It seems like every Democrat in the country plans to run against Trump in 2020 and presumably all of them will feel compelled to issue manifestos outlining their policy agendas. Which gives me lots of material for my daily column. I’ve previously written about statist initiatives from Bernie Sanders and bizarre ideas put forth by Elizabeth
I’ve periodically opined about why politicians should not try to control people’s behavior with discriminatory taxes, such as the ones being imposed on soda. And I’ve cited some examples of how these taxes backfire. The big drop in soda purchases after a tax on sugary drinks was imposed in Berkeley . The big drop in soda sales after a big
I wrote a couple of days ago about America’s best and worst cities for pro-market policy, and I noted that there are several rankings of economic liberty for states and nations . But what if you want to know the place with the most overall freedom? In other words, what is the most libertarian place to live based on both economic liberty and
When I write about Social Security, I normally focus on the program’s huge fiscal imbalance ( $44 trillion and climbing ). But it’s not just a fiscal crisis. Social Security is also an increasingly bad deal for workers. Especially minorities with lower average lifespans. When compared to what they would get from a private retirement system,
The so-called Green New Deal is only tangentially related to climate issues. It’s best to think of it as the left’s wish list, and it includes a paid leave entitlement , government jobs , infrastructure boondoggles , and an expansion of the already bankrupt Social Security system. But the most expensive item on the list is “Medicare for
I periodically explain that a European-sized welfare state can only be financed by huge taxes on lower-income and middle-class taxpayers . Simply stated, there aren’t enough rich people to prop up big government. Moreover, at the risk of mixing my animal metaphors, those golden geese also have a tendency to fly away if they’re being treated
Much to the consternation of some Republicans, I periodically explain that the Trump Administration is – at best – a mixed blessing for supporters of limited government. It’s not just that Trump is the most protectionist president since Herbert Hoover , though that’s certainly a damning indictment . The Trump White House also has been very
Bernie Sanders is a delusional hard-core statist , but that’s part of what makes him attractive for some voters. Simply stated, they think he’s authentic rather than a finger-in-the-wind politician. Related: Public School Teachers Are Not Underpaid by Zach Garris But I’m not so sure that’s true. I pointed out in 2015 that he’s not even true
For the third year in a row, Dan Mitchell offers his list of things he “Hopes and Fears” from the new year. Topics include Trump, Latin America, and the resolution of Brexit. We’ll start with things I hope will happen in the coming year. Hard Brexit – There is a very strong long-run argument for the United Kingdom to have a full break with the
I wrote five years ago about the growing threat of a wealth tax. Some friends at the time told me I was being paranoid. The crowd in Washington, they assured me, would never be foolish enough to impose such a levy, especially when other nations such as Sweden have repealed wealth taxes because of their harmful impact. But, to paraphrase H.L.
What is the Mises Institute?
The Mises Institute is a non-profit organization that exists to promote teaching and research in the Austrian School of economics, individual freedom, honest history, and international peace, in the tradition of Ludwig von Mises and Murray N. Rothbard.
Non-political, non-partisan, and non-PC, we advocate a radical shift in the intellectual climate, away from statism and toward a private property order. We believe that our foundational ideas are of permanent value, and oppose all efforts at compromise, sellout, and amalgamation of these ideas with fashionable political, cultural, and social doctrines inimical to their spirit.