It will be very interesting if the police—who did nothing to disperse protests that were obviously in violation of bans on mass gatherings—turn around and arrest business owners and other “violators” of a second round of stay-at-home orders. This Audio Mises Wire is generously sponsored by Christopher Condon. Narrated by Millian Quinteros. Original Article: “Will …

Contrary to a certain nostalgic nationalist myth that still endures, the US Constitution as first conceived was never intended to limit government power. The primary purpose of the Convention of 1787 was to increase federal power, as the older constitution of 1776 (i.e., the “Articles of Confederation”) was regarded by centralizers as being too “weak.” …

A second round of lockdowns will assault an America already suffering from widespread unemployment and a fragile economy. Even worse, round two is likely to last longer than round one, bringing an even larger economic and social toll. This Audio Mises Wire is generously sponsored by Christopher Condon. Narrated by Millian Quinteros. Original Article: “The …

The first time governments imposed business closures in the name of fighting the spread of COVID-19, the job market imploded.
Forty million Americans lost their jobs, and at least 20 million of those are still unemployed. Income in America fell to such low levels that federal tax revenues fell by more than 50 percent year over year in April and remained down more than 25 percent in May. These are losses of historic proportions.
It remains to be seen if the country even began anything that could realistically be called a “recovery” in June. After all, new unemployment claims were still at over a million new applicants according to the most recent data. That’s still off-the-charts bad. Nonetheless, we continue to hear about how,

[Ralph Raico, Alexis de Tocqueville (Auburn: Mises Institute, 2017), 94 pp.] Before he died in 2016, the historian Ralph Raico—an expert on the history of classical liberalism—donated his personal notes and library to the Mises Institute. Archivists later found among his notes a lengthy essay (or monograph) on the French political scientist Alexis de Tocqueville. It is …

The pressure is already mounting for state and local governments to move again toward coerced stay-at-home orders and mandatory business closures.
The constant drumbeat of headlines designed to convince people to adopt new draconian government controls is more or less exactly the same as what it was back in March. Arizona “lost control of the epidemic,” one headline proclaims, while another insists “ICU beds full.” A government bureaucrat in Texas says the situation is “apocalyptic” and Bloomberg dutifully featured the word in its headline. The governor of California is threatening another stay-at-home order. The Texas governor has reimposed some restrictions. Florida has “paused” its scaling back of lockdown edicts.
Americans

The pressure is already mounting for state and local governments to move again toward coerced stay at home orders and mandatory business closures. The constant drumbeat of headlines designed to convince people to adopt new draconian government controls is more of less exactly the same as what it was back in March. Arizona “lost control …

Thanks to the COVID-19 panic this year, graduates at America’s institutions of higher education missed the “opportunity” to be lectured by some celebrity or politician about the importance of “giving back” to the community, or being yourself, or following your dreams. This Audio Mises Wire is generously sponsored by Christopher Condon. Narrated by Millian Quinteros. …

Manufacturing company 7-Sigma made headlines when it decided to leave Minneapolis as a result of the company’s plant being burned by rioters. “They don’t care about my business,”7-Sigma owner Kris Wyrobek old the Star-Tribune. After more than 30 years in the city, the company isn’t staying, nor are any of the company’s fifty jobs. But …

The governor of Colorado, Jared Polis, signed new legislation on Friday that immediately puts into effect a wide variety of new reforms regulating the state’s police agencies. These include a number of provisions related to the use of force, body cam recordings, and qualified immunity for police officers. Specifically, the bill states: All local and state police officers must …

“Liberalism failed” is increasingly a mantra among some American conservatives. By “liberalism” they don’t mean the ideology of what most of the world calls “social democrats.” They mean classical liberalism, or the ideology of lassize-faire. (This ideology’s modern name is “libertarianism.”) The fact that liberalism is not universally popular—and unable to foil all the plans …

It’s possible that there may yet be a V-shaped recovery as employment really takes off in the next few months. But, so far, there’s little reason to assume this will be the case. This Audio Mises Wire is generously sponsored by Christopher Condon. Narrated by Millian Quinteros. Original Article: “The Employment Situation Is Still a …

In a bit of ironic vandalism, San Francisco protestors painted “bastard” on a bust of Miguel Cervantes and defaced it in other ways. It’s hard to image what the motivation was behind attacking the Cervantes bust, beyond, of course, total ignorance of who he even was. Cervantes was a sixteenth-century writer who penned Don Quixote, …

Donald Trump’s economic populism, and his break with the established post-war conservative movement, has created an opening for new types of conservatism. Among these is the anti-market wing of the movement characterized by a renewed enthusiasm for trade controls, more spending on welfare programs, and more government regulation in the everyday lives of ordinary Americans. …

Until interracial marriage restrictions were abolished in the 1950s, Colorado had two sets of marriage laws: one for the northern Anglo-dominated part of the state, and a second rule for the southern state, formerly part of Mexico. Narrated by Daniella Bassi. Original Article: “A Study in Decentralization: Colorado’s Two Sets of Marriage Laws”.

Last Friday, the US Bureau of Labor Statistics released new unemployment data. The report surprised many because it showed a decrease in the unemployment rate, while many observers had expected an increase. According to the official headline (seasonally adjusted) number, the unemployment rate was 13.3 percent in May. That was down from April’s rate of …

Thanks to the COVID-19 panic this year, graduates at America’s institutions of higher education missed the “opportunity” to be lectured by some celebrity or politician about the importance of wanting a better world, or how racism is bad, or about how one should celebrate life. Indeed, those who have no friends and nothing else to …

COVID lockdowns (1) threw millions out of work, (2) increased police harassment of peaceful people, (3) cut people off from key institutions that reduce social conflict. This made a volatile situation far worse. This Audio Mises Wire is generously sponsored by Christopher Condon. Narrated by Millian Quinteros. Original Article: “Three Ways Lockdowns Paved the Way …

The next time lockdown fetishists demand more coerced social distancing, many will say: “Social distancing didn’t matter to these experts very much back during the protests in June. Why should we believe them now?” This Audio Mises Wire is generously sponsored by Christopher Condon. Narrated by Millian Quinteros. Original Article: “The Moral Authority of the …

I don’t know which acts of police abuse and brutality are motivated by racism and which are not. But let’s say, for the sake of argument, that we could end all racial bias immediately through some magic spell or button we could press. Would this end police abuse, or even most of it? Experience tells us no. …

Police are not legally obligated to provide protection from criminals. Nor are they motivated to go after hardened criminals or investigate violent crime. Self defense (or private security) is the only reliable option. This Audio Mises Wire is generously sponsored by Christopher Condon. Narrated by Millian Quinteros. Original Article: “Minneapolis Riots Are a Reminder That …

We live in a time when it is commonly assumed that the president of the United States ought to intervene everywhere—both domestically and globally—and solve every problem. The fact that these interventions rarely solve any problems of any kind is apparently of little importance. What matters is that the president “do something!” and that “something” usually involves …

Looting and arson have followed what began as peaceful protests in response to the apparent killing of George Floyd by Derek Chauvin, a now former member of the Minneapolis Police Department.
But whatever was the spark that set off the current round of rioting in the Twin Cities area, it is clear that most property owners and residents will have to fend for themselves where riots have taken place. In other words, any unfortunate shopkeeper or resident who finds himself in the path of the rioters ought to just assume that police won’t be around to provide any protection from the mob.
For example, The Minneapolis Star-Tribune reports:
The police station on E. Lake Street has been the epicenter of protests this week….Nearby,

There were many reasons to oppose the COVID-19 lockdowns. They cost human lives in terms of deferred medical treatment. They cost human lives in terms of greater suicide and drug overdoses. Domestic abuse and child abuse have increased. There is also good reason to believe that lockdowns don’t actually work. The lockdown activists capitalized on media-stoked fear to push …

Of course, anyone who deals in interacting with the real world (i.e., not lifelong bureaucrats like Fauci, who needs not exhibit any actual competence to collect his $400,000 paycheck) understands that preserving and augmenting wealth is key in enhancing health and life. This Audio Mises Wire is generously sponsored by Christopher Condon. Narrated by Millian …

Some county governments in Colorado have made it clear that they don’t intend to adhere to the governor’s ongoing edicts requiring business closures and mandating social distancing. And it’s unclear that the governor is willing to burn the political capital to force county governments to do so. This Audio Mises Wire is generously sponsored by …

Looting and arson have followed what began as peaceful protests in response to the apparent killing of George Floyd by Derek Chauvin, a now-former member of the Minneapolis Police Department. But whatever was the spark that set off the current round of rioting in the Twin Cities area, it is clear that most property owners …

Americans were once harangued by government “experts” about the need to slow down on highways in order to save lives. Few listened. Today, laws demanding everyone “stay at home” may suffer a similar fate. This Audio Mises Wire is generously sponsored by Christopher Condon. Narrated by Millian Quinteros. Original Article: “What the Failed 55-MPH Speed …

Ever since state and local governments began imposing social distancing mandates, the media and policymakers have consistently exaggerated the role of the federal government in these measures. Early on, we heard about how “the United States” was locked down, and we now hear about the gamble President Trump is taking in “reopening America.” The reality of these mandatory shutdowns, however, …

Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence. The prolockdown crowd has been making extraordinary claims. Meanwhile, they have produced little evidence to support their claims. Narrated by Daniella Bassi. Original Article: “The CDC Slashed the COVID-19 Fatality Rate to a Fraction of Earlier Estimate Used to Justify Lockdowns​​”