Cash Remains Healthy as the Pandemic Rages
People like the convenience of digital transactions, but they rely on the anonymity and reliability of physical money.
Economics
The Federal Budget Deficit in June Was Bigger Than the Entire Federal Budget Deficit for 2018
Remember when $1 trillion annual deficits were worryingly large? Last month’s budget gap was $864 billion.
Biden Tries To Buy Rust Belt Votes With Protectionist 'Buy American' Plan
Biden says he'll oppose attempts to repeal the Jones Act and will push for tighter "Buy American" policies that hike the price of infrastructure projects.
Trump's Trade War Made the Pandemic Worse, and Nationalism Will Slow the Recovery
Protectionism is now infecting the GOP to a degree that may be difficult to eradicate when the Trump era ends.
Lockdown Orders Have Devastated Restaurants. Politicians Think Price Controls Might Save Them.
The Portland City Council has approved an emergency ordinance capping the fees delivery apps like DoorDash and Uber Eats can charge restaurants.
The Next Coronavirus Stimulus Package Should Also Repeal Tariffs
Abolishing tariffs would have short- and long-term benefits for the economy.
Has the U.S. Government Finally Spent Too Much?
When COVID-19 arrived in America, Uncle Sam was already deep in debt.
A Legal Challenge to New York's Latest Rent Control Laws
Government growth and abuses are not challenged nearly enough.
Did Trump's Coronavirus Stimulus Save 51 Million Jobs? The Claim Relies on Shaky Math and Questionable Economics.
Even if it's true, taxpayers paid $58,000 for each saved job.
Supreme Court Strengthens First Amendment Protections for Religious Employers
SCOTUS rules 7-2 in Our Lady of Guadalupe School v. Morrissey-Berru.
Massachusetts Regulators Knowingly Drive Vapers to the Black Market
Bay State officials expect a new ban on flavored tobacco products to benefit illegal suppliers.
The High Risk of Learning the Wrong China Lessons
The trendy view of U.S.–China economic engagement lends itself to policy “fixes” that could make things worse, not better, for both the United States and the world.
The Paycheck Protection Program Is a Mess. Here's Who Is Benefitting From the Dysfunction.
A program designed to keep workers on payrolls showered benefits on lobbyists, advocacy groups, and even members of Congress.
To Get Americans Safely Back to Work and Play, We Need Cheap and Plentiful At-home COVID-19 Testing
Enable people to act responsibly toward their neighbors and co-workers.
Pennsylvania Is the Latest State To Loosen Occupational Licensing Rules for Individuals With Criminal Records
Finding a steady job is the best way to keep a person from going back to prison or jail. These changes make a lot of sense.
I Don't Want To Be Anybody's Employee
The push to reclassify independent contractors is harming many of the workers it's supposed to help.
Slavery, the Declaration of Independence and Frederick Douglass' "What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?"
Douglass' classic speech is an indictment of slavery, racism, and American hypocrisy - but also includes a great deal of praise of the American Revolution.
More Money Does Buy More Happiness, Says Study
If you think that money can't buy happiness, that means you just don't know where to shop.
Let's Have Fewer Public Statues
Those smitten by John Wayne, Robert E. Lee, or even Joseph Stalin should commission statues on their own property. The rest of us have more important issues to debate.
The Next Pandemic Will Be Caused by the National Debt. It Will Crater the Economy.
Debt held by the public equals about 100 percent of GDP. That's hurting growth and will fuel a major crisis.
As Bastiat Would Say, Peer Past the Obvious With Pandemic Policies
Don’t forget the unseen costs of government actions.
Florida Just Passed the Most Sweeping Occupational Licensing Reform in History
The Occupational Freedom and Opportunity Act "will save thousands of Floridians both time and money for years to come," says Gov. Ron DeSantis.
3 Things To Know About the 'New NAFTA' That Begins Today
The deal will affect more than $1 trillion in annual trade between the U.S. and its two neighbors.
Stock Market Suspiciously Healthy. The Federal Reserve Does All It Can to Keep Economic Reality From Setting In.
The government is doing what it can to help out Big Money.
Here We Go Again: Trump Wants New Tariffs on Canadian Aluminum
Just days before the new North American trade deal is set to take effect, the Trump administration reminds everyone that it prefers protectionism to free trade.
The Pandemic's Economic Carnage Looks Worse Than Expected
Get ready for more pain caused by COVID-19 as well as by the policies intended to hold it in check.
White House (Sort of) Admits Tariffs Are Paid by Americans
For two years, the president and his defenders have stubbornly claimed, contra both theory and evidence, that the duties are absorbed by China and other exporters.
Congress Drops the Ball on Small Business Coronavirus Rescue
Another case of typical congressional carelessness.
All Statues Should Be Private
We should celebrate our fandom on our own dime, and on our own property.
The British Government Forced Universities to Narrow The Gender Pay Gap. This Made It Worse.
British universities thought they'd found the formula that would roll back discrimination. Instead, the pay gap widened.
A Labor Council Has Expelled Seattle's Police Union. Good.
Police unions exist to protect cops at the expense of the public.
Bolton: Trump's Tough-on-China Stance Was a Campaign Strategy, Not a Trade Policy
In a new book, former White House national security advisor John Bolton says Trump's trade deal negotiations with Chinese President Xi Jinping "commingled the personal and the national."
Give Individuals and Small Businesses a Government-Backed Line of Credit
An economic response to COVID-19 that's fiscally responsible.
Police Violence, COVID-19 Lies, and the End of Legitimate Authority
Our leaders and institutions are failing us spectacularly. It's up to us to reboot society.
Business Licensing Makes It Too Easy for Politicians To Punish People They Don't Like
Making a living is a right, not a privilege, and should be respected as such.
Trump Is Still Losing His Own Trade War
The president’s tariffs have hiked prices and harmed consumers.
Minneapolis Police Chief Ends Contract Negotiations With Police Union
After George Floyd’s death, the city will bring in outside advisers to recommend changes to make policing more transparent and accountable.
Rory Sutherland on How Red Bull Explains Why Capitalism Is Great
The Ogilvy ad man and Alchemy author says Ludwig von Mises is his hero and that efficiency has nothing to do with free markets.
How Many COVID-19 Infections and Deaths Did Lockdowns Avert?
Two new studies create counterfactual pandemic scenarios seeking to answer that question.
Will Big Labor Give the Boot to Police Unions? Be Skeptical.
Union leaders show very little interest in considering collective bargaining’s role in protecting bad cops.
Negative Interest Rates Will Damage an Already Crippled Economy
Some economists believe that a negative interest rate policy will stimulate the economy by reducing the cost of loans. That isn’t how it has worked in practice.
Professionalizing Police Hasn't Worked. Try Privatizing Instead.
No amount of protesting is likely to reduce police brutality in the absence of structural reforms that increase accountability, competition, choice, and incentives.
China Is Not Coming Close To Meeting Its Import Goals Under the 'Phase One' Trade Deal
That's probably because those goals were always completely unrealistic. Less than six months after the deal was signed, it's already coming apart.
3 Libertarian Tips for the #DefundPolice Movement
Reducing law enforcement requires more than merely cutting and shifting a budget.
The COVID-19 Recovery Is Starting. Extending 'Bonus' Unemployment Benefits Will Slow It.
If Congress extends boosted temporary unemployment benefits into early 2021, nearly five out of every six beneficiaries would be earning more money by not working.
Markets Are Finding Ways To Survive the COVID-19 Shutdowns
Even after government had imposed an almost unfathomable level of intervention on the economy, the markets are chugging along much better than expected.
Face Mask Volunteers DIY Their Own Kind of Division of Labor
Making masks, face shields, and other protective equipment is the bottom-up, COVID-19 version of rolling bandages or knitting socks for the troops.
