Pandemic-Slammed Small Businesses Require Regulatory Relief
Entrepreneurs discouraged by red tape even before COVID-19 need officials to leave them alone.
Economics
Edward Glaeser's "Four Freedoms" Strategy for Revitalizing American Capitalism
The Harvard economist explains how to expand opportunity for the young by deregulating housing, labor, and education.
Trump's Tariffs Made D.C. Swampier as Senators, Lobbyists Sought Special Favors for Connected Companies
Sen. Josh Hawley, a supporter of Trump's trade policies, lobbied to give a special exemption to a Missouri-based power tools manufacturer. Many other elected officials did too.
The Year Teachers Unions Killed the Goose That Laid the Golden Egg
The United States was virtually alone in keeping schools closed this fall. As a result, public education—and cities—may never look the same.
Democrats Push $2,000 'Survival Checks' to Make Up for the 'Woefully Inadequate' $5 Trillion Federal Relief Effort
Progressives want to spend an additional $435 billion to help people who've lost neither jobs nor income weather the pandemic.
2020: An Awful Year With a Legacy We Won't Soon Escape
Fortunately, 2020 is nearly at an end. Unfortunately, its events will leave one hell of a mark on the years to come.
The Massive SolarWinds Hack Won't Stop the Feds from Wanting All Your Data
Government surveillance doesn't just violate privacy rights; it’s a major security risk.
Deal Reached To Tack $900 Billion COVID-19 Relief Package on to Spending Bill
Plus: 1 in 5 prisoners has had COVID-19, Supreme Court won't stop undocumented immigrant exclusion from Census, and more...
Dozens of States Just Sued To Break Up Google. The Biggest Losers Would Be Consumers.
If the lawsuit were to succeed, it would hurt the people it seeks to help.
Determined To Kill Businesses That Survived Lockdowns, New York Plans Minimum Wage Hike Later This Month
New York's unemployment rate is nearly 10 percent and roughly one-third of small businesses in New York City may have closed forever. Seems like a great time to make it more expensive to employ people, right?
Alex Nowrasteh and Benjamin Powell: Immigrants Revitalize Faith in American Institutions
A new book, Wretched Refuse?, documents that newcomers not only increase economic activity but often revitalize faith in free market, limited-government institutions.
Josh Hawley's Latest Plan To Hike Tariffs Would Be a Win for China
Shutting down the GSP program would reduce economic growth in developing countries and raise taxes on American importers.
Congress Could Pass a $900 Billion COVID Stimulus Bill This Week. Or There Might Be a Government Shutdown.
Unsettled political circumstances and the ongoing pandemic crossed with Congress' broken bill-passing process is a recipe for chaos.
Bernie Sanders, Josh Hawley Join Forces in Push For Another Round of $1,200 Stimulus Checks
The strange alliance proves once again that the one thing politicians can agree on is spending taxpayers' money.
Stop Saying Lockdown Is 'Not That Hard'
Staying isolated from family and friends is wrenchingly difficult, even when it’s the right thing to do.
Assessing Trump's Experiment With Protectionist Trade Policies
The Trump years were more than infuriating on trade matters—they were destructive.
Libertarian History/Philosophy
Walter E. Williams, Free Market Scholar and Iconoclast, RIP
"I just do my own thing," said the George Mason University economist and author of The State Against Blacks.
Universal Student Debt Forgiveness Is Regressive, Say Economists
Plus: Uber abandons self-driving autos, on being "both loud and silenced," and more...
Proposed Banking Rule Change Would Upend Oppressive 'Operation Chokepoint' Tactics
Protected financial access for politically targeted industries
$75 Billion in Band-Aids Won't Cure Ailing Airlines
Airlines keep claiming they need a second bailout to bring back 35,000 furloughed employees. Don't buy their argument.
Remote Work Is Here to Stay and That's a Good Thing
Able to do our jobs from where we please, life for many of us will reflect a bit more of what we want rather than what we have to do to get by.
FCC Head Ajit Pai on Section 230 and Free Speech
"I am pessimistic about where this goes in the future," says the outgoing chairman, who is stepping down in January.
The Unseen Costs of the COVID-19 Pandemic
We must not ignore the suffering that this pandemic and our collective response to it have inflicted on millions of fellow citizens.
'I Just Do My Own Thing': Walter Williams, RIP
The self-described "crazy-ass man" and libertarian economist focused on government's role in perpetuating racial inequality.
Forgiving Student Debt Wouldn't Be a Major Economic Stimulus
Despite Elizabeth Warren's contention that it is the "single most effective economic stimulus that is available through executive action," forgiving student debt is a bad idea.
In a Complex World, Politicians Have a Simple Demand: More Power
Circumstances change and the world may grow more complicated, but authoritarians never vary from their demand for more power over our lives.
Private Charity Beats One-Size-Fits-All Government
Charities are free to help people who truly need help.
The Head of D.C.'s Long-Troubled Metro System Says Another Federal Bailout Is Needed To Stave Off Apocalyptic Service Cuts
D.C.'s public transit agency has already received close to $1 billion in federal coronavirus relief funds.
Neera Tanden, Biden's Pick for Budget Office: Now Is Not the Time To 'Worry About Raising Deficits and Debt'
She once suggested that if Americans care about the deficit so much, maybe we should make Libya pay for it.
Americans Are Starting a Staggering Number of Businesses During the COVID-19 Pandemic
In a year that will be remembered for a deadly pandemic that shut down parts of the economy and cost millions of people their jobs, here's one silver lining.
The Shaky Case for State Bailouts
Governments should prepare for emergencies by cutting spending during flush times.
Libertarian History/Philosophy
Charles Koch and Brian Hooks: Believe in People
The libertarian billionaire and the head of his foundation discuss their new book, leaving partisanship behind, and learning from their critics.
Be Grateful for Capitalism This Thanksgiving
If government controlled the production of turkeys and toilet paper, this would be a very unhappy holiday.
Libertarian History/Philosophy
Charles Koch and Brian Hooks on Learning From Your Critics
The libertarian philanthropist and CEO of Stand Together on their new book, Believe in People: Bottom-Up Solutions for a Top-Down World
Tesla Making the S&P 500 Is Another Immigrant Success Story
Elon Musk, now the third-richest person in the world, was born in South Africa but eventually came to the United States via Canada.
Virginia Postrel: When Calico Was Treated Like Cocaine
The former Reason editor discusses her new book, The Fabric of Civilization, and why she's optimistic about the future.
Unreasonable Rules Fueled a Black Market in Negative COVID-19 Test Results
Before putting testing rules in place, officials should have considered whether the public would be willing and able to comply.
Red State COVID vs. Blue State COVID
As the coronavirus reshapes daily life, two Reason editors crisscross the country and describe what they’ve seen.
Feds Propose Even More Surveillance of Your Banking Habits
By lowering the “travel rule” threshold to $250, the government could access more of our financial data.
Will Biden Repeal Trump's Destructive Food Tariffs?
American farmers and consumers deserve freer trade.
Supreme Court Decides to Hear Important Takings Case
It will review a Ninth Circuit decision holding that there is no taking when the government forces property owners to grant union organizers temporary access to their property.
Should Remote Workers Pay a Tax for the 'Privilege' of Using Their Home as an Office?
Deutsche Bank has proposed a 5 percent income tax on people working from home, the revenue from which could be spent supplementing the lost wages of service workers.
America Is Drowning in Pandemic Debt, but Congress Still Wants To Buy the Pentagon New Toys
If we can't trim the Pentagon's budget this year, will we ever?
Joe Biden's $11 Trillion Plan To Bankrupt America
The president-elect promised record levels of spending and taxes on the campaign trail. Will he succeed?
Peter Navarro's No-Good Economic Nationalism
Navarro is the missing link between the democratic socialists on the left and the economic nationalists on the right.
Joe Biden Declared Winner of Presidential Race
All major news organizations are now reporting that Biden has won enough Electoral College votes, even as Trump mounts potential legal challenges.
