Arbitrary Use of Power: Punishing Those Who Expose Not-So-Secret Government Secrets
Most readers might not remember Daniel Ellsburg, but for those of us who came of age during the Vietnam War, the maelstrom that formed around him and his actions helped to define that era. Ellsburg, of course, is famous because
Money-Supply Growth Fell to a 50-Year Low in February. Will the Fed Panic?
Money supply growth fell again in February, falling even further into negative territory after turning negative in November 2022 for the first time in twenty-eight years. February's drop continues a steep downward trend from the unprecedented highs experienced during much
State Department’s Human Rights Reports and Their Failures
Jordan Cohen In March 2023, the State Department released their annual “Country Reports on Human Rights Practices.” While these reports do provide useful information about individual countries’ human rights practices that allow for better policy research, analysis, and implementation, they do
It Hurts to Pay for Strained China-USA Relations
Since the Trump administration launched their trade war with China in 2018, “Trump tariffs” have continued to harm not only our international relationships but also the US economy and the pocketbooks of US consumers. Now as global relations with China
It’s Not Paranoid to Worry about a Central Bank Digital Currency
In a recent NYT column, economist Paul Krugman mocks Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, who warned that a central bank digital currency (CBDC) would give the government too much power over Americans. Specifically, DeSantis argued that the feds could use a CBDC
What Is a Fee to the CFPB? And Should Prices Change?
Nicholas Anthony I previously explained how the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) had effectively proposed restricting access to credit by calling for greater price controls on credit card late fees. Yet there are two questions I did not touch on that require
Rapid Economic Growth Is the Best Poverty Alleviator
Swaminathan S. Anklesaria Aiyar India is no longer a poor country. With a per capita income of $2,600, it is now a lower middle income country. Even so, many readers will be astonished by an IMF working paper suggesting that less than one percent
The Trump Indictment Reminds Us That Campaign Finance Regulation Should Not Exist
Jeffrey Miron and Jacob Winter On April 4, 2023, the Manhattan District Attorney announced the indictment of former President Donald Trump on 34 counts of falsifying business records. These are misdemeanor charges in New York State, but they upgrade to felonies when
Monday’s Misleading Headline: A short-term dip does not a trend make
Gallup reports: "Concern About Several Environmental Problems Dips in U.S." Here's the evidence. So, I downloaded the data, redrew the graphs, added trendlines, then deleted the original data to better suss out the underlying trends without all the confusing squiggly lines. Here