Cronyism and Corporatism

When the government wants to make something more affordable, that usually means new subsidies, laws, and regulations that drive up the real price. Higher medical prices will mean more medical bankruptcies.

California’s draconian fast-food minimum wage law is bad enough, but it turns out a company can avoid the trouble if it has ties to the governor.

Contrary to popular opinion, bank capital is not a reserve to cover potential losses. In fact, even the ill-fated Silicon Valley Bank had adequate bank capital before it collapsed.

Despite court rulings, Biden is trying to do end runs around the law in an attempt to buy votes with his student loan cancellation schemes. His actions, not surprisingly, are illegal, but don’t expect any arrests.

Although fractional reserve banking is the most popular model for banking, it is fraudulent at its core, something the Austrians have noted for many years.

While progressives tout foreign aid to poor countries as socially and economically beneficial, in truth it makes poor nations even poorer. Foreign aid is a poor substitute for free trade and free markets.

The recent raid on an Amish family farm is the direct result of government protectionism of big agriculture through needless and cumbersome regulations.

The Federal Reserve claims to be independent and politically neutral. But since its actions have political ramifications, it is impossible for the Fed to be either.

Critics of Boeing are blaming free markets and the profit and loss system for recent safety failures. However, Boeing hardly operates in a free market anymore, given that half its revenues come from taxpayers.

The Ludwig von Mises Memorial Lecture. Sponsored by Yousif Almoayyed.