Mises Wire

Probably no other belief is now so much a threat to liberty…as the one that democracy, by itself alone, guarantees liberty.

Kenneth Arrow showed in 1951 that the entire project of social choice theory rested on quicksand.

The new "right to repair" measure on the ballot in Massachusetts has very little to do with rights, and a lot to do with new costly and bureaucratic mandates on automakers. 

A very close or contested election would remind us that elections do not demonstrate "the will of the people" and that national unity is founded on some very fragile myths. 

As we face a second wave of coronavirus outbreak in Europe, we know that the March measures and aggressive lockdowns were a grave mistake.

"Countries threaten to split apart when their people seem hopelessly divided….We’re less united today than we’ve been at any time since the Civil War."

If democracy is so fundamental, shouldn’t we all have a vote in every place we set foot, from Sunbury, Alaska, to Monaco?

Politicians love to present themselves as benefactors of mankind. In truth, they add nothing to the happiness and well-being of the voters they hope to exploit. 

If the current thinking continues, the world’s central banks will buy whatever paper governments issue. The result by the end of the decade will be a Federal Reserve balance sheet totaling $40 to $50 trillion. 

Rawls claims equality is the default position and any departure from it requires justification. This is a trick that slants the debate in Rawls's favor. Anthony Flew didn't fall for it.