Category:Regulations
Why sex work should be legal
March 6, 2017 | Post
The most straightforward reason to oppose the criminalization of the sex industry is that trading sex for money is not wrong.
How a telephone company used the government to monopolize an industry for decades
March 3, 2017 | Post
“Oh for the days of Ma Bell!” is not a lament we’re likely to hear. And for good reason. Before the breakup of AT&T, America’s telephone system was a government-sanctioned monopoly characterized by stagnant service offerings, high costs, and a glacial pace of consumer-facing innovation. So it was distressing when a federal appeals court engaged […]
Who makes the mountain paths? Freedom and the embrace of uncertainty.
March 1, 2017 | Post
The hike to the summit of Mount Lafayette in New Hampshire’s White Mountains climbs a steep and rugged 3550 feet over 4 miles. The winter snows bury the rocks; and after a storm, snowshoed hikers pack the snow into an almost-smooth “herd path” that others can then hike with light crampons. Step off that herd […]
How Commerce Protects Us — Deirdre McCloskey
February 27, 2017 | Video
Prof. Deirdre McCloskey says commerce protects us because businesses know they can’t force customers to buy their products.
Was Obamacare truly evil, or just a missed opportunity?
February 26, 2017 | Post
I do favor some role for the government. One idea for overcoming the free rider problem is mandatory health saving accounts and catastrophic insurance. (The alternative is letting people who choose not to be insured simply die when they are sick. Even if that’s the right policy, society is not willing to adopt it—so health savings accounts seem like a good second best policy.)
Will President Trump kill capitalism?
February 23, 2017 | Post
Capitalism—stronger than any border wall or immigration ban—remains a resilient and deeply American system.
Markets without Limits — Where Do We Draw the Line?
February 15, 2017 | Video
Dr. Peter Jaworski says if it’s OK to do something for free, it’s OK to do it for money. But what about selling your own organs? What about selling slaves?
This Valentine’s Day, the chocolate supply is in turmoil.
February 14, 2017 | Post
Learn how to drop the word “déblocage” into your romantic evening
Deregulation gets the beer flowing.
February 5, 2017 | Post
Breweries will open as long as it is profitable. When taxes and regulations raise the costs of opening a brewery, we will see fewer of them.
“Really, really, really bad” — Why Trump hates Super PACs
February 3, 2017 | Post
If Super PACs had been abolished, that would have hurt Trump’s opponents. To the cynic, it should be no surprise that Trump remains critical of them.
So did Obamanomics work or not?
January 29, 2017 | Post
How to evaluate the economic record of Barack Obama? To even begin answering, it’s necessary to go beyond just counting the number of jobs created during his presidency (10 million) or calculating the average growth rate (1.5%) or even looking at something more wonky like the labor force participation rate.
3 reasons why school-choice profits are a good thing
January 28, 2017 | Post
The key difference is not whether people are seeking to make money, but how they seek to make money.
America changed, and the Rust Belt failed to adapt
January 27, 2017 | Post
On Friday, January 20, 2017, Donald Trump was sworn in as the 45th President of the United States. His victory in the 2016 election was a surprise to many, and his success in the so called Rust Belt made it happen. Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania all went to Trump, something that hadn’t happened for a Republican […]
Trump's order on sanctuary cities is dangerous and unconstitutional
January 26, 2017 | Post
Trump’s executive order is exactly the kind of high-handed coercion of states that outraged conservatives under Obama.
5 weird ways Prohibition still exists today
January 25, 2017 | Post
Prohibition was repealed more than 80 years ago, but we’re still feeling its policy hangover.
Importers are exporters, exporters are importers. Slapping tariffs on imports would hurt our most competitive firms
January 22, 2017 | Post
In today’s globally connected world with dynamic global supply chains for raw materials and inputs, and global marketplaces for final sales, it’s an economic fact of the modern world economy that: a) exporters are importers and b) importers are exporters.
Why schools should be businesses (sort of)
January 10, 2017 | Post
Why is a model of education that is also profitable seen as such a bad thing?
Do colleges have an edifice complex, an amenities arms race, or both?
January 7, 2017 | Post
College construction has focused more on creating non-academic than academic space, and about half of all college space today is for non-academic use.
The robber barons weren't robbers. Here's why.
January 5, 2017 | Post
Among the great misconceptions of the free economy is the widely-held belief that “laissez faire” embodies a natural tendency toward monopoly concentration.
Making college “free” will only make it more expensive.
January 3, 2017 | Post
Making higher education free of charge won’t make it free to provide.
Indian Prime Minister's shake down of private wealth
December 29, 2016 | Post
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi stunned his country earlier this month when, out of the blue, he declared 85 percent of the nation’s currency notes null and void.
Over-Criminalization Nation — 5 Blood-Boiling Cases of Government Overreach
December 28, 2016 | Post
Every year the number of regulations, dictates, rules, decrees, guidelines, statutes, laws, and bylaws in the United States grows by leaps and bounds.
The black hole of Pentagon finance
December 27, 2016 | Post
The Pentagon suppressed a 2015 study exposing $125 billion—yes, billion—in administrative waste, over a five year period, in order to protect its own budget from being slashed.
This Christmas, blame supply and demand for your expensive gifts
December 22, 2016 | Post
Even Santa’s elves can’t repeal the laws of supply and demand.