Anyone who wants cuts in the size and scope of government should be concerned and frustrated with the policies of President George Bush and the Republican-controlled Congress. Government spending has increased enormously and the federal budget has plunged ever more into deficit. Protectionism, regulation and government power are on the rise, and
As the economic debacle facing Americans continues to materialize, those responsible are running for cover with ten Republican senators refusing to attend their own national convention. Four years ago we observed that the so-called “Republican philosophy” of small government, sound money, and balanced budgets was illusory in terms of the history
Politicians like Bill Clinton are using the murder of twelve high-school students in Littleton, Colorado, as a call for new gun control measures. This is an attempt to cover up the real culprit, the evil-doers themselves. If, however, we want to locate an institutional source that contributed to the bloodshed, look no further than the government
It was peace and prosperity versus taxation, inflationism, protectionism, imperialism, and war. The good guys win this one and people are applauding in theaters throughout the country. The movie of course is “Star Wars: The Phantom Menace,” one of the finest allegories on classical liberal political economy to ever appear on screen. One has to
[NOTE: An earlier version of this piece stirred up controversy and comment on all sides. This longer version addresses some of the points made by critics.] It was peace and prosperity versus taxation, inflationism, protectionism, imperialism, and war. The good guys win this one and people are applauding in theaters throughout the country. The
As we await the release of George Lucas’s second Star Wars prequel, The Attack of the Clones, speculation builds on whether Lucas can return to the glory of the original Star Wars trilogy. While critics attacked Lucas for his leading-boy character, his young-girl queen, and his politically incorrect characters (Jar Jar Binks and the admiral with
If people are pro war, they are referred to as “hawks”; if they are pro peace, they are called “doves.” Interestingly, these monikers are also used to describe viewpoints on monetary policy, especially when it comes to members of the Federal Reserve Board’s Open Market Committee. Monetary doves tend to follow an “easy money” policy, while hawks
[This article is excerpted from chapter one of The Economics of Prohibition .] Prohibition has an ever-increasing impact on our daily life. In the United States, prohibition against certain drugs, involving “wars” on them, has become one of our most visible and hotly debated national problems. The purpose of the following investigation is to
[This article is taken from the introduction to The Bastiat Collection .] “And now I would appeal with confidence to men of all schools, who prefer truth, justice, and the public good to their own systems. Economists! Like you, I am the advocate of LIBERTY; and if I succeed in shaking some of these premises which sadden your generous hearts,
Mises Institute Distinguished Scholar Judge Napolitano today examines the current Pope’s economics : Traditional Catholic social teaching imposes on all of us a moral obligation to become our brothers’ keepers. But this is a personal moral obligation, enforced by conscience and Church teaching and the fires of Hell — not by the coercive powers of
What is the Mises Institute?
The Mises Institute is a non-profit organization that exists to promote teaching and research in the Austrian School of economics, individual freedom, honest history, and international peace, in the tradition of Ludwig von Mises and Murray N. Rothbard.
Non-political, non-partisan, and non-PC, we advocate a radical shift in the intellectual climate, away from statism and toward a private property order. We believe that our foundational ideas are of permanent value, and oppose all efforts at compromise, sellout, and amalgamation of these ideas with fashionable political, cultural, and social doctrines inimical to their spirit.