Daily economy news from the American Institute for Economic Research: data, stories, research, and articles touching on economics, politics, culture, education, policy, opinion, technology, markets, healthcare, regulation, trends, and much more.
Consumers Grow More Optimistic About the Outlook in January
“Consumer attitudes improved slightly in January, led by improving short-term expectations. Covid and politics remain key drivers.” – Robert Hughes
What Is the Alternative to Lockdowns? A Symposium
Preserving the normal functioning society must be the priority in order to maximize the health of the community, and not by focusing on just one pathogen but all aspects of public health.
Free Labor Markets vs. Biden’s Push for Compulsory Unionism
“Joe Biden’s pro-union labor agenda, if implemented, would rob all those working for a living the liberty and latitude to do so freely and of their own choosing. They would be reduced to servants and supplicants to those controlling the unions and who possess the power to allow or prevent people from working in various walks of life, while determining the wages and conditions under which they may accept and find employment.” ~ Richard M. Ebeling
Is France Suffering from Excessive Austerity?
“Given that the United States, with its medium-sized government, does so much better than France, with its large-sized government, how can Rokhaya Diallo reconcile those numbers with her dogmatic view that society will be better off if government is even bigger?”~ Daniel J. Mitchell
The Question of Masks
“Until a substantial portion of us stand up and make clear that we will not tolerate being stripped of life, liberty, property, and dignity, our governments will continue to inflict these repressive measures.” ~ Jenin Younes
A Crisis in Science
The Harwood Economic Review for Winter 2021 A Crisis in Science
What Does It Mean for a Virus to Become ‘Endemic?’
“The sooner we recognize Covid as endemic, the sooner we can overcome this unfettered hysteria. By comparison to the previous year’s headlines, the media would no longer be able to act as a foghorn of fear-mongering. Citizens could become increasingly tolerant of the virus, and responsibility for personal risk and decisions to access medical care will once again belong to individuals.” ~ Micha Gartz
About the Coronavirus, the New York Times Argues With the New York Times
“Readers can decide on their own why the sidelining of ‘science’ in states like Georgia and Florida resulted in much better virus outcomes than for the science-reverent states. But even then they’d probably be wasting their time. A more useful approach would be for people to read the Times in full. Deep inside the newspaper, they’ll continue to find what’s obscured by alarmism on the front page.”~ John Tamny
All Hail the Reopening!
“Will they admit error and apologize? That will take longer if it happens at all. At this point, right now, other things matter more. The priority must be to emancipate us from bad science and destructive policy so we can put our lives back together again. ” ~ Jeffrey Tucker
Invidious Comparisons
“Let’s stop comparing Covid deaths to 9/11 deaths, to death tolls from hypothetical jetliner crashes, to Vietnam or World War I casualties, or to other non-pathogen-related calamities. Keeping clear the facts about Covid is difficult enough amidst the ongoing hysteria and willful misinterpretation of life’s realities. We don’t need to further thicken the fog with invidious comparisons.” ~ Donald J. Boudreaux
Tales of the Crypt
“Best of all, nobody was forced to subsidize others. They gave to charity, joined with like-minded people, or sought profit. The system wasn’t perfect — nothing is — but it was a far cry better than taxing people to support inefficient, uniform government educational and welfare programs.” ~ Robert E. Wright
Faces of Lockdowns
Since March 2020, New York City has faced a constant back and forth of new and revised Covid-19 regulations. Although these policies initially appear helpful in Covid mitigation, they are not only ineffective but extremely harmful to people and their livelihoods. We spoke to a few working New Yorkers and found the situation to be just as suspected: businesses on the brink of shutting down for good, students struggling to learn, and unmatched frustration. The anecdotal videos provide a glimpse into the lives of many people in New York City.
Existing-Home Sales Remained Robust in December
“Existing-home sales rose in December as housing continues to be a bright spot for the economy.” – Robert Hughes
Carlsbad, CA Says No More to Lockdowns. May It Be a National Model!
“Those who are sickeningly intoxicated with power can’t incarcerate us all. As for the businesses terrorized by the political class in Carlsbad, they decided they no longer have any choice. Given the choice between going out of business and defying politicians, they chose the latter. Good for them.” ~ John Tamny
That’s Disgusting!
“If the new administration pretends to possess a mandate to implement sweeping changes that tens of millions of Americans find disgusting, like packing SCOTUS or admitting new states, the nation may be in for another disgusting year. If it follows the conciliatory stance suggested by President Biden in his inauguration speech, however, disgusting thoughts of disunion may dissipate.” ~ Robert E. Wright
Zoom Privilege: How Lockdowns Made the Rich Richer
“While the Zoom and Netflix ‘work-from-home until the scary virus disappears’ crowd continues to demand further restrictions in the name of ‘stopping the spread,’ over 9 in 10 Americans continue to suffer under the weight of a destructive COVID-19 safety regime.” ~ Jordan Schachtel
Americans Are Fleeing Lockdowns, When They Can Afford It
“The point is even clearer when you consider the states gaining and losing residents. Illinois, New York, and New Jersey – all with extreme stringencies – are losing residents faster than any other states. Northeastern states make up four out of the seven states, with California now fourth on the list. They are moving to Idaho, Arizona, Tennessee, South Carolina, and North Carolina.” ~ Jeffrey Tucker
Single-Family Home Construction Hits Highest Level Since 2006
“Single-family housing continues to be a bright spot for the economy, supported by low mortgage rates and increased demand.” – Robert Hughes
