Ira Stoll is editor of FutureOfCapitalism.com and author of JFK, Conservative.
Biden Shouldn't Meet Xi Jinping in China. He Should Do It in America.
The U.S. may not realize it, but it has the upper hand. It turns out communism doesn't work.
Ira Stoll
Latest from Ira Stoll
R.I.P. David McCullough, Who Saw the Bright Side of History
McCullough didn't just build on academic historians' work—he filled a gap they left.
Pete Buttigieg Is Moving to Michigan. He Should Take the Transportation Department With Him.
It would signal that the transportation future involves decentralization and rapid change rather than Washington-style command-and-control.
Republicans Taking Aim at Disney Is a Reminder That Both Parties Are Hostile to Free Speech
For most of the past decade-plus, those complaining the loudest about corporate participation in politics have been Democrats.
Biden Is Trying To Pass a Wealth Tax—Again. It Could Be Unconstitutional.
The president's new budget plan calls on Congress to tax wealthy Americans' unrealized capital gains.
Ukraine Can't Defend Its Freedom With an Army of Conscripts
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has barred men aged 18-60 from leaving the country.
Democrats' Proposed 'Billionaire Tax' Is Definitely a Wealth Tax, and It May Be Unconstitutional
Imposing a wealth tax may not even be among the enumerated powers of Congress.
Put the Whole Department of Transportation on Paternity Leave
Pete Buttigieg attracted some criticism for taking time off. But it's telling that no one initially realized he was gone.
The Varsity Blues Trial Is a Reminder of Our Corrupt Criminal Justice System
Plead guilty and get "punishments ranging from probation to nine months in prison." Insist on a trial and face decades in prison.
Democrats Try To Hide a $3 Trillion Tax Increase From Voters
The plan would make a liar out of Biden on a level reminiscent of George H.W. Bush's betrayal of his "read my lips" tax pledge.
The Bipartisan War on Work
Urban Democrats may be leading the charge, but Republicans, too, have enlisted.
Here's How Biden's Proposed Tax Increases Will Affect You
It seems some are just waking up to the size and scope of the president's federal tax plan.
Bipartisan Support of Child Tax Credits Is Too Hasty
The jury is still out about whether broad parental subsidies improve outcomes for children
Does America Really Need the Foreign Agents Registration Act?
The U.S. has an interest in protecting its political system from manipulation by foreign enemies or their paid agents. But treason and espionage are already illegal, as is bribery.
The Media Failed by Giving People What They Want
Whatever lies the press is telling us, they are ones that at least some of us want to hear.
The CDC's Rules Let Teachers, Lawyers, Media Jump to the Front of the COVID Vaccine Line
It turns out that there is a mechanism in capitalism for allocating scarce goods. It is called a "price."
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.
What the Toronto Blue Jays' Infielders Can Teach Us About the Inheritance Tax
Some parents with valuable skills will find some way to transmit those skills to their children, and some children will find ways to learn them from parents.
Sluggishness of Police Reform Feeds Frustration
George Floyd's death triggered a long overdue cultural reckoning with race-related issues and inequities. It will be too bad, though, if the policing issues that set off the protests are forgotten.
The University of Chicago Took a Stand for Free Speech. Faculty Say They Live in Fear Anyway.
Former professor John Cochrane: "I spent much of my last few years of teaching afraid that I would say something that could be misunderstood and thus be offensive to someone."
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.
Liberals Have Rediscovered the 10th Amendment's Value During the Coronavirus Pandemic
Will they keep it in mind even if Joe Biden becomes president?
Is the Stock Market's Response to COVID-19 Optimistic or Just Plain Nuts?
It may be a statement about the decline of the dollar, but the best-case explanation of the resilient stock market is that it is sending us a positive message about a rapid recovery of both public health and corporate profits.
Prohibiting Religious Services Makes the First Amendment a Coronavirus Victim
While governments are shutting down religious services and fining pastors who defy those orders.
Joe Biden's Latest Campaign Trail Target Is Milton Friedman. But Why?
Whatever the latest polls say about Biden versus Trump, the Delaware Democrat almost surely has a better chance at winning the presidency than he does at undoing Milton Friedman's life work.
People, Not Politicians, Will Decide When the Coronavirus Shutdown Ends
It's not the politicians who have the power to reopen America, or at least the parts that are now closed. It's individuals, families, businesses, and religious congregations.
The Coronavirus Is Scary Enough. Governments Shouldn't Make It Scarier by Withholding Information.
The point isn't only to provide reassurance to the public, but also to guide policymakers who have to make decisions on things such as opening or closing public schools, libraries, or playgrounds.
Pandemics Don't Kill Compassion. Actually, They Bring It Out.
The coronavirus is narrowing class divisions and creating an amazing outbreak of compassion.
Trial Lawyers Are Betting Big on Biden
What those donors understand is that a President Biden would nominate judges who are favorably disposed, or at least not hostile.
What Would Samuel Adams Think of Michael Bloomberg's Campaign?
"I hope our country will never see the time, when either riches or the want of them will be the leading considerations in the choice of public officers," Adams wrote in 1776.
Joe Biden Blocked Robert Bork's Supreme Court Nomination. Now, Biden Is Getting 'Borked' Too.
Paradoxically, in the current moment—a moment Biden helped to create by blocking Bork—being unqualified for the presidency is the best qualification a candidate can have.
What's Behind Bernie Sanders' Surge? The Same Discontent That Caused Trump's 2016 Rise.
One dynamic that works in favor of both Trump and Sanders is that voters discount their extreme stances, figuring that they just represent opening offers that will eventually be watered down in compromises with powerful interest groups and with establishment lawmakers.
Should Wall Street Be Worried by Potential Sanders, Warren Presidencies?
The Sanders-Warren agenda of higher taxes, increased regulation, and more government control worries Wall Street
Without the Soviet Union, NATO Seems Increasingly Irrelevant
No number of NATO summits will re-energize an alliance against an enemy that went out of business nearly 30 years ago.
Did Elizabeth Warren Forget She's a Senator?
The presidential campaign seems to be Warren's priority, despite the fact that she's being paid to represent the residents of Massachusetts in the U.S. Senate.
In Debate Over Political Speech Online, Facebook Has the Constitution on Its Side
As surely as winter follows fall, Republican election victories are followed by unconstitutional attempts to restrict political speech.
Will Joe Biden Challenge Elizabeth Warren's Constitution-Shredding Proposals?
Unfortunately, rather than challenging Warren on the constitutionality of her plans, Biden is imitating them, at least when it comes to the assault on the First Amendment.
Does WeWork Work? Don't Write Off the Innovative Shared Office Concept Yet
Perhaps WeWork will eventually succeed in going public and in reaching profitability. Even if it doesn't, it will have paved the way for dozens of similar companies operating with variations on its co-working model
Elizabeth Warren's 'Wealth Tax' Is Punishment, Not Taxation
Does economic success deserve to be punished? The Democratic Party will have to answer in the coming primaries. Joe Biden is on the correct side of it.
With A Republican in the White House, Democrats Rediscover the Virtues of Federalism
Give the Republican Party control of the White House and Congress, and it's only a matter of time before Democrats discover the virtues of devolving authority to state and local governments.
Could a Warren/Sanders Team-up Topple Biden?
Maybe. But it is hard to imagine Sanders endorsing Warren until and unless Warren defeats him consistently and by a significant margin in several early states.
Biden's Age Matters, Even if Democrats Want To Ignore It
It's possible that the visibility of the way Biden is wrestling with his own aging could make him a more relatable and sympathetic figure. Or the Biden blunders could confirm that his moment has passed.
Warren Wants 'Big, Structural Change' That Goes Beyond Anything Previous Democratic Administrations Have Proposed
Warren doesn't merely want to turn back the clock to the pre-Trump era. She wants to raise taxes and regulations far beyond the levels of the late Obama-Biden administration.
Sanders, Warren Compare Capitalists to Vampires, but Socialism Is What Really Sucks
There's a risk that if Warren and Sanders do get their way, the sucking sound will be of talent and capital fleeing America for other jurisdictions where they will be treated better.
Before Bashing Big Tech, Politicians Should Visit an Apple Store
One of the best ways to succeed long-term in capitalism is by treating customers well rather than ripping them off. That's something you won't hear Democrats or Republicans admit these days.
Don't Believe Bernie Sanders' Claims About Child Poverty in America
New research shows that income surveys erroneously categorized some households as extremely poor actually had "net worth in the millions" of dollars.
Bernie Sanders Has a Strange Affinity for Strongman Daniel Ortega. He's Not the Only Democrat Who Does.
Bill de Blasio helped raise funds for the Sandinistas in New York and subscribed to the party's newspaper, Barricada, or Barricade.
Joe Biden Is Running Backwards Against Trump
Biden, like Trump, understands the potential political appeal of "used to be," the warm nostalgia in the hearts and minds of older voters about what they imagine America was before its supposed decline.