from FEECommentary, analysis, insight from the Foundation for Economic Educationhttps://admin.fee.org/feed/?documentType=articles2024-03-19T03:27:29-04:00Foundation for Economic Educationhttps://fee.orgcontact@fee.orgFEE.org Feeds by DavidVhttps://fee.org/articles/why-julian-assange-must-be-freed/Why Julian Assange Must Be FreedThe parallels between the Pentagon Papers and WikiLeaks are stunning. And Julian Assange deserves the same First Amendment protections as Daniel Ellsberg.2024-03-14T19:00:50-04:002024-03-14T19:00:50-04:00Jon Miltimorehttps://fee.org/people/jon-miltimore/<p><span>“Journalists don’t go to jail for publishing classified information in the United States,” John Mearsheimer, a political scientist at the University of Chicago, said </span>in a recent video<span>.</span></p>https://fee.org/articles/velour-drapes-and-the-wisdom-of-mises/Velour Drapes and the Wisdom of MisesEconomic principles are operating all around us—if we know where to look.2024-03-14T11:54:12-04:002024-03-14T11:54:12-04:00Kimberlee Josephsonhttps://fee.org/people/kimberlee-josephson/<p>Economics shows up in our daily lives all the time, and sometimes in very quirky ways.</p>https://fee.org/articles/remembering-hayek-s-remarkable-nobel-lecture/Remembering Hayek’s Remarkable Nobel LectureStockholm fired a shot across the Establishment bow by recognizing Hayek, but it was an honor the great man from Vienna richly deserved.2024-03-13T13:11:44-04:002024-03-13T13:11:44-04:00Lawrence W. Reedhttps://fee.org/people/lawrence-w-reed/<p>This is wisdom the world yearned to hear in 1974. Fifty years later, it needs to hear it again.</p>https://fee.org/articles/debunking-all-the-main-arguments-for-antitrust-laws/Debunking All the Main Arguments for Antitrust LawsAntitrust laws are built on nothing but poor reasoning and misguided apprehensions.2024-03-11T14:06:11-04:002024-03-11T14:06:11-04:00Walter Blockhttps://fee.org/people/walter-block/<p>There are a lot of arguments put forward for antitrust laws, but they all have problems.</p>https://fee.org/articles/samurai-who-weren-t-japanese/Samurai Who Weren’t JapaneseDid you know that two of the most famous samurai in history were not Japanese?2024-03-10T08:00:35-04:002024-03-10T08:00:35-04:00Lawrence W. Reedhttps://fee.org/people/lawrence-w-reed/<p>Did you know that two of the most famous samurai in history were not Japanese?</p>https://fee.org/articles/the-great-ponzi-scheme/The Great Ponzi SchemeThe fiscal burden of the United States is getting seriously out of hand.2024-03-08T09:00:54-05:002024-03-08T09:00:54-05:00Leslie Rubinhttps://fee.org/people/leslie-rubin/Daniel J. Mitchellhttps://fee.org/people/daniel-j-mitchell/<p>It’s time to start raising the alarm on federal spending. In fact, it’s long past time.</p>https://fee.org/articles/a-robust-education-marketplace-means-some-schools-will-fail/A Robust Education Marketplace Means Some Schools Will FailAny efforts to control new school startups or create “guardrails” around them will only slow educational progress and stymie entrepreneurship and innovation.2024-03-07T13:12:58-05:002024-03-07T13:12:58-05:00Kerry McDonaldhttps://fee.org/people/kerry-mcdonald/<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Sometimes, these new schools and spaces will fail, just as 20 percent of all U.S. businesses </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">do within their first two years, and nearly half do within their first five years. </span></p>https://fee.org/articles/there-s-nothing-wrong-with-non-compete-clauses/There’s Nothing Wrong with Non-compete ClausesNon-compete clauses get a lot of hate, but the arguments against them don’t have much merit.2024-03-07T09:00:12-05:002024-03-07T09:00:12-05:00Walter Blockhttps://fee.org/people/walter-block/<p>When a person is hired to fix cars, he gives up what would otherwise be his right to play golf. And he is paid to relinquish his golfing. He voluntarily agrees to limit his options! It is hardly a coherent argument against employment that it entails no golf-playing on the job.</p>https://fee.org/articles/laissez-faire-sweden-had-the-lowest-mortality-in-europe-from-2020-2022-new-analysis-shows/‘Laissez-Faire’ Sweden Had the Lowest Mortality in Europe From 2020–2022, New Analysis ShowsMany more people in Sweden are alive today because Anders Tegnell understands the economic lesson of secondary consequences better than many economists.2024-03-06T11:00:24-05:002024-03-06T11:00:24-05:00Jon Miltimorehttps://fee.org/people/jon-miltimore/<p>For those who’ve forgotten, Sweden was excoriated by corporate media and politicians for its lighter-touch Covid-19 strategy. </p>
<p>Here’s a sample of headlines:</p>
<p>• “Why the Swedish Model for Fighting COVID-19 Is a Disaster” (<em>Time</em>, October 2020).</p>
<p>• “The Inside Story of How Sweden Botched Its Coronavirus Response” (<em>Foreign Policy</em>, December 2020).</p>
<p>• “Sweden Stayed Open and More People Died of Covid-19, but the Real Reason May Be Something Darker” (<em>Forbes</em>, 2020).</p>
<p>• “Sweden Has Become the World’s Cautionary Tale” (<em>New York Times</em>, July 2020).</p>
<p>• “I Just Came Home to Sweden. I’m Horrified by the Coronavirus Response Here” (<em>Slate</em>, April 2020).</p>https://fee.org/articles/do-traffic-tickets-make-us-drive-more-safely/Do Traffic Tickets Make Us Drive More Safely?Ask an Economist #272024-03-06T09:00:36-05:002024-03-06T09:00:36-05:00Peter Jacobsenhttps://fee.org/people/peter-jacobsen/<p>One of the arguments for traffic violation fines is that they make the road a safer place, but does this hold up?</p>https://fee.org/articles/regulating-junk-fees-is-not-the-way-to-help-bank-customers/Regulating ‘Junk’ Fees Is Not the Way to Help Bank CustomersConsumers need free competition, not misguided regulations.2024-03-05T09:05:58-05:002024-03-05T09:05:58-05:00Kimberlee Josephsonhttps://fee.org/people/kimberlee-josephson/<p>The Durbin Amendment over-promised and under-delivered, and the same will be true for the policies the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is proposing today.</p>https://fee.org/articles/myanmar-junta-s-decision-to-impose-a-draft-shows-how-not-to-run-a-military/Myanmar Junta’s Decision to Impose a Draft Shows How Not to Run a MilitaryConscription is forced labor, and a particularly egregious type of forced labor at that. It has no place in a free society.2024-03-04T16:05:22-05:002024-03-04T16:05:22-05:00Cruz Marquishttps://fee.org/people/cruz-marquis/<p>Conscription is a violation of liberty and must be opposed by all who believe in the immorality of forced labor.</p>https://fee.org/articles/wendy-s-denies-surge-pricing-allegations-but-what-s-so-bad-about-experimentation/Wendy’s Denies ‘Surge Pricing’ Allegations, But What’s So Bad about Experimentation?Even if the “surge pricing” fears were true, would that experiment really be such a bad thing?2024-03-02T11:22:20-05:002024-03-02T11:22:20-05:00Patrick Carrollhttps://fee.org/people/patrick-carroll/<p>For the sake of discussion, let’s say Wendy’s was in fact planning to go ahead with “surge pricing” as many people feared. Would this really have been such a bad thing?</p>https://fee.org/articles/why-the-meiji-restoration-was-pivotal-for-japan/Why the Meiji Restoration Was Pivotal for JapanMeiji Japan was not a liberal paradise. But the country in 1900 was notably freer, more industrialized and prosperous, and substantially more modern than it had been just three decades earlier.2024-03-02T09:00:28-05:002024-03-02T09:00:28-05:00Lawrence W. Reedhttps://fee.org/people/lawrence-w-reed/<p>In the 15 years that followed Commodore Matthew Perry’s naval venture, the grip of the military dictatorship in Tokyo declined. Civil war erupted. When the smoke cleared in the first few days of January 1868, the shogunate was gone and a coup d’etat ushered in a new era of dramatic change. We call it the Reform Period, or the era of the Meiji Restoration.</p>https://fee.org/articles/breaking-down-mmt-s-guaranteed-jobs-scheme-for-fighting-inflation/Breaking Down MMT’s Guaranteed Jobs Scheme for Fighting InflationAsk an Economist #262024-03-01T17:11:27-05:002024-03-01T17:11:27-05:00Peter Jacobsenhttps://fee.org/people/peter-jacobsen/<p>Supporters of MMT claim that a guaranteed jobs program wouldn't create inflation because the new money creation would be matched by an increase in production. But does production for its own sake really reduce inflation?</p>https://fee.org/articles/how-radical-leftist-activist-groups-have-captured-the-british-government/How Radical Leftist Activist Groups Have Captured the British GovernmentThe British government is funding leftist activist organizations that are lobbying against the government's own policies.2024-02-29T11:55:22-05:002024-02-29T11:55:22-05:00Jess Gillhttps://fee.org/people/jess-gill/<p>The way it works is that leftist organizations identify as charities—which are really a trojan horse for radical leftist lobbying. The idea of a charity creates the image of a kind old lady selling cookies to raise money for cancer research, so the government gives them public money for their efforts. However, the reality is that these organizations are lobbying for a restriction of freedom and state expansion, and they are taking millions of pounds out of the taxpayer’s pocket to fund their campaigning.</p>https://fee.org/articles/why-painting-without-a-license-could-soon-be-illegal-in-minnesota/Why Painting Without a License Could Soon Be Illegal in Minnesota Minnesota lawmakers are at best offering a “solution” to a problem that doesn’t exist. At worst, they are weaponizing the law to benefit special interests.2024-02-28T10:34:21-05:002024-02-28T10:34:21-05:00Jon Miltimorehttps://fee.org/people/jon-miltimore/<p>The legislation would restrict the “sale of certain solvent-based paint materials to licensees; [establish] a paint contractor board; [and require] licensing for paint contractors and journeyworker painters.”</p>https://fee.org/articles/schools-with-radical-politics-must-be-tolerated-in-a-free-society/Schools With “Radical Politics” Must Be Tolerated in a Free SocietyIn a free market, schools that focus on socialist ideology and “radical politics” could exist.2024-02-27T12:08:34-05:002024-02-27T12:08:34-05:00Kerry McDonaldhttps://fee.org/people/kerry-mcdonald/<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Our role as libertarians can be to help convey the importance of pluralism to a free, flourishing, and harmonious society—while championing individualism over collectivism.</span></p>https://fee.org/articles/california-s-politicians-appear-determined-to-bring-atlas-shrugged-to-life/California’s Politicians Appear Determined to Bring ‘Atlas Shrugged’ to LifeThe proposed wealth tax is just the latest in a series of attacks against productive entrepreneurs.2024-02-26T10:58:42-05:002024-02-26T10:58:42-05:00Daniel Kowalskihttps://fee.org/people/daniel-kowalski/<p>While wise leaders might see a declining population as a sign that they should change course, wisdom seems to be in short supply for the political elite in California.</p>https://fee.org/articles/the-ego-vs-the-machine/The Ego vs. The MachineExploring the existential crisis behind the fear of AI.2024-02-24T09:00:46-05:002024-02-24T09:00:46-05:00Dylan Allmanhttps://fee.org/people/dylan-allman/<p>Here’s the hard pill to swallow: Your insecurities should not hold back the tide of innovation.</p>https://fee.org/articles/how-a-facebook-joke-that-sparked-a-swat-raid-resulted-in-a-major-step-toward-police-reform/How a Facebook Joke That Sparked a SWAT Raid Resulted in a Major Step Toward Police ReformThe 5th Circuit Court of Appeals delivered a major win for free speech and police reform by awarding a Louisiana man $205,000 in compensatory and punitive damages for an unlawful 2020 raid.2024-02-23T09:00:37-05:002024-02-23T09:00:37-05:00Jon Miltimorehttps://fee.org/people/jon-miltimore/<p><span>The entire purpose of government is to </span><em>protect</em><span> </span>individual rights<span>.</span></p>
<p><span>Qualified immunity does precisely the opposite. </span></p>https://fee.org/articles/javier-milei-delivers-argentina-s-first-surplus-in-over-a-decade-and-us-media-is-silent/Javier Milei Delivers Argentina’s First Surplus in Over a Decade—and US Media Is SilentThe revelation that Argentina has done something the US government hasn’t done in more than two decades—run a budget surplus—seems like a newsworthy event. So why the silence?2024-02-22T09:01:00-05:002024-02-22T09:01:00-05:00Jon Miltimorehttps://fee.org/people/jon-miltimore/<p>Argentines witnessed something amazing last week: the government’s first budget surplus in nearly a dozen years.</p>https://fee.org/articles/diogo-costa-named-12th-president-of-the-foundation-for-economic-education/Diogo Costa Named 12th President of the Foundation for Economic EducationWe are thrilled to begin our next chapter with Diogo at the helm.2024-02-21T16:45:27-05:002024-02-21T16:45:27-05:00Wayne Olsonhttps://fee.org/people/wayne-olson/<p>A 17-year veteran of the freedom movement, Diogo has a deep understanding of FEE’s philosophical principles and a proven track record at guiding organizations that teach these ideas and put them into action.</p>https://fee.org/articles/new-jerseys-plastic-bag-ban-backfire-explained/New Jersey's Plastic Bag Ban Backfire, ExplainedThe outcome of New Jersey’s ban on single-use plastic bags is a perfect illustration of an economic truth.2024-02-21T09:00:44-05:002024-02-21T09:00:44-05:00Jon Miltimorehttps://fee.org/people/jon-miltimore/<p>How could this happen?</p>
<p>“This shift in material...resulted in a notable environmental impact, with the increased consumption of polypropylene bags contributing to a 500% increase in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions compared to non-woven polypropylene bag production in 2015.”</p>https://fee.org/articles/breaking-down-tucker-carlson-s-interview-with-vladimir-putin/Breaking Down Tucker Carlson’s Interview With Vladimir PutinWhat Putin said about Poland cries out for rectification.2024-02-20T16:00:14-05:002024-02-20T16:00:14-05:00Lawrence W. Reedhttps://fee.org/people/lawrence-w-reed/<p>I was repulsed by Putin’s prevarications not because of some unwarranted bias or vested interest but because I dislike prevarications from wherever they emanate.</p>