Myths of the Mixed Economy
The planned economy was all the rage in 1937, when Prentice-Hall published a 1,000- page tome on The Planned Society: Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow: A Symposium by Thirty-Five Economists, Sociologists, and Statesmen. The "question that confronts us today is not if
The Case of Joe Rogan: Vaccine Policy and Freedom of Speech
Recently, Joe Rogan, one of the largest podcast hosts in the United States (10.6 million YouTube subscribers), expressed the following opinion about the vaccination of young adults: If you are 21 and ask me if you should get the vaccine, I would say "no". If
Mark Schaefer on Cumulative Advantage
Economists recognize the phenomenon of increasing returns. Knowledge markets such as those for software, operating systems and platforms, tend to tilt in favor of a product or service or brand that gets ahead, even to the point of lock-in. There
Private Security Isn’t Enough: Why America Needs Militias
In late May we learned that, after a five-month deployment to one of the most dangerous cities in the world, the American military would finally be going home. Well, not really. They already were home. The dangerous warzone was the American
A Culture of Fear
Upon the collapse of the Soviet Union, Soviet foreign spokesman Gennadi Gerasimov warned the United States, "We have done the most terrible thing to you that we could possibly have done. We have deprived you of an enemy." For nearly half
Why Are Progressives Obsessed with the Transgender Policies at the College of the Ozarks?
Earlier this year I argued that the state is necessarily hostile to Christianity due to it being not only a rival pole of power in society, but because the state itself promotes its own religion in the form of progressivism.
Neither the Wars Nor the Leaders Were Great
[Introduction to Great Wars and Great Leaders (2010).] The king of Prussia, Frederick II ("the Great"), confessed that he had seized the province of Silesia from the Empress Maria Theresa in 1740 because, as a newcomer to the throne, he had
Private Security Apps May Be the Future of Neighborhood Policing
As cities defund their police departments and the quantity of public safety services demanded further outstrips the quantity supplied, market entrants are looking for ways to provide new services. About two weeks ago, an SUV bearing the logo of the
The Worst-Kept Secret in America: High Inflation Is Back
To most people, “inflation” signifies widespread rising prices. Economists have long argued, as a matter of technical accuracy, that “inflation” denotes an increasing money supply. Frankly, though, most people don’t care what happens to the supply of money, but they
Economic Cannibalism Will Not Save Mexico, or Any Other Country
For many a sign of a modern economy—and for those who know better, a cause of grief—Mexico’s peso comes from the country’s central bank, el Banco de México (the Bank of Mexico). Banxico, as it is often abbreviated, will have