Topic: Government

New Jersey’s Transaction Tax Grab

– September 17, 2020

“The way in which political figures view financial markets are a litmus test for their overall understanding of economics.” ~ Peter C. Earle

Crisis, Economic Education, Government

Yes, 2021 Could Be Worse

– September 16, 2020

“Buck up, buckaroos, because 2021 is just a cultural construct anyway. The world will improve not on an arbitrary day but when you all decide to make it a better place.” ~ Robert E. Wright

Education, Government, History

So You Want to Overthrow the State: Ten Questions for Aspiring Revolutionaries

– September 15, 2020

“A course that asks students to put themselves in the positions of aspiring revolutionaries and to prepare their own revolutionary manifestoes is extremely creative. I think it’s the kind of course from which students can benefit mightily–if, of course, they ask the right questions.” ~ Art Carden

Crisis, Government

Federal Court Holds “Stay-at-Home” Orders and Mandatory Business Closures Unconstitutional

– September 14, 2020

“Orders like Judge Stickman’s today remind the American people that they are not, actually, legally governed by fifty individual dictators, each empowered to declare at whim unlimited “emergencies” restricting basic, unalienable rights. No, we are not that.” ~ Stacey Rudin

Crisis, Economic Education, Government

Coase and Covid: The Individualized Option

– September 14, 2020

“The case, in short, for government-orchestrated NPIs is simply invalid. Why was Coase ignored and the individualized option never considered? And why will so many people continue to reject it?” ~ Donald J. Boudreaux & Lyle D. Albaugh

Authoritarianism, Crisis, Government

Corona’s Culture of Coercive Compliance

– September 14, 2020

“We are not to ask certain questions, according to the politicians, the experts, our friends. It’s over when we say it’s over, they say. We must keep each other safe. So cover your nose and mouth. Stand six feet apart. Stay home. Comply.” ~ Jenin Younes

Authoritarianism, Economic Education, Government

California’s Dreaming

– September 13, 2020

“AB 2088 could break the back of the Donkey party or unleash another dangerous wave of mostly peaceful protests throughout the land. This time, though, the fatal arrogance comes not from London but Cali you-know-what fornia.” ~ Robert E. Wright

Economic History, Education, Government, History

Should K-12 classrooms teach from the 1619 Project?

– September 12, 2020

“We need not indulge the bombastic posturing of Trump, or unlikely legislative efforts to strip funding from schools, to conclude that the 1619 Project is still ill-suited for K-12 education. That is a judgement we may make on its scholarly shortcomings alone.” ~ Phillip W. Magness

Crisis, Economic Education, Government

The Empty Corona Chairs and the Spare Capacity Fallacy

– September 12, 2020

“Business responses to corona have shown us that unused items – from chairs and tables to urinals – still have value; they are still in use, even when nobody seems to be occupying them. Most importantly, government spending has little ability to raise that utilization. For this age-old economic fallacy, free lunches remain elusive.” ~ Joakim Book

Economic Education, Free Markets, Government

Citibank’s $900 Million Mistake and the Finality of Payments

– September 11, 2020

“Cases like Citbank’s $900 million mispayment and $846,000 bank drafts stuck in financial limbo make for interesting stories. But keep in mind that the participants in these transactions are the accidental victims of a payments system that provides hard finality. What is unseen is the huge amount of trade that the certainty of hard finality facilitates.” ~ J.P. Koning

Authoritarianism, Crisis, Government

Defund, Defund, Defund

– September 11, 2020

“It is unclear how many grant competitions remain to be adjudicated at ED and other agencies, or how much money is at stake. But when schools, colleges, corporations, mayors, and governors say that ‘health and safety are our highest priorities,’ we should take them at their word. None of them should make any fuss when the federal government withholds funding in the name of health and safety. Otherwise, their statements about their priorities would reek of hypocrisy.” ~ Adam Kissel

Economic Education, Government

The Myth of Voting One’s Pocketbook

– September 11, 2020

“‘People vote their pocketbooks’ is a misleading and potentially insidious approximation of voter behavior. A better approximation for modern times is ‘People vote for the candidate or party that provides a better story about themselves.’ That can be problematic itself, but when we bring economic performance along for the ride the problems only multiply. Putting our economic fortunes in the hands of politicians is a recipe for division and stagnation, every time.” ~ Max Gulker