It has long been a dream of central planners and interventionists to set a global, uniform tax rates for all regimes. These globalists know that so long as sovereign states have the ability to freely set their own tax rates, some regimes are tempted to engage in “tax competition” in order to attract capital. When …

In February, money supply growth hit yet another all-time high. February’s surge in money-supply growth makes February the eleventh month in a row of remarkably high growth, and came in the wake of unprecedented quantitative easing, central bank asset purchases, and various stimulus packages. During February 2021, year-over-year (YOY) growth in the money supply was at 39.1 percent. That’s up slightly from January’s rate …

For many months, the governments of European Union have made it clear they view the distribution and administration of a covid-19 vaccines as a public policy priority. Whatever one may think of the vaccines, the fact remains Europe’s regimes think they’re fantastic and want as many jabs in arms taking place as soon as possible. …

If we’re going to ask ourselves what might have caused such an unusually large rise in homicide, we ought to look for very unusual events. Covid lockdowns certainly fit the bill.  Original Article: “Homicides Are Way Up in 2020, and Covid Lockdowns Are a Likely Cause​​” This Audio Mises Wire is generously sponsored by Christopher …

For decades now, advocates for freedom and free markets have disagreed over whether or not political decentralization and local self-governance are important principles in themselves.
Most recently, this debate flared up here at mises.org over the issue of state-level preemptions of local government. Specifically, Connor Mortell objected to the State of Florida’s prohibition of local policymaking autonomy on the issue of covid lockdowns and mandates.
In response, a number of readers both in social media and in the comment section here at mises.org insisted that centralization of political power is fine so long as it’s the good guys who are doing the centralization.
We’ve certainly been here before. Indeed, this debate is

For decades now, advocates for freedom and free markets have disagreed over whether or not political decentralization and local self-governance are important principles in themselves. Most recently, this debate flared up here at mises.org over the issue of state-level preemptions of local government. Specifically, Connor Mortell objected to the State of Florida’s prohibition of local …

Twenty twenty was an unpleasant year for so many reasons. It was a year of riots, unemployment, and the trend in overall rising mortality continued unabated. Homicides also increased. In fact, in preliminary homicide data, it looks like homicides increased a lot in 2020. According to the FBI’s Preliminary Uniform Crime Report for the first …

By nearly any standard, the US government’s administration of border control is a disaster. If the goal is to limit border crossings, things are a mess. If the goal is to facilitate more legal immigration, things are a mess. If the goal is simply to give every potential immigrant a timely hearing, that too is …

When Georgia and Florida scaled back covid restrictions, the experts predicted far more death in the “open states” than in the locked down states like New York and California. The numbers tell a different story. Original Article: “They Said Things Would Be Much Worse in States without Lockdowns. They Were Wrong.” This Audio Mises Wire …

The new covid relief bill signals that whatever restraint on public spending existed before 2020 is now all but gone. And the bill represents the beginning of a new era: an era that can be likened to that of the New Deal.  Original Article: “The New New Deal Has Already Arrived. Thank the Covid Panic.” …

Like nearly all US states, Georgia imposed a stay-at-home order in March 2020 in response to demands from public health officials claiming a stay-at-home order would lessen total deaths from covid-19. But unlike most states, Georgia ended its stay-at-home order after only five weeks, and proceeded to lower other restrictions quickly. The legacy media responded …

We’ve entered a new era of politics and government in America, and the Left is pretty happy about it. This week, for example, The Guardian announced “Biden’s $1.9tn Covid relief bill marks an end to four decades of Reaganism.” From this point of view, “Reaganism” is code for extreme free-market libertarian public policy. Or as …

If grocery stores were run like public schools, they’d still be in the midst of an extended covid lockdown. Fortunately, though, we have a (mostly) privatized system, with vouchers for low-income shoppers.  A similar system for schools would be a far saner choice than what we have now.  Original Article: “Public Schools Refuse to Open. …

In a display of unconvincing enthusiasm, NBC reported today that payroll employment “surged” in February. Specifically, total nonfarm payrolls (seasonally adjusted) grew 379,000, month-over-month which was above the expected increase of 210,000. That might sound great to some, but a closer look suggests jobs growth is quite a bit more sedate than the media narrative …

The threat of “nuclear proliferation” remains one of the great catch-all reasons—the other being “humanitarian” intervention—given for why the US regime and its allies ought to be given unlimited power to invade foreign states and impose sanctions at any given time. Original Article: “”Weapons of Mass Destruction”: The Last Refuge of the Global Interventionist” This …

A state’s borders should change over time to reflect demographic and ideological realities. By denying this, political leaders are effectively saying that the rights of minority populations don’t matter. Original Article: “Some Coloradoans Want to Break Off and Join Wyoming. They Should at Least Get to Vote On It.” This Audio Mises Wire is generously …

Dominion Voting Systems is suing MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell for $1.3 billion. This comes in the wake of other Dominion lawsuits against Trump advisors Rudy Giuliani and Sidney Powell. All are accused of lying about Dominion’s supposed complicity in using the company’s vote-counting software to favor presidential candidate Joe Biden in the 2020 presidential election.
The company claims Lindell’s accusations “have caused irreparable harm to Dominion’s good reputation and threatened the safety of our employees and customers.” In the case of Giuliani, the company claims: “For Dominion—whose business is producing and providing voting systems for elections—there are no accusations [other than Giuliani’s claims of fraud and election

Dominion Voting Systems is suing MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell for $1.3 billion. This comes in the wake of other Dominion lawsuits against Trump advisors Rudy Giuliani and Sidney Powell. All are accused of lying about Dominion’s supposed complicity in using the company’s vote-counting software to favor presidential candidate Joe Biden in the 2020 presidential election. …

The threat of “nuclear proliferation” remains one of the great catch-all reasons—the other being “humanitarian” intervention—given for why the US regime and its allies ought to be given unlimited power to invade foreign states and impose sanctions at any given time. We saw this at work during the run-up to the 2003 invasion of Iraq. …

Last month, a group of activists in Weld County, Colorado began floating the idea that the county should leave Colorado and be annexed by the state of Wyoming. Weld county borders Wyoming on the north and runs southward to the northern part of the metro Denver area. It is the ninth largest county in Colorado …

Explaining good economic theory is about explaining how the other side is ripping you off. Original Article: “The Fight over Economics Is a Fight over Culture” This Audio Mises Wire is generously sponsored by Christopher Condon. Narrated by Michael Stack.  

Opposition to American secession movements often hinges on the idea that foreign policy concerns trump any notions that the United States ought to be broken up into smaller pieces. It almost goes without saying that those who subscribe to neoconservative ideology or other highly interventionist foreign policy views treat the idea of political division with …

The controversy over Mark Cuban and the national anthem reminds us the NBA and the NFL have spent the last few decades relying on the national anthem as a cynical ploy. Employing “antiracism” and BLM politics was just the natural next step.  Original Article: “The NBA’s National Anthem Mandate: Another Political Ploy from Pro Sports” …

The Left long ago figured out how to get ordinary people interested in economic policy. The strategy is two pronged. The first part is to frame the problem as a moral problem. The second part is to make the fight over economic policy into a fight over something much bigger than economics: it’s a fight …

The claim that the US needs an immense and varied nuclear arsenal “does serve one purpose: it keeps military budgets wondrously high.” Original Article: “Why No State Needs Thousands of Nuclear Warheads” This Audio Mises Wire is generously sponsored by Christopher Condon. Narrated by Michael Stack.  

In late January and early February, protestors took to the streets of lower Manhattan to “re-occupy Wall Street.” Protestors were there to draw attention to the efforts by Wall Street elites to use their political influence with Congress and the SEC (Securities and Exchange Commission) to crush the traders—many of whom had rallied around certain groups …

Last week, the United States signed a five-year extension of the New START arms control treaty with Russia. Russia’s President Putin signed the treaty shortly thereafter. The “Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty” allows Russia and the US to monitor each other’s nuclear forces, facilities, and activities. The idea is to keep track of the relative strength …

Laws against incitement—much like defamation laws—are direct attacks on basic human rights and the freedom of speech. Both place nonviolent people in legal jeopardy merely for the “crime” of expressing opinions.  Original Article: “Incitement Is Not a Real Crime” This Audio Mises Wire is generously sponsored by Christopher Condon. Narrated by Michael Stack.  

After years of delay and endless debates over the long-term relationship between the EU and the UK, Brexit is finally done. At least, it’s done for now. The EU and the UK appear to have struck a trade deal and a deal over the general relationship between them. When it was fully part of the EU, …

Former president Donald Trump has been impeached for “incitement to insurrection.” The House Democrats’ claim is that Trump made an inflammatory speech which—a week later—led to the Capitol riot of January 6. The Senate is now considering whether or not to convict Trump of this “crime.” I put “crime” in scare quotes for a couple of …