Bernie Sanders, in a recent opinion piece, attacked Republicans for trying to get concessions out of the Biden administration under threat of debt default, stating, “Defaulting on our nation’s debt would be a disaster.” Writers at Jacobin echo Bernie’s sentiment. Unfortunately, it seems like modern socialists are against default; however, historic socialists are not on the same page as our contemporaries. Karl Marx, Vladimir Lenin, and other socialists were in favor...
Read More »Taxation as a Weapon against Prosperity
The current regime wants to use taxation not simply as a means to collect revenue for the government, but as a weapon against economic prosperity itself. Original Article: "Taxation as a Weapon against Prosperity" [embedded content] Tags: Featured,newsletter
Read More »The GDPR Paradox: Empowering Government in the Name of Data Protection
The European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), which became effective in 2016, is one of the most detailed legislative schemes in the field of data protection. This article discusses two libertarian-minded objections to its approach. First, I argue that the notion of “right” adopted in the GDPR is flawed. Second, it shows that the GDPR doesn’t protect individuals from data-hungry governments and corporations. In the end, data protection legislation...
Read More »How “Squatter Democracy” Created America’s First Welfare Program
With the rise of homeless camps and tent cities in many American cities, the issue of squatting has become a cause for alarm among many residents and policymakers. In many cases parks, sidewalks, and other public rights-of-way have been taken over by people living in tents or makeshift shelters, rendering the areas unusable to most area residents. In other cases, some of these homeless people have taken over empty businesses and homes that were left unattended long...
Read More »The Bankruptcy Caravan Is Now Arriving: Time to Pay for the Easy Money
As the Fed increases interest rates to reverse the inflation it has caused, firms that depended on easy money will face the bankruptcy judge. Stay tuned; there's more to come. Original Article: "The Bankruptcy Caravan Is Now Arriving: Time to Pay for the Easy Money" [embedded content] Tags: Featured,newsletter
Read More »Review: Orwell’s The Road to Wigan Pier
While George Orwell wrote magnificently against totalitarianism, his attempt to defend socialism in The Road to Wigan Pier stumbled badly. Original Article: "Review: Orwell's The Road to Wigan Pier" [embedded content] Tags: Featured,newsletter
Read More »Default by Inflation Is the Real Drama in the Global Debt Market
The real drama of default in global markets has not been the federal debt ceiling negotiations in Washington but the write-off by inflation. The issue of whether it turns out that the US Treasury for a few weeks has been slow in servicing its debts—with all delays subsequently rectified—is a sideshow. We could regard this as camouflage for the ongoing real write-off operation. In this, countries led by the US, where a great inflation emerged during the pandemic and...
Read More »Myth #2: Deficits Do Not Have a Crowding-Out Effect on Private Investment
Recorded by the Mises Institute in the mid-1980s, The Mises Report provided radio commentary from leading non-interventionists, economists, and political scientists. In this program, we present another part of "Ten Great Economic Myths". This material was prepared by Murray N. Rothbard. In recent years there has been an understandable worry over the low rate of saving and investment in the United States. One worry is that the enormous federal deficits will...
Read More »Individualism in the US Has Helped Make It an Economic Success
Individualism, while condemned in some cultures, has helped make this country economically successful. Will the influx of immigrants from cultures that devalue individualism reverse that success? Original Article: "Individualism in the US Has Helped Make It an Economic Success" [embedded content] Tags:...
Read More »Higher Corporate Profit Margins Aren’t Causing Inflation
The usual suspects such as Robert Reich claim that corporate profits are causing inflation. Actually, increases in corporate profits are tied to increases in inflation. Original Article: "Higher Corporate Profit Margins Aren't Causing Inflation" [embedded content] Tags: Featured,newsletter
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