America's Forgotten Debt
Neither party is serious about reining in spending. This is unsustainable.
Economics
3 Winners and 3 Losers From Today's North America Trade Deal Announcement
Trump, big labor, and America's reputation as a trading partner emerge as winners, but free trade takes the loss in the USMCA.
This Week Is a Crucial Final Exam Capping the Second Year of Trump's Trade Wars
Deadlines near for the NAFTA rewrite and the China negotiations.
Socialism Killed My Father
Venezuela's failed collectivist experiment brought death and despair to a once-prosperous country.
Private Flood Insurers Chastised for Not Insuring Houses Likely To Be Flooded
It's simple: You should not build your house in places where you can't get private flood insurance.
All U.S. Travelers Abroad Should Submit to Facial Recognition Scans, Says Homeland Security
Plus: "Right to be forgotten" follies, research on direct cash aid, Elizabeth Warren on sex work, and more...
Climate Change: How Lucky Do You Feel?
Current evidence points toward a significantly warmer world by the end of the century. This will have substantial impacts on human life.
New Tariffs Scheduled for December 15 Won't Pressure China Into Making a Deal. Trump Should Cancel Them.
The set of tariffs scheduled for December 15 will hit a wide range of consumer goods from children's toys to laptops, gaming consoles, and other home electronics. They will be costly and ineffective..
On Thanksgiving, Take a Moment to Focus on the Good News
It will help us feel grateful for our lives.
California Threatens Landlords of Unlicensed Pot Shops With Prosecution
The drug wars will continue until the state gets its cut of the money.
Bryan Caplan Says Milton Friedman Is Wrong About Open Borders
The George Mason economist partnered with Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal's Zach Weinersmith to offer a thoughtful look at immigration policy in comic form.
Trump's Farm Bailout Has Cost Over $10 Billion This Year
Trump has authorized up to $16 billion in bailout spending this year, on top of $12 billion spent in 2018.
On Thanksgiving, Be Grateful for Property Rights
When people respect private property, they interact more peacefully.
The Marijuana Black Market Will Keep Its Throne in California, Thanks to Tax Increases
When the government tries to hoover up all the money earned from legalized drugs, this is what happens.
Regulation and 'the Right Ordering of Economic Life'
What libertarians can learn from Catholic social doctrine
Do We Need a World Data Organization?
Democratic presidential hopeful Andrew Yang thinks so.
Free People Don't Ask the Government for Permission
"Liberty," Thomas Jefferson wrote, "is unobstructed action according to our will; but rightful liberty is unobstructed action according to our will, within the limits drawn around us by the equal rights of others."
New Jersey Takes a Swipe at the Gig Economy With New Independent Contractor Bill
Critics warn the state is threatening the flexible work arrangements preferred by many workers.
Trump and Warren Love Protectionism, But It Hurts Workers While Boosting CEO Pay
A new study shows that tariffs and other anti-trade policies actually benefit executives far more than the average worker.
Booker Says Warren's Wealth Tax Would Destroy Economic Growth
"It's been tried by other nations," the New Jersey senator said.
Trump Is Wrong About the Fed, and the Fed Is Wrong About Economics
Milton Friedman once said that "money is much too serious a matter to be left to the central bankers." He was right. Still, we should ensure the Fed isn't being swayed by partisan interests.
Trade War Cost Republicans In 2018 Midterms, Especially in Rural Swing Counties
New research shows that GOP candidates lost ground in counties that were adversely affected by the trade war. In places without those effects, there were "no discernable gains" for Republicans.
Capitalism vs. Socialism: A Soho Forum Debate
Richard Wolff, "America’s most prominent Marxist economist," debates former Barron's economics editor Gene Epstein on which economic system best promotes, freedom, equality, and prosperity.
Democrats Cry Corruption, Republicans Denounce Hearsay at First Impeachment Hearings
Plus: California truck drivers sue over new labor law, Hong Kong clashes get medieval, Deval Patrick announces presidential bid, and more...
When the Government Creates Mandatory Shortages
Don’t let regulators and their cronies suppress competition.
Katherine Mangu-Ward Argues Capitalism Is a Blessing at Intelligence Squared Debate
Reason Editor in Chief Katherine Mangu-Ward and Whole Foods CEO John Mackey debate the merits of capitalism with Jacobin's Bhaskar Sunkara and U Mass economist Richard D. Wolff
Pete Buttigieg Has a $1 Trillion Plan to Drive Up Housing, College, and Labor Costs
Dramatic increases in federal spending will not “unlock access” for the poor. It will only help those with the right connections.
Mark Sanford Extinguishes Lifeless Presidential Campaign
Former South Carolina congressman and governor, who'd been running on debt/deficits, says impeachment has sucked all the oxygen out of the room.
Is Trump Choosing Tariffs Over a Trade Deal With China?
The tariffs were supposed to create the conditions for such a deal, but Trump is refusing to drop them as part of an agreement.
Is Socialism Preferable To Capitalism? A Soho Forum Debate
Richard D. Wolff squares off against Gene Epstein on which system better promotes freedom, equality, and prosperity.
Is New York City Barreling Toward Its Own Housing Crisis?
A report from the city's Department of Planning finds that housing construction has not kept pace with job growth.
New York Might Compensate You for Your Kidney
But it's just health insurance, not cash
The Trade War Is Still Inflating the Trade Deficit
Trump's trade war is failing to achieve its primary policy goals, but the really bad news is elsewhere.
California's War on Weed Continues Thanks to a Red Tape-Fueled Black Market
The Golden State is still taking punitive, costly, and pointless measures to fight illegal grow operations.
Stossel: Is Bitcoin Better Money?
Regulators hate Facebook's proposed "Libra” currency. They may kill it. But they can't kill Bitcoin so easily.
Trump's Near-Zero Presidency
Judged by his own yardstick, the president has failed because he hasn't delivered on his promises to voters.
Why the Middle Class is Better Off Than You Think
The consensus view that the American middle class "is dead, dying, hollowed out" is based on an "incomplete reading of the data," says economist Russ Roberts.
Does the Demise of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi and His Caliphate Vindicate 2014 Rand Paul?
The senator took a lot of heat five years ago for being anti-interventionist in Syria yet pro-war against ISIS.
Canada Hobbles 'Legal' Marijuana With Burdensome Rules
Once again, underground suppliers step in when over-regulated markets can’t satisfy customers.
Trump's Food Tariffs Hit U.S. Consumers Where it Hurts
New tariffs on E.U. goods mean we'll all pay more for tasty cheeses and delicious wines.
Federal Deficit Hit $984 Billion Last Year—a Nearly 50 Percent Increase Since Trump Took Office
In three years in office, Trump has added more to the national debt than President George W. Bush did in his entire two terms.
The NYPD Officer Fired for Choking Eric Garner Is Suing To Get His Job Back
Pantaleo's lawyer says it’s “arbitrary and capricious” to fire a cop for choking a guy over black market cigarettes.
Wisconsin's Massive Foxconn Boondoggle Is Getting Worse
The Taiwan-based tech company promised to open "innovation centers" in several cities around the state. But now those are on hold, too.
Democratic Wealth Tax Proposals Demonstrate Economic Ignorance
Bashing the rich may be good politics, but it’s terrible economics.
How to Fix the Student Loan Mess
There is a better solution than the ones politicians offer.
