the Price of New Gaming Consoles
Similar price hikes would hit smartphones, laptops, tablets, and televisions.
Trump Panders to Auto Industry, Proposes Making Car Loan Interest Tax Deductible
The former president's increasingly lopsided economic policy proposals have the feel of throwing spaghetti at the wall.
To Get Through the Election, Smoke a Cigarette
This election is all about pursuing short-term political highs while willfully ignoring long-term problems. What could pair better with that than a cigarette?
Business and the Roberts Court Revisited
An examination of how Donald Trump's appointments to the Supreme Court have affected business interests.
Perils of Broad Presidential Power Over Tariffs
Donald Trump's plan for massive tariff increases is particularly dangerous because the White House could likely implement it without any new congressional authorization.
Biden and Harris' Record on Spending and Debt Is a Tragedy of Epic Proportion
When they entered the White House, the budget deficit was a pandemic-influenced $2.3 trillion, and it was set to fall to $905 billion by 2024. It's now twice what it was supposed to be.
Could Trump Impose More Tariffs Without Congressional Approval?
Yes. But there might be one more key opportunity to rein in presidential powers over trade.
Universal Basic Income Shows Why Giving People 'Free Money' Doesn't Work
According to recent data, people work less—and actually end up deeper in debt.
Budget Deficit Hit $1.8 Trillion After Huge Increase in Borrowing Costs
Spending increased by 10 percent last year, while tax revenue increased by 11 percent. Interest payments on the debt shot up by 34 percent.
Trump's Destructive Tariff Proposals Will Make Us All Poorer
The candidate’s protectionism offsets some otherwise positive tax ideas.
I Did Business With China, and America Won
Everyone benefited when I manufactured my invention in China, but Americans benefited more.
How Milton Friedman Can Help Us Get Through Hurricane Milton
To give storm victims the best chance at recovery, let local knowledge and markets guide decisions.
Trump's Deportation Plan Would Cost Nearly $1 Trillion
And it would wreck the economy.
New USDA Organic Rules Put Wine Importers in a Bind
Government incompetence strikes again, turning the wine industry upside down with red tape and confusion.
Federal 'Buy American' Rules Cost Over $100,000 Per Job Created
Eliminate the domestic content requirements of the Buy American Act, don't expand them.
Automate the Ports
The dockworkers' strike is over, but America's ports will be some of the least efficient in the world whether they are open or closed.
To Get Through the Election, Drink Chartreuse
A bitter election calls for a cocktail—and a lesson in the lunacy of price controls.
Contra J.D. Vance and Tim Walz, Housing Should Be a 'Commodity'
Housing is unaffordable because regulations have prevented its commodification.
J.D. Vance Is Wrong About Toasters—and Global Manufacturing
Trump's protectionist running mate comes out against “cheap, knockoff toasters” and common sense.
J.D. Vance Actually Does Understand How Costs Get Passed Along the Supply Chain
Vance says higher energy prices make building houses more costly. What, then, do tariffs on steel and lumber do?
The Cruises Will Be Spared
Plus: Israeli troops cross into Lebanon, prayer illiteracy on full display, veeps joust, and more...
Washington Worsened Hurricane Helene's Destruction
How the National Flood Insurance Program subsidizes living in high-risk flood zones.
Harris Scales Back Harmful Price Control Proposal
The narrower version put forward by her campaign is still bad, but much less so than the much broader one floated earlier.
The Government Monopoly on Donated Kidneys Is Killing Americans
Organ donations in the U.S. are controlled by a network of federally sanctioned nonprofits, and many of them are failing.
Why We Can't Have Nice Things: Can Mark Cuban Make Prescriptions Affordable Again?
Special interests and government prevent the free market from working the way it should in the healthcare industry, making many Americans poorer and sicker.
How Much Would an American-Made Toaster Actually Cost?
A lot more than Oren Cass and J.D. Vance want you to think, and Americans wouldn't like the tradeoffs necessary.
Justice Department Says a Small Mississippi Town Ran a Dickensian Debtor's Prison
Federal investigators say police in Lexington, Mississippi, used illegal searches, excessive force, and kept residents in jail when they couldn't pay off old fines.
Don't Expect a Return to the Trump Economy
If the former president wins the 2024 race, the circumstances he would inherit are far more challenging, and several of his policy ideas are destructive.
Season 2, Episode 4 Podcasts
Why We Can't Have Nice Things: The Case of the 17,000 Missing Kidneys
Also: Could legalizing the sale of kidneys and other organs save lives?
Rand Paul's Plans To Balance the Budget Are a Useful Illustration of Congress' Addiction To Borrowing
The budget could be balanced by cutting just six pennies from every dollar the government spends. It used to require even less.
Robert Reich Is Wrong About Billionaires—and Almost Everything Else
His ideas would leave us poorer and less free.
Jeremy Horpedahl: Are Millennials and Gen Z Actually Worse Off Than Their Parents?
Economist Jeremy Horpedahl breaks down the economic outlook for Millennials and Gen Z and assesses how the 2024 presidential candidates' policies stack up against reality.
Instead of Vote-Buying Tax Promises, Let's Have Real Plans for Tax Relief
Lower taxes are better taxes, but they should be part of well-considered plans.
My New Dispatch Article on Updating Libertarianism
Libertarian ideology remains generally sound. But I argue it could use a few updates.
Trump Dodged My Question About the Federal Debt
Reason's Nick Gillespie asked former President Donald Trump about how he plans to bring down the national debt.
What's More Popular Than Taylor Swift? Capitalism.
Other things less popular with American voters than capitalism: Donald Trump, Joe Biden, Kamala Harris, J.D. Vance, and socialism.
Kamala Harris Is Not an Ideas Candidate
Columnists keep trying to find a coherent philosophy behind Harris' confused and contradictory policy agenda.
Are the Two Parties Any Different?
Two former Republican staffers, David Stockman and Stephen Moore, debate the state of the party.
California Lawmakers Think They Can Outsmart AI
Politicians are always trying to control what they can't understand.
Drug Deaths Are Finally Declining. Nobody Really Knows Why.
One thing seems clear: Drug warriors do not deserve credit for the turnaround, although they deserve blame for the previous explosion in fatal overdoses.
No, Trump-Style Tariffs Do Not Grow the Economy
The America of the past grew in spite of tariffs, not because of them.
The Cutting Edge
Plus: The Federal Reserve cut interest rates, Congress still isn't cutting spending, and more....
How Much Will the Major Presidential Candidates Steal From You?
Neither Harris nor Trump has a plan to address national debt, but they dramatically differ on taxation.
10 Years and $3 Billion for a New Mail Truck?
Oshkosh Defense’s USPS van is thousands of dollars more expensive than the industry standard.
First Private Spacewalk
Plus! Robots doing math, New York’s top cop resigns, election gambling is legal.
Urban Living Would Be Better if Big City Governments Were Less Incompetent
Unions and other special interests seem to get what they want before many urban residents get basic services.
Trump and Biden Agree: Just Call Debt 'Wealth' Instead!
Both party leaders are selling the idea of a sovereign wealth fund, but it’s more political fantasy than fiscal fix.
