Mises Search

The Bush Administration’s political pandering to the manufacturing sector (apparently now called the “American worker”), has finally escalated into a trade war. After the Wall Street Journal today reported that a quota had been enacted against bras coming from China, the Financial Times wrote this: “China on Wednesday reacted angrily against a US

From the WSJ ($): “The Medicare prescription-drug law passed late last year is having a healthy effect on the outlook for corporate finances. Within the past few weeks, a handful of large companies have reported they expect to collectively save more than $2.5 billion over time, thanks to the new government subsidy for employers that offer

I was surprised to read this morning that the Environmental Protection Agency has decided that over 150 million Americans--more than half the population--breathe air that is below federal air quality standards. You’d think that if over half the country was coughing and wheezing it up on its way to work each day there would be a national outcry.

Nicholas Kristof, in todays NY Times (registration required): “...Communism is fading, in part because of Western engagement with China — trade, investment, Avon ladies, M.B.A.’s, Michael Jordan and Vogue magazines have triumphed over Marx. That’s one reason we should bolster free trade and exchanges with China, rather than retreating to the

This from today’s Wall Street Journal indicates how woefully uneducated today’s businessmen are in economics: “The thinking now is that because of the current federal policy and more sophisticated management of the economy , there will be less volatility,” said Dan Meckstroth of the Manufacturers Alliance.” (italics

The Free Market 21, no. 2 (February 2003)   In his essay “A Chinese Tale,” Frédéric Bastiat puts a far eastern spin on his “Broken Window Fallacy.” In it, Bastiat writes of two ancient Chinese cities, Chin and Chan, connected by a “magnificent canal.” The Chinese emperor decides to have blocks thrown into the canal to interrupt trade and travel.

The Free Market 21, no. 4 (April 2003)   After several years of scant media coverage, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) is back in the public spotlight. Its admission late last year that it had revived its nuclear program has caused a flurry of Washington war planning. For the media, North Korea’s leader, Kim Jong Il, has proved to

The Free Market 23, no. 7 (July 2003)   Few countries around the world wanted to be entangled in the war on Iraq, but everyone seems eager to participate in reconstruction. The United States, as primary military aggressor, has estimated the cost of this effort as totaling $100 billion over the next several years. Foreign aid seems to many as the

Paul Krugman’s latest column is an economic, historical and ethical mess. While his diagnosis of the problem is partially true (rising insurance premiums in employment-based health care have stifled job growth), his answer is more of the same: increased government intervention. He does not address government mandates, such as community rating, and

What follows is a bibliographic attempt to answer the question of what makes libertarians and conservatives different. Where possible I have linked to the articles and books, but much of the debate transpired before the advent of the Internet, and as such, is only available in hard copy. Two sources in particular warrant special attention – Murray