[This is a revised version of a lecture given October 28, 2006, at the Mises Institute’s Supporters Summit.]

Praxeology and War

Commentaries on war stretching back more than two millennia to the Peloponnesian Wars have enshrouded the fundamental causes of war in an almost impenetrable fog of myths, fallacies, and outright lies. In most studies, war is generally portrayed as the inevitable outcome of either complex historical forces or accidental circumstances generally beyond the understanding or control of the human combatants.

Not only should we abolish the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau, we need to abolish the FDA as well since it recently approved the mass medication of Americans with a harmful substance. According to the American Dental Association, the FDA has now approved dental claims on bottles of fluoridated water which say that drinking fluoridated water may reduce the risk of dental cavities or tooth decay.

The following is from The New York Times of November 7, 2006:

[This essay originally appeared as “The Theory of Economic Development and the European Miracle” in The Collapse of Development Planning, edited by Peter J. Boettke.]

Greg Mankiw reports on Robert Whaples study of AEA members agreement or lack thereof on a wide range of policy issues. The economists questioned start off strong, but then quickly begin to advocate government interference in the market in a variety of ways:

by Tibor Machan (Chapman University)

Thank goodness for the San Diego City Council, which has taken a stand against convenience and inexpensive groceries. No Wal-Mart Supercenter will be allowed to open in San Diego.

Supreme Court Hears Arguments in KSR summarizes the oral arguments for KSR International v. Teleflex, an important patent case pending before the Supreme Court. The question involves whether it should be more difficult to obtain a patent for a claimed invention in a patent application.