Besides providing for the most-desired consumer goods, the market provides for niche goods as well. Consider The World Almanac , the 1008-page compendium of summarized historical and out-of-date facts. With the internet at my disposal, I can find in-depth research and up-to-the-minute data. Easy, too. Yet, time and again, I find myself thumbing
Buried deep in this article is Nicholas D. Kristof implicit theory on how the state came into being. According to Kristof, “ Until the mid-19th century, firefighting was left mostly to a mishmash of volunteer crews and private fire insurance companies. In New York City, according to accounts in The New York Times in the 1850s and 1860s,
My parents recently visited and left some relics of my youth. One look at this drawing sent my mind back in time. Almost 40 years ago, it wasn’t enough for government to tell me about the evils of smoking, they also coerced me into sharing private family information — that my father smoked — in order to serve the agenda of the state. Mind you, my
Yes, it’s true. I agree with Rush Limbaugh: I do not want Obama to succeed. According to Newt Gingrich, that makes me irrational. So be it. While I’m admitting my irrationality, I must also state that I do not want my governor, county commissioners, or township trustees to succeed either. Nor, for that matter, my local scenic river advisory
In Part One of As We Go Marching , John T. Flynn describes the rise of fascism in Italy. The following passages imply the need for two political parties. A party on the left: Thus in Italy, while individuals murmured against the growing debt, they continued as members of cities or villages or farming districts to fight valiantly for their share of
Do you want to convince someone that anarcho-capitalism is the solution? Then you had better have a response to this very real situation: In the absence of government, fire protection is provided by private companies that charge a monthly insurance premium. A recalcitrant acting man decides to decline market protection and assume the burden of
My son was upset when he returned home from his minimum wage job at a local grocery store. Seems he was confronted with, “The assistant manager is hopping mad about something you did,” as soon as he entered the door. His mind raced. What had he done? He took a breath, composed himself, and headed toward her office. And she was mad. Turns out my
Intellectual property is a concept that is inherently flawed. In particular, missing is the absolutism that is central to the ownership of property. And this flaw caused me to drop intellectual property as a requisite attribute of liberty. The visit A few weekends ago, my father-in-law came over for a visit. While we sat outside after dinner, he
Here are just five of the truths lost in the rhetoric. There are many more missing from the political debates. One : Without real savings , there is no division of labor, no roundabout production, and no modern economy. Money in the bank is not real savings. Two : Credit requires real savings. Notations on the FED’s accounts are not real savings
In As We Go Marching , John T. Flynn detailed the progression from liberty to fascism in Italy. In a World Magazine interview with Marvin Olasky, possible presidential candidate Rick Santorum rehearses his version of a vintage 1920′s Italy stump speech. First, Flynn: For imperialism flows as logically from militarism as militarism from spending.
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.