Mises Wire

While Murray Rothbard believed that self-ownership formed the basis for private property rights, other philosophers disagree.

As politicians at all levels debate paying black Americans "reparations" for chattel slavery, a careful study of the wealth gaps between ethnic groups shows that ethnic prejudice explains very little. Other factors matter more.

Hollywood can create stories from thin air, but when the film industry creates malinvestments, there is a bust in the future.

The recent executive order by New Mexico's governor suspending gun rights in part of the state demonstrates not only her ignorance of the law, but also her greater ignorance of the origin of rights.

In the wake of bad news on inflation, the Federal Reserve is pushing up interest rates. However, a Fed-induced higher rate is not the same as an interest rate decided by the market.

While court economists such as Paul Krugman insist that inflation is government's way of ensuring full employment, in reality, inflation is one of the many ways governments steal from productive people.

As the US economy sours, look for a wave of new bankruptcies. The Fed cannot pull any rabbits out of its monetary hat this time.

It's easy to see why many young people don't find military service especially enticing. The US military lost in Iraq and Afghanistan, and the usual regime propaganda may not be working anymore. But we'll only know the full extent of the "problem" once unemployment starts to go up. 

The Fed wants you to believe that neither its negative capital nor its giant losses matter because it is the Fed and can print money. But it does matter because the Fed’s losses will cost not only it, but also the Treasury and the taxpayers, over $100 billion this year.

In a more reasonable world, people like Cheney, Rice, Bolton, et al., would all be forgotten, shamed, and disgraced for overseeing multiple disastrous wars abroad and the creation of a police state at home. Unfortunately, we don't live in a more reasonable world.