What the 1970s Can Teach Us About Today's Inflationary Politics
Inflation is a problem for politicians. Unfortunately for them, it's not a problem they know how to solve.
November 2022
American Elections Are a Mess, and They Always Have Been
The long, weird history of partisan electoral shenanigans
Features
How Corporations' Good Social and Environmental Intentions Undermine the Common Good
An excerpt from The Next American Economy: Nation, State, and Markets in an Uncertain World.
The Twin Crusades Against Drugs and Guns
The war on drugs conspires with the war on guns to make a mockery of justice.
Interview
Enes Kanter Freedom on China and Free Speech: 'This Is Bigger Than Basketball'
"While we are dribbling a ball on the other side of the ocean, people are losing their loved ones, losing their lives, and losing their hopes."
Topics
Throwing Money at the IRS Won't Fix Its Problems
Can the government turn $80 billion into $204 billion? Probably not.
Chinese Censors Target a Textbook
In China, 27 people were punished for their involvement in producing math textbooks that featured drawings of a child sticking his tongue out and making a peace sign.
Blame Qatar's Illiberal Migrant Labor Laws for Its Mounting World Cup Death Toll
Thousands of people from Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka have died while working on enormous infrastructure projects in the lead-up to the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
The Feds Monkey Around With Monkeypox
The FDA delayed the delivery of 1 million vaccine doses, and many high-risk Americans were turned away from health clinics that had run out of vaccines.
Biden Is Writing Student Loans in Red Ink
The Department of Education has no idea how to project the costs of its own programs, and Biden's student loan forgiveness plan will be no exception.
No, State Legislators Can't Ban Interstate Abortion Travel
The Constitution's commerce clause guarantees a domestic free trade zone. A state law that bars a resident from traveling to take advantage of another state’s economic activity would be unconstitutional.
Using Today's Economic Woes To Teach Teens Finance
At least we can treat the results of bad policy as case studies for what might otherwise have been dry lessons in economics and finance classes.
Why Are Democrats Still Backing Trumpists in GOP Primaries?
Democrats paid $435,000 to back a pro-Trump Republican in Michigan—nearly $100,000 more than the candidate himself raised.
Give Biden Credit for Bolstering Private Refugee Resettlement
Uniting for Ukraine, a program providing private support to displaced Ukrainians, has proved more effective than the government's own resettlement efforts.
How Federal Energy Regulations Make Dishwashers Worse
The Trump administration briefly liberalized dishwasher standards, but the Biden administration quickly reimposed the old rules.
Gregor Mendel, the Father of Genetics and a Tax Resister, Turns 200
Mendel had a history of run-ins with the state.
It's Long Past Time for the FDA To Approve Over-the-Counter Birth Control
Despite experts recommending that birth control be sold over the counter, the U.S. still treats the pill like it's 1960.
The FDA's Perverse Plan To Ban Menthol Cigarettes and Cap Nicotine Levels
The FDA's nicotine restrictions will push consumers toward black-market suppliers, who are completely unconstrained by the FDA’s regulations.
Culture
When Karl Marx Made the Case for Capitalism
In barely a century, capitalism led to more productivity "than have all preceding generations together," Marx and Friedrich Engels argued.
Books
A Belated Vindication for School Reopeners
The Stolen Year acknowledges public school COVID failures but refuses to hold anyone responsible.
America's Biggest Political Division Isn't Left vs. Right
It's the superpolitical vs. everyone else.
Review: The Brutality of British Empire on Display in Legacy of Violence
Caroline Elkins' book raises an important question for people today, particularly liberals—an issue that Elkins herself sidesteps.
Reviews
Review: Better Call Saul Could Only Happen Under Drug Prohibition
The black market for drugs empowers bad actors while imposing serious burdens on innocents.
Review: Can Legal Weed Win? Yes, but Only Through Deregulation
Extreme taxes and regulations are hampering legal marijuana markets.
Review: The AnCap Revolution Goes to Mexico in The Anarchists
Activists were divided about whether to professionalize the political community or keep it ideologically pure. Sound familiar?
Review: Antero Alli's Low-Budget Psychedelic Naturalism
Tracer takes mind control to a new level.
Review: The Cat Video Game That Public Health Authoritarians Will Love
Stray began development in 2015, so it's not intended to be an allegory about COVID-19 lockdowns, but it sure seems like one.
Review: Corporate Rock Sucks Covers the Slow Decline of Punk's Most Important Label
Perhaps boutique businesses with hip tastes can be as bad for bands as the biggest corporation.
Review: The Sandman and the Joys of Being Human
The series deals with themes of fate, freedom, and choice.
ETC.
Are Socialists Taking Over? Interview With Whole Foods' John Mackey
"I have muzzled myself ever since 2009....Pretty soon you're going to be hearing about Crazy John, who's no longer muzzled."
Brickbats: November 2022
News of politicians, police, and bureaucrats behaving badly from around the world.
