Election 2020: Rout of the Technocracy

Listen to the Audio Mises Wire version of this article.

Regardless of whether one supported a specific candidate for president or no candidate at all, lovers of liberty should be rejoicing over a glorious victory this election cycle. This victory is not of one candidate or party over another in this race or that, but rather a resounding ideological defeat of one of the most illiberal and menacing forces we face at the moment: technocracy.

Our National Psychosis

[This is the transcript of the eponymous talk presented at the Mises Institute’s Ron Paul Symposium on November 7, 2020, in Angleton, Texas.]

Hey, what a week for our sacred democracy. Wow! You know, it’s so sacred that just a few thousand votes in a few states here and there could have turned it from sacred into profane, couldn’t it? Real easy. But no, as long as it goes a certain way, it shows the wisdom of the crowd.

Why GDP Can’t Measure the Quality of Life

GDP is an important economic idea; it is often discussed in the media, it is seen in all kinds of textbooks, and spoken about by politicians. But what is GDP? GDP is the market value of all final goods and services produced in a country within a given time frame, and GDP per capita is GDP divided by the population to find out the value per citizen. It is calculated by finding out what households, governments, and firms spend in the market; after all, what they are buying must have been produced by someone.