F.A. Hayek is one of the most influential figures in the field of social science. His works ranged from philosophy to economics to jurisprudence to psychology. He won the Nobel Prize in economics in 1974 and was probably the last major Austrian economist from Austria. He was not only important in Austrian economics but also in mainstream economics. One of his most popular works was the book The Road to Serfdom. Even though it was written in 1944, it is still read by many and was a bestseller in 2010 on Amazon.

You’re driving on a two-lane road and see cars headed your way. Do you drive off the road to protect yourself or your family? Probably not. You stay on your side, while they stay on theirs. In most cases you’re in a situation of mutually assured destruction if either one crosses the center line. It is not from the benevolence of the other drivers that we expect them to stay in their lane but from their regard to their own self-interest.

Pennsylvania has no state minimum wage. Currently, the law of the land is the federal minimum wage that sits at $7.25 per hour. Not having a state minimum wage can be immensely beneficial assuming that the general business climate is amenable to growth. Pennsylvania definitely can’t boast of that yet, but they have taken steps to get there. However, recent actions by the Democrat-controlled State House of Representatives threatens this potential growth.

In recent years, blockchain surveillance (BS) companies have become increasingly important players in the cryptocurrency industry. Their business model consists in developing proprietary software that collects and interprets public data available on public blockchains and in selling their services to governments, banks, exchanges, and others that need access to this data. Usually, governments are interested in collecting information about financial crimes, while other institutional players use BS companies for compliance, especially with regard to customer due diligence.

Caitlin Long tweeted over the July 4 weekend, “BIG NEWS for #fintech! A sixth US state—Idaho—is willing to charter uninsured, non-lending, 100% reserve banks that are eligible for Fed master accounts (the other states are CT, ME, NE, VT & WY). This trend could turn the ‘bank-as-a-service’ (#BaaS) model on its head!!!!!”

My article “The Education of the Modern Socialist” deserves a follow-up. The first part showed that a change has occurred in the definition of “socialism”—a necessary change in view of the failures of this ideology during the last century. Socialism today is based on the ideology of “statism”—the conviction that the state must play a fundamental role in society.

The Mexican Peso (MXN) has been perhaps the strongest currency in the post-pandemic era, going from $4 US Dollars per $100 Mexican Pesos as the crisis started in March 2020 to shy under $6 US Dollars per $100 Mexican Pesos in the present, which is a 50 percent increase in three years, or around a 15 percent increase per annum. Around half of this increase was due to a stabilization of trade during the summer of 2020, as Mexican manufacturers regained productivity and exports flowed north as they did before.

A recurring theme in American politics is the cynical use of federal power by those who simultaneously pretend to favor “states’ rights” or “local control.” We see this today when Republicans one minute say they favor local control with gun laws or Obamacare—and then demand the federal government impose nationwide drug prohibitions.