Equality Requires State Violence
In his excellent new book In Defense of Capitalism (Republic Book Publishers, 2023), the historian and political scientist Rainer Zitelmann asks a vital question about inequality. In asking this question, he makes a move characteristic of his work. Demands to
Rhetoric and Abundance
Erec Smith As a rhetorician, I see rhetoric as a crucial aspect of a free and pluralistic society, and I believe that its theory and best practices should be explored. I also think rhetorical skill can be the difference between feeling powerless and powerful. With rhetorical skill, one’s
The FBI’s New Target: Catholic Churches
On this episode of Radio Rothbard, Ryan McMaken and Tho Bishop discuss recent reveals about new lows for the FBI. Ryan discusses new reports about the targeting of traditional Catholic churches and the history of the American Stasi, while Tho
What If the Dollar Falls?
The past few weeks, major countries have been moving away from the US dollar, raising doubts about the dollar’s long-dominant role in the world. Eight weeks ago, it was just pariah nations like Iran or Russia trying to de-dollarize. Now
Why Do Most Countries Have their Own Currency? Governments Wanted It that Way.
Among the many facts of modern life that are accepted without question by most ordinary people is that it is somehow perfectly natural, expected, and unremarkable that every sovereign state should have its own currency. We see this everywhere in
Fast Facts about Medicare and Social Security
Romina Boccia and Dominik Lett Medicare and Social Security are the two largest federal government programs that are also growing the fastest. They are fiscally unsustainable as currently structured. Medicare consists of four parts which provide inpatient care (Part A), outpatient
The Right to a Jury Is Fundamental
Thomas A. Berry and Isaiah McKinney Cornelius Burgess served as the CEO of Herring Bank for over a decade. After the bank suffered some losses, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) investigated Burgess for allegedly using bank funds for personal expenses. Eventually,
The Society for Benefit-Cost Analysis is offereing six professional development workshops this year
via the SBCA email list: The Society for Benefit-Cost Analysis is offering six professional development workshops this year, organized by leading experts. They include the following; more information is available here: https://www.benefitcostanalysis.org/workshops. Benefit-Cost Analysis for Beginners (Glenn Blomquist and David Weimer) Economics of Addiction (Elizabeth Botkins, Aaron Kearsley,
Say “No” to Religious Charter Schools
Neal McCluskey Supreme Court precedent basically says this about school choice: Including religious schools among options at which families can use a voucher or other government‐connected funding does not violate the U.S. Constitution’s Establishment Clause because families, not government, determine where the
Biden’s IRS Enforcement Budget to Skyrocket
Chris Edwards The Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 ballooned the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) budget, with the bulk of new spending aimed at tougher enforcement. The law boosted IRS spending by $79 billion over coming years, which will double the agency’s