Mises Search

The Iraqi version of Jack the Ripper, Al-Zarqawi, got his. So, that was good. But our buoyant mood was ruined by the Rhode Island legislature. Though not near the malingnancy of Al-Zarqawi, they planted a small, silly IED in the pathway of freedom. Just a pinprick — insignificant — still, as ominous as smoke curling out of the barn door. The

Sometimes there’s nothing so relaxing as sitting on your patio alone enjoying a beer, with only the backyard birds for company. And sometimes nothing beats a brew with a pal at your corner tavern. But in both cases, there’s an uninvited and invisible third party who can not be ignored. He’s the governor of your state and his fellow legislators —

Let us be honest. I’m only a 93% Libertarian and roughly a 90% patriot. That’s why I curse our Alabama Legislature’s proposal to mount cameras at traffic intersections, but view with calm equanimity the wiretapping of suspects or even suspected suspects who’d like to blow up New York City; or poison Chicago’s water supply or otherwise harm me or

I don’t mean to pick on the US Postal Service, but I must admit to a strong (but not yet clinical) obsession with monopolies — especially those that deliver mail. Consequently, the planet’s largest governmental monopoly draws my attention like cow patties attract flies. Maybe its existence is necessary just to provide a real-world experiment in

You rarely learn anything from TV except for its incredible lack of reality and its delight in delivering statist messages. But the other night was an exception. I learned something. The History channel was relating a lottery scandal of some years back in Pennsylvania.. Not surprisingly, lottery officials were bribed so that 3 specific numbers

“It is an established fact that alcoholism, cocainism, and morphinism are deadly enemies of life, of health, and of the capacity for work and enjoyment: and a utilitarian therefore must consider them as vices. But this is far from demonstrating that the authorities must interpose to suppress these vices by commercial prohibitions..... a Pandora’s

America — the “melting pot” of nations — we were called in the heyday of immigration. The melting pot may be pictured as the giant crucible of competition, heated by the flame of capitalism — that made the steel of the American temperament. Those poor “huddled masses” of the early 1900’s that Emma Lazarus addresses in her poem (on the pedestal of

Sometimes we’re lucky. Sometimes simple, everyday occurrences suggest solutions. I bet the first wise guy who saw a round rock rolling down a hill took out a patent on the wheel. And the tree that fell across the ravine? Aha, a bridge. Or take Sir Isaac Newton for example. He’s sitting under that well known apple tree, reading an erotic novel of

Don Boudreaux, an inspired George Mason University Econ professor, takes issue in a recent blog with a radio reporter. The commentator confuses the alleged ill-effects of marijuana with the perils of the consumer-supplier transaction. That’s like saying venison can kill you because in your pursuit of the deer you might accidentally blow your head

Everybody worries about inflation these days. It’s chic. It’s trendy. And it gives me a great comeback to the boss at raise time. “Congrats, Roberts, you’re getting a 3% increase.” “Yeah, I just about keep up with inflation,” I reply with that snippy look that bosses hate. A smart alecky answer, I know. Because I’m not gonna buy a new house or