The Myth of Voluntary Unions
A basic understanding of the elementary economics of unionism, writes Tom DiLorezno, shows why violence against competitors has always been an inherent feature of unionism.
Base Closings are Good News
It amazes me when Congressmen fight tooth and nail to prevent military base closings in their districts. There are usually much better uses for the land that bases occupy. Uses like, oh, say, private enterprise. In Denver, closed bases have become health care campuses, neighborhoods, and business parks.
Terrorism and the Nation-State
These are my alternate interpretations of terrorism and the Nation-State.
Fooled by the Numbers
Cast aside all the trumped up claims concerning the power of the central bank to achieve price stability, writes Antony Mueller.
Fiat Money: Spell it Right
EU Ministers Tackle Spelling of Euro . It’s “E-U-R-O” but some renegade nations are adopting the spelling to their own local language. This is causing a major ruffling of feathers among EU bureaucrats.
“We were all surprised to find that this problem existed, but we solved it,” Zalm said. “You see how decisive finance ministers can sometimes be.”
Masters cannot impose freedom
Joy! Our copy of Benjamin Constant’s Principles of Politics Applicable to All Governments (1810) has arrived. This jumped out immediately from the text:
A 9-11 Reader
Here are just a few of the articles on Mises.org that offer a pro-liberty response to the events of 9-11-01:
“Free market” magazine attacks free markets and thrift in “communist” China
At least usually, The Economist is regarded as a free market oriented publication. Yet in a story about “China’s collapsing health care” which unfortunately is not online in its August 21 issue it blasts the “communist” leaders of China for being too free market oriented when it comes to health care and urges them to increase government spending on health care.
In Defense of Flip-Flopping
Hardly anyone noticed when President Bush signed a proclamation giving Iraqis the right to export thousands of products to the US without paying any duties. After imposing years of duties and tariffs on many dozens of goods from timber to textiles to shrimp during his term, this might be his first action fully consistent with free trade. How about expanding this proclamation to all other countries in the world? [Full article]
Pius XII on commerce
The new issue of Markets & Morality (vol. 7, number 1, which is not yet up on the Acton site) features a wonderful piece by Anthony G. Percy (a diocesan priest in Australia) on the unknown economic writings of Pope Pius XII, which have him celebrating commercial initiative, defending finance capital, affirming the right of private ownership, warning about the dangerous of public assistance, and explaining the role of profit and entrepreneurship in social progress.
