Category Archive: 6b.) Mises.org

Liberalism and Peace

Recorded at the 2003 Supporters Summit: Prosperty, War, and Depression. Ralph Raico discusses how from Jefferson to Madison, and on to Bastiat, Molinari, and Spencer, the "classical" liberals routinely denounced war as the enemy of freedom, prudence, and natural rights. Instead, militarism and imperialism have long been the domain of the enemies of private property and other apologists for the state. (32:19)

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States Can Curb Federal Power through “Soft Secession”

The use of interstate compacts by US states shows that the states don't need the federal government to dictate or manage interstate relations.  Original Article: "States Can Curb Federal Power through "Soft Secession""

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Breaking Free: How Open Protocols Foster Entrepreneurship, Spontaneous Order, and Individual Sovereignty

In the dynamic and ever-evolving digital landscape, open protocols have emerged as a powerful force, challenging closed-source models and reshaping industries. Beyond their technical merits, open protocols embody fundamental economic principles that foster innovation, competition, decentralized decision-making, and even censorship resistance. By embracing open protocols, societies can harness the creative energies of individuals and entrepreneurs,...

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“Greed” Didn’t Kill the Pac-12. Entrepreneurial Failure Did

For college football fans, it’s already been a wild August week before the first kickoff. Reminiscent of the Europe of old, and, hopefully, the America of the future, the collegiate athletic landscape in the last several years has witnessed a massive redrawing conference kingdom borders. The most powerful empires are the SEC and the Big Ten, with the former adding the Universities of Texas and Oklahoma and the latter pursuing manifest destiny in...

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Egalitarianism as a Revolt against Safety

Some residents of St. Louis, fed up with the nonprotection from the city's police, have hired private security to deal with the problem. The egalitarian Left, of course, doesn't like that. Original Article: "Egalitarianism as a Revolt against Safety"

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CBDCs: The Ultimate Tool of Financial Intrusion

“Experts” at the Federal Reserve and other central banks proudly broadcast the potential “financial inclusion” that could be achieved with a central bank digital currency (CBDC). In the Fed’s main CBDC paper, “Money and Payments: The U.S. Dollar in the Age of Digital Transformation,” they make it clear: “Promoting financial inclusion—particularly for economically vulnerable households and communities—is a high priority for the Federal Reserve . . ....

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Shrinkflation and Skimpflation Are Eating Our Lunch

Government statistics on inflation in the food sector have failed to account for skimpflation and shrinkflation. Original Article: "Shrinkflation and Skimpflation Are Eating Our Lunch"

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How Conscription Ended Fifty Years Ago

United States military conscription, or the draft, ended on January 27, 1973, with the winding down of the Vietnam War. The draft law was due to expire at the end of June 1971. But US President Richard Nixon decided it needed to continue and asked Congress to approve a two-year extension. In March 1973, 1974, and 1975, the Selective Service assigned draft priority numbers for all men born in 1954, 1955, and 1956, in case the draft was extended—but...

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The United States vs. Donald J. Trump

Trump is essentially being prosecuted for questioning the outcome of an election, and federal paranoia about protecting its own aura of legitimacy is entering a new highly aggressive phase.  Original Article: "The United States vs. Donald J. Trump"

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Economic Calculation Is Nonbinary

One of Ludwig von Mises’s important contributions to economics was demonstrating the impossibility of economic calculation under socialism. He did it by showing three necessary preconditions for the generation of meaningful market prices in the factors of production—private property, freedom of exchange, and sound money. Since socialism would, by definition, socialize the factors of production, there would be no nonarbitrary and meaningful way to...

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Outside the Universe?

David Gordon take a critical look at Markus Gabriel's Moral Progress in Dark Times, and although he finds parts that are disturbing, he also discovers important areas of agreement. Original Article: "Outside the Universe?"

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Wind and Solar Are NOT Cheaper than Coal and Oil

President Biden makes the false claim that wind- and solar-generated electricity are cheaper than power generated from coal and oil. Original Article: "Wind and Solar Are NOT Cheaper than Coal and Oil"

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Is Boycotting Target a Legitimate Protest or an Act of Terrorism?

According to progressive elites, it is terrorism if consumers boycott businesses because of their leftist policies. Original Article: "Is Boycotting Target a Legitimate Protest or an Act of Terrorism?"

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There Are No Constraints on Us Government Borrowing

In this week's episode, Mark reviews what people have said about Fitch's downgrade of US government debt. Mark sees it as a good thing, but not good enough. The "minor issue" in the latest debt ceiling agreement is ignored by the mainstream media: politicians suspended the debt ceiling into 2025, rather than raising it to some arbitrary, higher figure. Be sure to follow Minor Issues at Mises.org/MinorIssues.

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Flying into Foolishness: The DOJ “Saves” Consumers from Low-Cost Airlines

Yet again, the government destroyed a business partnership that not only promised but actively delivered benefits to consumers. The Northeast Alliance (NEA), a partnership between airline companies JetBlue and American Airlines, was ruled against in federal court after a battle with the Department of Justice (DOJ). Like the rulings of cases that came before it, this antitrust action is void of common sense. The NEA clearly does not establish a...

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What Is the Right Inflation Target for Central Banks?

Why have central banks settled on a 2 percent price inflation target? Project Syndicate asked four economists about this target and whether it is still appropriate. I’ll summarize their answers and then consider Mises’s position on “stabilization policy.” Four Economists’ Answers to “Is 2 Percent Really the Right Inflation Target for Central Banks?” Michael Boskin, Stanford University professor, Hoover Institution senior fellow, and former chair of...

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Soft landing? Not likely

As Fed staffers no longer predict an impending recession, economists on social media are all assuring themselves that Americans are in store for a "soft landing." Mises Fellow Jonathan Newman joins Bob to explain why the data still support the case for recession and point out the eerie similarity to the calm before the storm in 2008. Robert Lucas' Nobel Prize Winning Lecture: Mises.org/HAP407a Bob's Eerie Article from 2007 on the...

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Want to Follow Your Dreams? The First Step Involves Hard Work

Adults tell young people to follow their dreams, but one cannot follow one's vision without realizing what it takes to get there. Original Article: "Want to Follow Your Dreams? The First Step Involves Hard Work"

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A Conversation with Prince Michael of Liechtenstein

On November 15, 2021, almost twenty-one months ago, I once again had the rare and delightful opportunity to have a conversation with Prince Michael of Liechtenstein. His insights, especially with his directness and unequivocal honesty, have frequently provided me with a lot of food for thought in the past. This interview was no different. His candid and unfiltered responses to a wide variety of questions and topics made this conversation as...

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Praxeology with Good Huemer

Michael Huemer has made my life easier. One of my tasks at the Mises Institute is to teach praxeology to students, and doing so involves explaining a priori knowledge (i.e., what we can know just by thinking about it), a notion which many students find difficult to grasp. The task becomes even harder when you add that the a priori knowledge in question is “synthetic” knowledge that isn’t analytically true but that we can still know to be true just...

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