On December 4, Brian Thompson, the CEO of UnitedHealth, the largest health insurance provider in the US, was gunned down on the street in New York City. This blatant assassination in broad daylight was stunning, but only slightly more so than the torrent of vitriol and celebration that poured out, not just on social media, but on establishment media outlets as well from people who are not anonymous “posters” online.

The Heritage Foundation hosted an event in September titled, “Exposing China’s Complicity in America’s Fentanyl Crisis.” The event was meant to sow a fear of China, and support for the drug war. These sentiments, when combined with hawkish policy, lead to misguided immigration policies, trade war, and a hawkish foreign policy. The myths discussed at the event must be dispelled.

President Trump’s first major speech on economic policy in 2017 was delivered in Lexington, Kentucky near the home of Henry Clay, the early nineteenth century leader of the Whig party and the epitome of a political tool of the moneyed plutocracy of the day.

When the end of another year rolls around it is not a bad idea to think about how we might improve ourselves and perhaps even improve the lives of others given the clean slate of a New Year. Many people resolve to exercise more, eat better, spend more time with their families. These are all worthy goals, but shouldn’t our elected officials and the bureaucrats who run DC be making some resolutions of their own? Here are a few suggestions.

One of Murray Rothbard’s greatest contributions to American history was his analysis of the Progressives, and in this week’s column I’m going to discuss two key themes from that analysis, themes that are very relevant to us today. To be clear, we are talking about the period from approximately the mid-1890s to the mid-1920s. The two themes are, first, that the government welcomed war as a means by which it could take over the American economy and subvert our liberties, and second, that the state used kept “intellectuals” to whip up support for its nefarious schemes.

The Bible recounts how the Holy Spirit led Jesus into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. The devil appeared and first wanted Jesus to turn stones into bread. (In fact, Mises criticized Keynesianism, saying, “the stones do not turn into bread”). Jesus refused. Then, the devil challenged Jesus to throw himself from the pinnacle of the temple in the holy city, asserting that the angels would catch him. Again, Jesus refused. But the devil did not give up. In Matthew 4:8–11, it says:

Today is the first day of 2025. More than any other holiday, New Year’s is a day for reflecting on the past and contemplating our future. And, in the fight to protect and advance human liberty, sound economics, and international peace, 2024 has given us a lot to reflect on.