Forget the Alleged Social Contract: Taxes Are Coercive
Taxes are not a contractual obligation between the state and the individuals it governs. By definition, taxes are noncontractual debts in which the state is the creditor, and the payment of these debts is demanded through coercion and violence. While
Introduction to the Chinese Version of How to Think about the Economy: A Primer
To the Chinese reader: It is safe to say that economics suffers at least as many fallacies and misunderstandings as any other field of study. Had physics suffered the same level of issues, we would not have seen much—if any—of the
Privatizing Roads Solves the Problem of Road Closures
All of us have experienced government road closures and the traffic and safety nightmares they create. Private roads may be the answer to solving the problem. Original Article: Privatizing Roads Solves the Problem of Road Closures
The Escalating Tensions in the Red Sea Are a Bad Omen
With the Houthis in Yemen firing on commercial ships in the Red Sea, the US is contemplating yet another Middle East conflict. As we see again, aggression leads to more aggression. Original Article: The Escalating Tensions in the Red Sea Are a
Reflections on the Rothbard Graduate Seminar
The Rothbard Graduate Seminar (RGS) provides an opportunity to learn about Austrian economics at a high level. Original Article: Reflections on the Rothbard Graduate Seminar
The December Jobs Report Is Mostly Bad News
According to a new report from the federal government's Bureau of Labor Statistics last Friday, the US economy added 216,000 jobs for the month while the unemployment rate held at 3.7%. NBC news was sure to tell us that this "beat
The Draconian Budget Slashing Act of 2024
On this week's episode, Mark opens the Congressional Political Playbook to examine the proposed Congressional compromise spending legislation—and what they might name it. Be sure to follow Minor Issues at Mises.org/MinorIssues. Get your free copy of Murray Rothbard's Anatomy of the State at Mises.org/IssuesFree.
Are You an Enemy of the State? Most likely
Donald Trump, Julian Assange, Alex Jones, and Rudy Giuliani are in deep trouble with the US state. How about you? Most likely you feel safe because your voice hasn’t attracted a large following. What would the state’s enforcers gain by attacking
What is a “Fed Pivot,” And When Is It Likely to Happen?
Chairman of the Federal Reserve, Jerome “Jay” Powell, recently sent mysterious shock waves into financial markets with comments that suggested that Fed rate cuts might come sooner than expected. Stock and bond markets took this as a good sign. They were
Expect More Currency Destruction and Weak Economies in 2024
Markets closed 2023 with the strongest rally for equities, bonds, gold, and cryptocurrencies in years. The level of complacency was obvious, registering an “extreme greed” level in the Greed and Fear Index. 2023 was also an unbelievably bad year for commodities, particularly