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.
Politics Is the Pathology. Morality Is the Cure.
“The world is forgetting timeless truths, distracted as they are by political spectacles and errant ideologies. Even if that means shouting into the wind, we must do everything we can to rediscover the human practices that guard civilization.” ~ Max Borders
Durable-goods Orders Rose Again in April
“Manufacturers’ new orders rose again in April and remain near record highs. Continued strength for business investment is a positive sign for the economic outlook but risks remain elevated.” ~ Robert Hughes
The Return of Gonzo Journalism
“It’s harder and harder to find good reporting, as the media is increasingly concerned with advancing a particular narrative, without concern for objectivity. Understanding it as gonzo journalism provides a helpful heuristic.” ~ Nikolai G. Wenzel
You Are a Soul: Dedicated to the Vital Spirit of David Theroux
“Souls and persons are one-to-one, so it is natural that ‘human being’ be signified as either ‘soul’ or ‘person,’ each serving, according to my formulation, as a synecdoche for the human being.” ~ Daniel B. Klein
New Single-Family Home Sales Plunged in April as Prices and Mortgage Rates Continue to Rise
“New-home sales plunged in April as prices and mortgage rates continue to surge. Elevated prices and rising mortgage rates are likely to weaken future demand.” ~ Robert Hughes
Let Them Eat Breast Milk
“If you do have a full breast of milk, consider donating or selling it to starving babies, though perhaps not directly as wet nurses did in the days of old. It is still legal, for now, even in often crazy California to sell your milk.” ~ Robert E. Wright
How Government Created the Baby Formula Shortage
“If the Biden administration is serious about addressing the baby formula shortage, they’d forget about ‘working around the clock’ and simply abolish the protectionist policies and regulations that are making it more difficult to purchase formula.” ~ Jon Miltimore
Cronyism Makes the Baby Formula Shortage Worse
“When a recall or a shortage happens, parents would have far more options in a free market than in the current regulatory mess of cronyism and protectionism.” ~ Ryan Young
Preparing for Payment System Fragility
“Inflation creates many problems, including an increased risk of payment system glitches, like the shuttering of banking and credit card networks, leaving individuals economically stranded.” ~ Robert E. Wright
A Market for Mosquito Control?
“In addition to the standard factors of mosquito control, perhaps we should consider the role economic freedom plays. Such institutions enhance competition, encourage innovation, and lead to more opportunities to kill mosquitoes.” ~ Byron B. Carson III
The Perils of a Modern Babel
“Pursuing a modern Babel project through social media technology is not any better than the ancient Biblical project pursued with bricks.” ~ Richard Gunderman & Mark Mutz
“Woke” Fed Fell Asleep on the Job
“With inflation raging at the highest rate in 40 years, it is time to reexamine the Fed’s legitimate responsibilities.” ~ Nicholas Curott & James McClure
Rutgers, Lawsuits, and Buyer’s Remorse
“The federal lawsuits, one a class action and the other a whistleblower litigation, claim the New Jersey business school concocted the hoax to obtain top ratings with publications such as U.S. News & World Report.” ~ Gregory Bresiger
All Costs Considered
“When facing calls to ‘do something’ no matter the cost, we must remember that there is no magic wand, nor are there solutions, only trade-offs.” ~ David Gillette & Caroline Wright
Lost Horizon
“National Geographic once represented the open mind and questing heart of classical liberalism at its best. Now, it’s content with woke platitudes.” ~ Mark Judge
Superstitious Storytellers
“Unfortunately, human progress isn’t linear. Faced with the failure of one narrative, or the hypocrisy of one storyteller, we may quickly hurry into the arms of another, which offers no more truth.” ~ Laura Williams
Many Workers May Never Return to the Office, and That’s a Good Thing
“It seems safe to predict that the percentage of white-collar workers reporting to their workplace every day may never reach the levels of early 2020. After all, working and living in the same place is just natural.” ~ Eli Lehrer
Let’s Cancel Student Loans – Not Forgive Them, But Cancel the Program
“Higher education in the US is bloated and dysfunctional because federal meddling turned it into a mass entitlement. Turn off the federal spigot and it will rapidly improve.” ~ George Leef
