Category:Regulations
Discussion Question: Thalidomide
December 18, 2015 | Post
Thalidomide was a drug marketed in the 1950s in West Germany for the treatment of morning sickness and other nausea in pregnant women. However, thousands of women who took thalidomide had babies who were born with limb deformities, and many of those children also died shortly after birth. Can the government justifiably keep thalidomide out […]
Minimum Wage and Employment: Debunking the Oft-Cited 1994 Study
December 17, 2015 | Post
Preston Cooper over at Economics 21 has written an excellent piece about minimum wage’s effects on employment. Economics teaches us that when you raise the price of a good, the amount of that good which is demanded goes down. This is true whether the thing for sale is ketchup or labor. Supporters of the minimum […]
Discrimination, Freedom of Association, and “True Capitalism”
December 14, 2015 | Post
In order to label a country “capitalist” there must be complete freedom of association and private property. There is a limited government in place, but the government would be a referee, not a player. It would be outrageous to watch ESPN and hear, “The ref had a great game! He sacked the quarterback twice and […]
Stupid Alcohol Laws Give Festive Season a Hangover
December 10, 2015 | Post
The festive season is underway and for many people that means an increased consumption of alcohol. Staff holiday parties, friends’ Christmas parties, and — of course — New Year’s Eve are all classic occasions to knock back a few drinks and celebrate the season. But as professor Antony Davies explains in the video below, many […]
Appeals Court Rules Free Speech Trumps Moral Busybody Sheriff
December 9, 2015 | Post
The following blog post by Ilya Shapiro of the Cato Institute originally appeared on Cato’s blog on December 1st, 2015. Read an excerpt below. Backpage offers 11 categories of ads, primarily facilitating mundane transactions like used-lawnmower sales and vacation rentals but also with an “adult” section broken down into titillating subcategories such as “dom[ination] & […]
On Artificial Intelligence, the Knowledge Problem, and Consumerism
November 15, 2015 | Post
Learn Liberty recently released a video titled “What if There Were No Prices? Railroad Thought Experiment” with Professor Howard Baetjer of Towson University. The video argues that market prices communicate the value of goods and services in the economy so that those goods and services are allocated to their most productive (and value generating!) uses. […]
Leave Maternity Leave Alone!
October 23, 2015 | Post
Washington D.C. council members introduced legislation that would provide 16 weeks of paid parental leave to almost all employees in the District — paid for by a new tax on private D.C. employers. The proposal has been greeted positively by the media, which frequently point out that the U.S. is one of the only countries […]
When Government Fails—Venezuela Edition
October 21, 2015 | Post
The following blog post by Abigail Hall appeared on the Independent Institute’s blog on September 3rd, 2015. Below is an excerpt. Some people look at the conditions in Venezuela and point to oil prices as the source of many of its problems. The Venezuelan government, led by President Nicolás Maduro, blames opposition leaders for the […]
Economic Freedom: A Humanitarian Case
October 16, 2015 | Post
Without economic freedom, we cannot exercise our other freedoms. The freedom to speak is meaningless if the government prevents us from traveling from our homes or paying for a phone call. The freedom to write is meaningless if the government prevents us from selling newspapers. The freedom to worship is meaningless if the government forces […]
Octoberfest Is the Best
October 16, 2015 | Post
It’s October, which means it’s one of the best months of the year for drinking beer. Whether it’s the crisp, clean taste of an Oktoberfest or the soft, spicy kick of a pumpkin ale, the seasonal brews available this month bring us some great variety after a summer of drinking our favorites. In the three […]
Medicare: The Numbers Don’t Speak for Themselves
October 15, 2015 | Post
I got a powerful reminder a few months ago of a lesson I learned in grad school: numbers don’t speak for themselves. We must interpret them alertly if we are to learn from them.The numbers I came across are these: [Medicare] spends roughly $3 on administration for each $100 of medical services it buys for […]
Uber and the Sharing Economy: A New Way of Living
October 12, 2015 | Post
Earlier this year, I was making travel arrangements for a trip to Charleston. I booked my flight and hotel, and was about to book a rental car when I thought “wait a second. Charleston has Uber, doesn’t it?” It does, and I took UberX—the service that allows anyone who meets Uber’s requirements to drive for […]
Why is Beer So Expensive? – Craft Beer 103
October 8, 2015 | Video
Why is the beer you drink so expensive? Beer is one of the most highly regulated industries, across the country. Ultimately, these regulations are like putting lead boots on craft breweries and entrepreneurs. This video describes the level of taxation and regulation applied to brewing and selling beer at all levels of government. Can you imagine […]
Beer and the Three Tier System – Craft Beer 102
October 1, 2015 | Video
What if we passed a law that made it illegal for Apple to sell the iPhone directly to you? That’s exactly what’s happened with craft beer. Certain people have built their business model around these regulations and certain people have incurred a lot of costs as a result of these regulations. So if I’m a […]
Craft Beer 101: Entrepreneurship and Beer
September 24, 2015 | Video
There are more than 2,000 breweries in the United States, and craft beer has been continually increasing in popularity. Is the craft beer scene today the best it’s ever been? The short answer: no. In 1870 there were about 4,000 breweries in the U.S. Today there are only about 2,800, which means that Ulysses S. […]
Doctor Explains How CBD Helped a Child with Epilepsy
September 8, 2015 | Video
Epilepsy is a disorder of the brain that results in seizures. Seven-year old Sophia Nazzarine has suffered from intractable epilepsy. This interview was based on Sophia’s story. Watch more. 7 years old. 3 brain surgeries. 1 outlawed alternative. Sophia is extraordinary and she deserves her happily ever ever. There is hope. Doctor’s believe Cannabidiol or […]
Sharing Economy: Uber, Airbnb, & Feastly vs. Government Regulation
August 6, 2015 | Video
The sharing economy connects people with services like Uber, AirBnB, and Feastly. Despite these new ways to connect, many regulators would like to stop it in its tracks.