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The Basement Beneath the Wage Floor
There are certain sounds that tend to make people crazy. Think of nails on a chalkboard. An infant screaming nonstop on a long flight. …
The Future of Drones in America
Drones are wildly popular on the battlefield. Now they can claim victory elsewhere. The use of drones within U.S. borders — in car chases, …
The Drones Are Watching and Waiting
The topic of drones came up on MSNBC’s Morning Joe. Advertising guru and pro-drone Donny Deutsch pushed back against a skeptical Joe Scarborough saying, …
One Hundred Years of Intrusions
Imagine a time when the government knew nothing about the money in your bank. It cared nothing about how much you made, where you …
The Four Signs of a Collapsing State
“This used to be a hell of a good country, I can’t understand what’s gone wrong with it.” said George Hanson in the movie …
The Fed’s Old Tricks in New Times
We’ve been telling anyone who will listen that the Fed has gone where the central bank has never gone before. Pre-crisis, the Fed’s available …
Jim Rogers and His Case for the Asian Century
What is the best single thing you can do for your children? Send them to Asia for school so they can get a good …
How Markets Fixed the Travel Problem
I was standing outside the hotel when a gigantic bus rolled up. It was a double-decker and seemed as long as a city block. …
Student Loans Going the Way of Housing
Colleges are good at getting people enrolled. They get kids lined up with education loans. The money goes to pay exorbitant prices on textbooks. …
The Gas Price Story of Hurricane Sandy
For those schooled in economics, the gasoline shortage during Hurricane Sandy last November was no surprise. Demand for gas goes up. Supply lines are …
How Digits Are Reinventing the World Order
Most people today use technologies without a clue to the larger picture of what is really happening to the structure of the world because …
The Patent Bubble and Its End
“Then they pop up and say, ‘Hello, surprise! Give us your money or we will shut you down!’ Screw them. Seriously, screw them. You …
A Reliable Account of the Great Depression
For his U.S. economic history class at UNLV, Murray Rothbard gave us the assignment to write a 10-page paper. The paper could be on …
The American Story… Abroad
In 1881, Dakota Territory had never sold a bushel of wheat to anybody outside of Dakota. Six years later, it sold 62 million bushels. …
Bankruptcy: The Glorious New Beginning
You remember when Hostess declared bankruptcy last November? There were outcries that the iconic snack pastry would be gone forever. Speculators began to stockpile …
Smart People Share
For young people facing terrible job prospects and a generally bad economic environment going forward, starting a business sounds very appealing. It has advantages …
How Business “Recesses” Itself
There’s a jewelry store in town with a long tradition, a devoted client list, and a good record of solid profitability. But during the …
Keynesian Policies Are a Flop
World unemployment is on the verge of breaking new records. This trend will continue until 2017. That’s the news from the International Labour Organization …
The Marginal Rule of Wicksteed
Finally, my obsession comes to an end. For a full week, I’ve thought about not much else besides the economic concept of “marginal utility.” …
Marginal Steps Toward a Better Life
I’m at dinner and the hostess serves me pie for dessert. I gobble it up. Then the hostess says, “Would you like another piece?” …
The Uses and Abuses of Social Media
That headline probably seems strange coming from me. I’ve been a champion of social media, and my book A Beautiful Anarchy has a chapter …
Government Will Lose the War on Piracy
It began as a skirmish. Then it was a battle. It became a war. Now it is a bloody conflict that is global in …
The Dangers of Mortgage Debt
In 2008, the American dream of homeownership turned into an incredible nightmare for millions. The government had been subsidizing this stuff for nearly a …
The Coxeyites, the Bankers, and the Political Class
In 1894, a scraggly band of misfits made their way from Ohio to Washington, D.C. They had a plan to present to the political …