The Federal Reserve and the Regime Are One and the Same
Experience shows that the Federal Reserve "coordinates" its policies with the Treasury to ensure that the regime gets what it wants from the Fed.
Fiscal Report on the Governors 2024
Chris Edwards Cato has released the 17th biennial Fiscal Report Card on America’s Governors. The report grades the governors on their tax and spending records since 2022. Governors who have restrained taxes and spending receive higher grades, while those who have increased
The Constitution’s Negative Effects on Free Trade
While the US Constitution made the US a large free trade zone, prohibiting states from erecting trade barriers against each other, it also empowered the central government to erect tariffs on goods imported from outside the country.
The Perils of Lawfare
One sign of a fraying society is that its laws increasingly become political tools. The latest round involves Democrats trying to use criminal law in a very questionable way to try to put Donald Trump in prison, while Trump promises
Florida Moves to Ban Campaign Ad as “Sanitary Nuisance”
Walter Olson The Florida Department of Health has sent a letter to Gainesville television station WCJB demanding that it cease airing a campaign ad in support of Amendment 4, a ballot initiative that would liberalize the state’s abortion law. In the ad,
Rebel Ridge Is an Effective Fantasy but the Reality Is Even Worse
Clark Neily If you haven’t seen the Netflix blockbuster Rebel Ridge, you should. Billed as a Rambo-meets-Jack-Reacher police procedural whose protagonist is triggered by a costly encounter with civil forfeiture that quickly snowballs into brutal conflict with a corrupt rural police
Trump’s Right, It’s Time to Repeal Worldwide Individual Taxation
Adam N. Michel The United States stands alone in applying the entire domestic tax regime to all citizens, permanent residents, and tax residents regardless of where they live and work. Eritrea’s brutal dictatorship is the only other country to come
How the Latest TikTok Headlines Relate to Ongoing Tech Policy Debates
Jennifer Huddleston October has seen a number of bad headlines about the popular social media app TikTok. First, 13 states and the District of Columbia alleged that the platform harmed kids and “addicted” them to the app. Then, a Kentucky Public
Does the Central Bank Determine Interest Rates?
A common belief among economists is that the central bank determines what interest rates should be. But is that accurate? Indeed, there is more to the story.
Will Politicians Toxify Freedom Forever?
The Harris-Walz campaign has adopted “freedom” as its watchword slogan, but it is a version of freedom that is more fitting for something from one of Orwell‘s works than freedom in the classical sense.
Victory Is Our Goal
The first libertarian revolution succeeded, and we can do the same — but we, too, must have the will to triumph, to accept nothing less than total victory.
Ignore The New Power Demographic at Your Own Risk: Young Male Voters
As American culture becomes dominated by militant feminism, a new voting group of dissenters is arising: young male voters. These are young men that believe that the system is stacked against them, which is why Trump's populism appeals to them.
The State’s War Against Hate
In its so-called war against “hate,” the state determines who are the villains and then instructs everyone else to hate the “haters.” As one might expect, the state then engages in a campaign of vilification and intimidation against the newly-designated
The Economics of Prepping
Why do people prep? Are preppers irrational and out of touch with reality?
The Myth of the Entrepreneurial State
While some economists are lauding the idea of the “entrepreneurial state,” the reality is that such a term turns the very concept of entrepreneurship on its head. By nature, the state cannot act as an entrepreneur.
New IRS Tax Gap Estimate
Chris Edwards The federal “tax gap” is the amount of taxes owed but not paid on time, which is loosely viewed as the amount of tax cheating. The IRS has released a new estimate showing that the tax gap is down as a share
Open Primaries Versus a Nonpartisan Universal Primary
Walter Olson This November voters in Nevada, Colorado, and Idaho will consider whether to adopt versions of the “Alaska model,” discussed in this space here, here, and here, which does away with party primaries in favor of a single primary open
Friday Feature: Onward Learning
Colleen Hroncich Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota is the poorest area in the nation, says Mary Jo Fairhead, a former public school teacher who grew up on the reservation. “I love it, but there are a lot of life issues,”