The Uses and Disadvantages of Soviet History for Life
It is hard to comprehend the scarcity and existential dread that was humanity's constant companion during the Cold War.
Features
The PATRIOT Act's Poisoned Tree
Two decades after 9/11, the government's appetite for spying has only grown.
How Government Devastated Minor League Baseball
And why stopping the subsidies can help bring it back.
How the CDC Became America's Landlord
Pandemic bans on evictions were supposed to be a temporary measure, but politicians keep extending them.
People Have Been Panicking About New Media Since Before the Printing Press
Politicians and activists claim social media is turning us into zombies. But new technologies have been greeted with skepticism since the dawn of time.
Do We Really Need New Anti-Asian Hate Crime Laws?
A holistic look at the data shatters the narrative about bias-based violence.
Cashed Out
What happens when a community bail fund stops paying bail and starts trying to abolish it?
Everything Is Infrastructure Now
How spending got out of control and words lost their meaning.
How Mass Immigration Stopped American Socialism
Relatively open borders helped halt the early 20th century welfare state.
Postal Censorship and Surveillance: A Timeline
The government's long and shameful history of intercepting people's letters
The USPS' Semi-Secret Internet Surveillance Apparatus
The agency best known for delivering mail has a side hustle in online snooping.
The Post Office Pension Ponzi Scheme
The USPS has overpromised and undersaved for its employees' retirements—all while losing nearly $9.2 billion last year.
Post Apocalypse
Neither rain nor sleet nor snow will stop the U.S. Postal Service. But a pandemic on top of a political fiasco? That's a first-class problem.
Why Is It So Hard To Sue a Bad Cop?
"Redress for a federal officer's unconstitutional acts is either extremely limited or wholly nonexistent."
Why Didn't COVID-19 Kill the Constitution?
We can thank judges who were prepared to enforce constitutional limits on public health powers.
The $2 Drug Test Keeping Inmates in Solitary
Reason tried out the field test kits used to test for drugs in prison. They were unreliable and confusing.
The Conversion of Thomas Sowell
It wasn't until his thirties that the economist started to turn from Marxism.
Clarence Thomas Declares War on Big Tech
Like a number of other modern conservatives, Thomas seems to think that Twitter and other tech companies are effectively censoring right-of-center views.
The Bipartisan Antitrust Crusade Against Big Tech
How reactionary politicians are using monopoly concerns as cover to pursue pre-existing political agendas
When the Government Makes Wildfires Worse
Federal policies are subsidizing people's choices to build homes in harm's way.
The Era of Small Government Is Over
Is there any hope to check the growth of the state?
The Equity Mess
Despite their professed goals, Democrats' pandemic policies have widened disparities between races, classes, and genders.
Economic Lessons From COVID-19
What the pandemic has re-taught us about the perils of planning, the power of incentives, and the complexities of externalities.
The Overly Examined Life of Henry David Thoreau
Cartoonist Peter Bagge looks at Henry David Thoreau's life at Walden and beyond
The Last Pandemic
Technological breakthroughs and policy progress mean humanity may never again have to endure a disaster like COVID-19.
The Right to an Abortion Isn't Going Away
While overturning Roe v. Wade would lead to new restrictions in many states, legal access to abortion would be unaffected in most of the country.
The Dream of the '90s Died in Portland
Once an up-and-coming city, Portland was destroyed from within by radical activism and political ineptitude.
This Florida Drug Smuggler Escaped 7 Life Sentences—Twice
Dickie Lynn's story shows how the drug war warped the criminal justice system.
Josh Hawley's Toxic Populism
Is the senator's authoritarian grandstanding the dark future of the GOP?
Bringing Earmarks Back Won't Fix Congress
Eliminating earmarks didn't make the government smaller. But reinstating them would facilitate legislative corruption.
From Magic Mushroom to Forbidden Fungus (and Back)
Half a century ago, Congress declared that there is no legitimate use for psilocybin. State and local governments are finally challenging that judgment.
Is There a Future for Fusionism?
In the years since the Cold War, conservatives have lost sight of the relationship between liberty and personal responsibility.
The Mushroom Moment Manifesto
Contemporary psychonauts are looking for insight, relief, fun, escape, and a million other things to make their lives more interesting and bearable.
A Practical Wish List for Joe Biden
Some doable libertarian ideas for the new president
In 2020, Teachers Unions and Police Unions Showed Their True Colors
It's time for the left and the right to take a hard look at their favorite public-sector unions.
Why Is America Still In Syria?
Trump brought chaos to a region already on the brink, and the unintended consequences of his actions will reverberate for years to come.
A Silicon Curtain Descends
Trump escalated America's war against Huawei and China. Biden should beware burgeoning technonationalism.
Trump Wasn't a Dictator, but He Played One on TV
The 45th president busted norms left and right. But the abuse of executive power didn't start and won't end with him.
Milton Friedman in 'It's A Miracle'
How did Chile avoid becoming like Cuba? Milton Friedman's economic policy has something to do with it.
