Those who value privacy intended as respect of individual property rights, for example in one’s own communications, will forever be in debt of Edward Snowden. And even those who today don’t value privacy will be. Snowden is the great hero
Archive for June, 2015
How to Eliminate Teachers’ Strikes
These past few months have seen teachers in a number of school boards in Ontario go on strike and engage in other pressure tactics as teachers’ unions prepare for another round of collective bargaining with the province. Predictably, this has
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Albert Jay Nock and the Libertarian Tradition
[Transcribed from the Libertarian Tradition podcast episode “Albert Jay Nock.” Reprinted from Mises.org] In the beginning, there was Henry George. Henry George was born September 2, 1839, in Philadelphia, the second of ten children in a not overly prosperous family.
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Krugman on 2013: Heads He’s a Scientist, Tails You’re a Jerk
Oh boy. Paul Krugman keeps digging himself into a deeper hole with his botched 2013 austerity predictions. In this post, as a service to future archeologists, I want to (a) document Krugman’s shamelessness but (b) also explain that his excuses
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Hayek on the Business Cycle
[Introduction to Prices and Production and Other Works by F.A. Hayek. Reprinted from Mises.org] Friedrich A. Hayek was barely out of his twenties in 1929 when he published the German versions of the first two works in this collection, Monetary
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What Bastiat Had to Say about Police Abuse
[Reprinted from the Freeman] When it comes to being employed by the government, membership has its privileges. How far do these privileges extend? It’s a question that is central to political philosophy. It is most poignantly addressed by one of
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To Taylor, Love Freedom
Dear Taylor Swift, You recently wrote an open letter to Apple, Inc. (To Apple, Love Taylor) where you spelled out your decisions on why you will not be allowing them to stream your album, 1989, without paying you for the
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The Dutch West India Company
[This article is excerpted from Conceived in Liberty. Reprinted from Mises.org] The Dutch West India Company began operations in 1623, and in the same year the first party of permanent Dutch settlers landed in the New World — apart from
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Robert Reich Shills for $15 Minimum Wage
Former Clinton Labor Secretary Robert Reich has teamed up with MoveOn.org to produce a series of YouTube videos outlining “Ten Big Ideas to Save the Economy.” Each video has Reich giving a 2:30 pitch for the idea in question, armed
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Velocity Lacks Veracity
Typically defined as “the number of times one dollar is spent to buy goods and services per unit of time,” historically low monetary velocity is blamed for stymieing the Federal Reserve’s ability to achieve a targeted rate of price inflation.
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Cyclical Changes in Business Conditions
This article is excerpted from The Causes of the Economic Crisis and Other Essays Before and After the Great Depression, chapter 3, part II, “Cyclical Changes in Business Conditions.” The Role of Interest Rates In our economic system, times of
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Austrian Business Cycle Theory: Answering the Critics
According to the economists of the Austrian School, artificial credit expansion is the primary factor behind the business cycle. Critics have tried to poke holes in the theory, but David Howden shows those holes are just an illusion. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oVR79OJgGvA&feature=youtu.be
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Hidden In Fannie and Freddie
With another financial crisis fast approaching the cause of the ‘08 crash hasn’t been settled. Austrians generally line up on the side of the all-powerful Fed having lowering interest rates below what the market would produce, sending capital into malinvestments:
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Millions in Brazil Follow a Teen Leader to Freedom
Reprinted from the Freeman “I like a little rebellion now and then,” Thomas Jefferson famously wrote. The primary author of the Declaration of Independence and America’s third president regarded rebellion as “like a storm in the atmosphere.” It clears the
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The Ultimate Disorganizing Organization Part 2
[Testimony before US House Committee on Financial Services Domestic Monetary Policy and Technology Subcommittee, May 8, 2012] Do We Need a Central Bank? Without a central bank, how can a monetary system work? Don’t we need a central bank to
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The Minimum Wage “Experiments”
Noah Smith is excited about the recent minimum wage decisions in certain U.S. cities: This is why I’m so happy about the $15 minimum wage that is being phased in in cities such as Los Angeles, Seattle, and San Francisco.
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The Ultimate Disorganizing Organization Part 1
[Testimony before US House Committee on Financial Services Domestic Monetary Policy and Technology Subcommittee, May 8, 2012] I specialize in the economic theory of organizations — their nature, emergence, boundaries, internal structure, and governance — a field that is increasingly
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