Today, NPR (All Things Considered) reported on the recent passage of the College Cost Reduction and Access Act by Congress. Oh, if life were so easy. Another few hundred dollars in per-student Pell Grants, lower interest rates, and capped loan payments will transfer more wealth, but the bill is not — as advertised — the “largest single investment
I just got back from the Ludwig von Mises Institute’s 25th Anniversary Celebration. What a truly wonderful event. But, I have to make one point clear: Do not believe for a moment that name of the event implies that the movement started by Mises is 25 years old. It’s not. In fact, the movement is much, much younger. Certainly the ideas and ideals
Fungible means interchangeable. The word comes into play when (inter alia) earmarked funds end up in a general account. These funds are then free to be used for purposes other than intended. Example: You would like to go on a vacation but you have unpaid car repair bills. A wealthy uncle hears that you are having financial trouble and sends money
The crime of the century: Slugger Barry Bonds might have lied to a federal grand jury ! For this he faces up to 30 years in prison. Sounds like he may get off easy since we simply cannot have people obstructing the valuable functions of government. Chaos would surely follow. 30 years isn’t enough. On a blighter side, the report states that “White
Several months ago I detailed the corrupt foundations underlying the chaebol’s in Korea, it seems that Samsung (the grand daddy of them all) is being accused of: “mastermind[ing] a campaign to raise slush funds to pay prosecutors, judges and lawmakers and influence a high-profile court case.” And even if they are found innocent of these crimes,
Tomorrow is Thanksgiving, the day reserved for giving thanks and feasting. In Ohio, at least, another day may be reserved in the future: a day for apologizing to the state. In 2006, an Ohio hunter shot a deer out-of-season . It doesn’t matter whose property the deer was on, all deer in Ohio are the assumed property of the Ohio Department of
Peter Klein recently observed that the majority of popular tourist attractions in Paris were financed by coerced philanthropy (i.e., taxation). While there are exceptions to this rule, the same hold true for most of the state edifying temples in the DC/Kremlin areas as well. In addition, Peter linked to an interesting story from of all places,
It appears that the government of Zimbabwe is giving the Hungarian peng o, a run for its money (literally): Cash runs out in land where the bus fare is 1.6 m dollars Some sobering points: - October’s annualized inflation was 14,840%, up nearly double from September - The highest paper currency, the Z$200,000 note, has almost disappeared - Cash
I recently finished reading A Paper Life , the autobiography of the movie star Tatum O’Neal. I know, in a time of the ever-growing Leviathan, such a diversion is pure Hollywood puffery. However, tidbits of insight can be found in such a book, as seemingly inconsequential stories shed light on the fallacies of government. As is well known, Tatum
That’s the nickname of the Boston area, a nickname that appears to be applicable once more. Massachusetts looks to be the forefront of another revolution: the revolution to end the income tax. Last week, the Patriots over at the Center for Small Government reported that 100,000 signatures were delivered for validation and certification. This is
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.