Topic: Government

Wait for It… “It’s Capitalism’s Fault!”

– September 3, 2022

“Unless the people regulate the government and redistribute its power back to individuals, we will lurch from crisis to crisis that interventions cause. And our fascist/socialist enemies will just double down.” ~ Max Borders

Central Banking, Government, Monetary Policy

The Fed’s Tough Year

– September 2, 2022

“The current push to expand the Fed’s mandates is consistent with Shull’s Paradox, which states that the more blunders the Fed makes, the more powers and prestige it gets. But we should be reducing the Fed’s powers and mandates, not increasing them.” ~ Alex J. Pollock

Authoritarianism, Government, History

Should We Eliminate the Involuntary Servitude Exception?

– September 1, 2022

“Any change like this costs political capital, and so we should only push for changes that are likely to have real impact, especially since there is so much that needs to be done to achieve meaningful criminal justice reform in the United States.” ~ Chris W. Surprenant

Crisis, Government, Healthcare, Science

Which Lasts Longer, Spike Proteins or CDC ‘Facts?’

– September 1, 2022

“The constant churn of revisions leaves us with many questions, when the whole point of producing a page entitled ‘Understanding mRNA COVID-19 Vaccines’ was to prevent such a thing. They are, unfortunately, very big questions.” ~ Jon Sanders

Economic History, Government, Inflation

There Is No Such Thing As Wage-Driven Inflation

– August 31, 2022

“Friedman’s pouncing on Heller has, unfortunately, had no effect on American journalists. News shows and economic commentators still repeat variants of the claim made by Heller: Rising wages will contribute to inflation.” ~ Vincent Geloso

Economic Education, Government, Regulation

Then a Miracle Occurs…

– August 31, 2022

“It is inexcusably unscientific for economists (or any one, for that matter) to merely assume that government will perform miracles. But this is exactly what they assume.” ~ Donald J. Boudreaux

Crisis, Education, Government

Three Unintended Consequences of Student Loan ‘Forgiveness’

– August 30, 2022

“The big losers are future students, who will see tuition spike yet again, working-class Americans who suddenly find themselves stuck paying for other people to go to college, and taxpayers in general who will be—as always—left holding the bag.” ~ Antony Davies & James R. Harrigan

Crisis, Education, Government, Socialism

Student Loan Forgiveness and the Shifting Standards of the Department of Education

– August 29, 2022

“There’s no need to be shy about calling the Department’s plans a new socialism of higher education: pay only what you can, the minimum amount vanishes toward zero, and the taxpayer will cover the rest.” ~ Adam Kissel

Education, Government

Biden’s Student Loan Forgiveness Program is Poorly Targeted

– August 29, 2022

“The student loan forgiveness program fails to help the very least well off while providing support for some of the most well off. It may be politically expedient, but it is difficult to justify on standard welfare grounds.” ~ William J. Luther

Authoritarianism, Environmentalism, Government, Regulation

The Rise of ESG, Replacing Profits with Paternalism, and Strategy with Standards

– August 28, 2022

“It seems likely that any standardized framework will be based on the UN’s postulates when all is said and done, and this will have all transpired in front of our eyes and by use of our own pocketbooks.” ~ Kimberlee Josephson

Government, Healthcare, Regulation

Risk Analysis for Children’s Health

– August 26, 2022

“Given that the benefits to children from lowering exposure to any of the FDA or EPA chemicals may be negligible to non-existent, we would likely be better off addressing more serious concerns for children.” ~ Richard Williams

Government, Philosophy, Science

Complexity, Scientism, and Contemporary Politics

– August 26, 2022

“The scientistic attitude encourages policymakers to adopt what Hayek called a ‘pretense of knowledge,’ an overconfident, if not plainly false, belief in their own knowledge and powers of social control.” ~ Scott Scheall