The increases in Roth IRA contribution limits, Health Savings Accounts , the tax-rate cuts, and the possible LSA’s and RSA’s are good, but we should all be wary of States bearing gifts. Though it may be difficult to see, The State, headed by President Bush, is eliminating many “loopholes” it previously created, upon astonishment that people are
Robert Brokamp has scathingly debunked Six Social Security Myths (free registration). In his article, Brokamp demonstrates more understanding of Social Security than the whole lot of mainstream economists, and a much greater knowledge of social security than any of it’s supporters. Brokamp, however, isn’t critical enough of social security . He
I just read an article from Fox News on Bush’s new proposed tax-advantaged savings accounts (see http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,110695,00.html). It covers Retirement Savings Accounts (RSAs), Lifetime Savings Accounts (LSAs), and Individual Development Accounts (LDAs). It does not mention Health Savings Accounts, which have exceptional
Granger laws were a series of laws which regulated long- and short-haul discrimination and other “abuses” against farmers. The California State Grange has a bit of propaganda on them here . The type of analysis typically given to the Granger laws is steeped with what has been called “the nirvana fallacy”. This is where Statists compare the results
This Slashdot article illustrates a good example of how trademarks are over-extended and used to violate property rights and freedom of speech rights. Microsoft is asserting its fictional rights to anything that sounds like “-dows”, and is thus trying to prevent Lindows from using Lindows.com. On a more disturbing note, trademarks have also been
Following up on Casey Kahn’s reference to Bartleby.com , I think that readers may also be interested in Project Gutenburg . All of their books are in plain ASCII format, so that they can be readable and searchable on any computer. Project Gutenburg is the oldest etext project on the net.
Among the animal rights, ecological, and environmental activists, you can be assured that there’s always a lot of squabble about how we have to protect various endangered species. Invariably, the proposed solution for protecting endangered species is State regulation. Why is it so vital that we make sure that a certain species survives? Who
Christopher Anderson has discovered a way to “use common crops to soak up contaminants in soil from gold-mining sites and return the areas to productive agriculture.” The harvested gold pays for cleaning up the site, and training the locals in agriculture. The process, phyto-remediation , works as follows: Treat soil with chemicals to break down
These notes are from the lecture Austrian Theory of the Trade Cycle II , given at the Mises University. Any errors are mine, feel free to point them out so that I can correct them. This lecture was given by Prof. Murphy. *Note: I will eventually put pictures in some of these notes, including this one. Garrison’s Interlocking Graphical Framework In
These notes are from the lecture Chicago vs. Austrian view of Property Rights and Capitalism , given at the Mises University. Any errors are mine, feel free to point them out so that I can correct them. This lecture was given by Prof. Block. General Argument for Privitization Moral : Private = voluntary. Public = involuntary. Practical :
What is the Mises Institute?
The Mises Institute is a non-profit organization that exists to promote teaching and research in the Austrian School of economics, individual freedom, honest history, and international peace, in the tradition of Ludwig von Mises and Murray N. Rothbard.
Non-political, non-partisan, and non-PC, we advocate a radical shift in the intellectual climate, away from statism and toward a private property order. We believe that our foundational ideas are of permanent value, and oppose all efforts at compromise, sellout, and amalgamation of these ideas with fashionable political, cultural, and social doctrines inimical to their spirit.