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.
The Multiyear Decline in US Economic Freedom
“In 2007 only three countries were economically freer than the US, but by 2015 eleven nations were. Today, 24 are freer.” ~Richard Salsman
There Are No Democratic Socialists And No Liberal Dictators
“The dictator who finishes off democracy is not an enlightened individual. A dictator can then indeed liberalize, but this will not be from a true commitment to political or economic liberty.” ~Vincent Geloso
How To Be Accidentally Right, Central Banking Style
“Money is broken, and while these activists might not be able to explain how, they’re not wrong in pointing their fingers at the monetary authority at the center of it all.” ~Joakim Book
Taxation as Social Justice
“The goal is not to raise raise revenue so we can support the poor; instead, the US is pursuing the simpler goal of eliminating private concentrations of wealth.” ~Michael Munger
Of Moats and Search Engines: The DOJ’s Coercive Case against Google
“Google is the best search engine in the world, and it paid to have its site featured as the default option for consumers. This not only benefited Google, but also Apple and Android customers.” ~Kimberlee Josephson
Academic Lies about Free-Market Economists
“They treat history as ‘an armoury from which to ransack politically expedient weapons.’ In the process of that ransacking, they cross the line into willful misrepresentations of their source material, all in the service of a modern-day political cause. ” ~Phillip W. Magness
Dark Matter and the Swimming Pool App
“DHHS wants to regulate pool rentals without going through the process of formal rulemaking. So the agency releases a guidance document telling impressionable county officials and homeowners that, as far as they’re concerned, they’re treating Swimply rentals as if they have a rule in place.” ~Jon Sanders
A Noted Physician Advocates COVID Civil Disobedience
“Even without cronyism showing the way, ineffective and dangerous drugs are not uncommon in the annals of medicine.” ~Barry Brownstein
Beware of Mistaking Artifacts for Economic Realities
“Recognition that the size, or possibly even the very existence, of any measured US trade deficit depends heavily on the accounting conventions used to record international commercial transactions should be sufficient to calm the fears that arise whenever this accounting artifact shows a deficit.” ~Donald J. Boudreaux
Truck This: Why I’m Leaving the Long-Haul Industry
“However well-intentioned these rules and regulations might be, it’s clear that no one is consulting with the long haul truckers about the totally foreseeable bad outcomes.” ~Christopher Wilcox
Fed Continues to Signal Another Rate Hike
“If core inflation is more or less on track, why are most FOMC members projecting another rate hike?” ~William J. Luther
Get Ready to Kiss Your Credit Card Rewards Goodbye
“The benign-sounding Credit Card Competition Act is a double whammy. It’s not just a threat to my credit card rewards; It’s a violation of my libertarian principles.” ~Jon Miltimore
Thinking Harder about “Special” Benefits
“To the extent we believe in giving government assistance to those with incomes, we should trust them to love themselves and their families more than the government does and give them that aid in cash.” ~Gary Galles
Orangeopia
“Perhaps an Orangeopian union or minimum wage can at least decrease income inequality, or maybe even increase the per capita standard of living?” ~Bruce Rottman
Nothing Was “Normal” on the Other Side of the Wall
“Nothing was ‘normal’ about the totalitarian life in socialist GDR, if by ‘normal’ we mean pursuit of human happiness and fulfilment.” ~Robertas Bakula and Luis Carlos Araujo Quintero
AI, Critical Thinking, and the Future of Freedom
“Civilization advances by extending the number of important operations which we can perform without thinking about them.” ~Emile Phaneuf III
Is Dollarization a Mirage?
“Dollarization would serve as a firewall, protecting the private sector from the fiscal policy fallout.” ~Nicolas Cachanosky
Should Buying Or Selling “Hidden Cities” Air Tickets Be Banned Or Punished?
“Hidden-city opportunities emerge when there are significant differences in the price elasticity of demand relating to certain itineraries with stopovers.” ~Christopher Lingle
The Multiyear Decline in US Economic Freedom
“In 2007 only three countries were economically freer than the US, but by 2015 eleven nations were. Today, 24 are freer.” ~Richard Salsman
There Are No Democratic Socialists And No Liberal Dictators
“The dictator who finishes off democracy is not an enlightened individual. A dictator can then indeed liberalize, but this will not be from a true commitment to political or economic liberty.” ~Vincent Geloso
How To Be Accidentally Right, Central Banking Style
“Money is broken, and while these activists might not be able to explain how, they’re not wrong in pointing their fingers at the monetary authority at the center of it all.” ~Joakim Book
Taxation as Social Justice
“The goal is not to raise raise revenue so we can support the poor; instead, the US is pursuing the simpler goal of eliminating private concentrations of wealth.” ~Michael Munger
Of Moats and Search Engines: The DOJ’s Coercive Case against Google
“Google is the best search engine in the world, and it paid to have its site featured as the default option for consumers. This not only benefited Google, but also Apple and Android customers.” ~Kimberlee Josephson
Academic Lies about Free-Market Economists
“They treat history as ‘an armoury from which to ransack politically expedient weapons.’ In the process of that ransacking, they cross the line into willful misrepresentations of their source material, all in the service of a modern-day political cause. ” ~Phillip W. Magness
Dark Matter and the Swimming Pool App
“DHHS wants to regulate pool rentals without going through the process of formal rulemaking. So the agency releases a guidance document telling impressionable county officials and homeowners that, as far as they’re concerned, they’re treating Swimply rentals as if they have a rule in place.” ~Jon Sanders
A Noted Physician Advocates COVID Civil Disobedience
“Even without cronyism showing the way, ineffective and dangerous drugs are not uncommon in the annals of medicine.” ~Barry Brownstein
Beware of Mistaking Artifacts for Economic Realities
“Recognition that the size, or possibly even the very existence, of any measured US trade deficit depends heavily on the accounting conventions used to record international commercial transactions should be sufficient to calm the fears that arise whenever this accounting artifact shows a deficit.” ~Donald J. Boudreaux
Truck This: Why I’m Leaving the Long-Haul Industry
“However well-intentioned these rules and regulations might be, it’s clear that no one is consulting with the long haul truckers about the totally foreseeable bad outcomes.” ~Christopher Wilcox
Fed Continues to Signal Another Rate Hike
“If core inflation is more or less on track, why are most FOMC members projecting another rate hike?” ~William J. Luther
Get Ready to Kiss Your Credit Card Rewards Goodbye
“The benign-sounding Credit Card Competition Act is a double whammy. It’s not just a threat to my credit card rewards; It’s a violation of my libertarian principles.” ~Jon Miltimore
Thinking Harder about “Special” Benefits
“To the extent we believe in giving government assistance to those with incomes, we should trust them to love themselves and their families more than the government does and give them that aid in cash.” ~Gary Galles
Orangeopia
“Perhaps an Orangeopian union or minimum wage can at least decrease income inequality, or maybe even increase the per capita standard of living?” ~Bruce Rottman
Nothing Was “Normal” on the Other Side of the Wall
“Nothing was ‘normal’ about the totalitarian life in socialist GDR, if by ‘normal’ we mean pursuit of human happiness and fulfilment.” ~Robertas Bakula and Luis Carlos Araujo Quintero
AI, Critical Thinking, and the Future of Freedom
“Civilization advances by extending the number of important operations which we can perform without thinking about them.” ~Emile Phaneuf III
Is Dollarization a Mirage?
“Dollarization would serve as a firewall, protecting the private sector from the fiscal policy fallout.” ~Nicolas Cachanosky
Should Buying Or Selling “Hidden Cities” Air Tickets Be Banned Or Punished?
“Hidden-city opportunities emerge when there are significant differences in the price elasticity of demand relating to certain itineraries with stopovers.” ~Christopher Lingle