The 1866 civil rights revolution

The phrase “equality of opportunity” is expressed by the Civil Rights Act of 1964 as a nondiscrimination principle. There has been much debate on whether the nondiscrimination principle is a formal right to equality before the law, reflecting the principle that everyone has a right not to be discriminated against, or whether it is a substantive right vested in specified groups (e.g., blacks or women) to give them special legal protection that members of other groups (e.g., whites or men) do not enjoy.

‘Net zero’ and Keynesian ‘stimulus’ are making us poorer

If you read the latest OECD publication, “Employment Outlook 2024: The Net Zero Transition and the Labour Market,” you would imagine that the world has not gone through the largest monetary and fiscal stimulus in decades.

The results are so poor, they are embarrassing. Furthermore, the report illustrates the impoverishment of citizens and subtly suggests that achieving the net zero goal will present an even greater challenge. Translation: You will be even poorer.

Jason Purcell

Jason is an associate in the capital markets division of a major non-bank financial institution.

A historical lesson in higher-education self-governance

American higher education is facing a crisis of ideological homogeneity. According to a recent survey, 72% of conservative faculty fear losing their jobs due to their speech. This alarming trend can partially be blamed on accreditation agencies. Since 2020, there has been a concerted effort to push diversity, equity, and inclusion policies into college accreditation, threatening the autonomy and values of heterodox institutions.

Government regulation of competitive firms creates monopolies

Monopolies are believed to undermine individuals’ well-being, including being the cause of large increases in the prices of goods and services. According to Jean Tirole, the 2014 Nobel winner in economics, monopolies undermine the efficient functioning of the market economy by influencing the prices and the quantity of products, making consumers worse off.

The CIA’s assassination plots

The attempt to assassinate Donald Trump and his heroic response to it are uppermost in our minds. We don’t yet know the details of who was involved in the attempt on his life, though I suspect that the “lone gunman” theory will turn out to be false. But the sad event offers us a chance to reflect on something that we do know, and that may well be relevant to the attempt on the former—and we trust soon to be next—president’s life: The CIA has been involved in numerous assassination plots since its inception.