In the popular movie “The Fugitive,” Harrison Ford plays Richard Kimble, a doctor who is framed for the murder of his wife. The perpetrators are the greedy owners of a pharmaceutical firm who are trying to sell a drug without warning the public of its dangerous side effects, something Kimble begins to discover just before the “one-armed man” beats
As Congress and the pundits continue to debate the so-called Patients’ Bill of Rights, it becomes clear that much of the discussion reflects both cynicism and naiveté. Conservatives who oppose the bill on both matters of principle and practicality say that it will invoke the “law of unintended consequences,” in that it will open the doors for
While most of the writings of Paul Krugman are, to me, analogous to one’s scraping his fingernails on a chalkboard, I must admit to reading his stuff. His latest gripe about a story on how many doctors are refusing to see more Medicare patients provides ample proof that one can be called an “economist,” yet not know much about economics. Krugman
In a recent newspaper interview, Al Gore finally came out of the socialist closet and declared that the “solution” to what he deems as a “crisis” in U.S. medical care is for the government to impose a “single payer system.” While some folks might consider Gore’s remarks a setback to the possibilities of actually establishing free market
[Posted May 15, 2003] As we observe the current frenzy of lawyers preparing to sue McDonald’s and Burger King —and even suing Kraft Foods , the maker of Oreos—for allegedly causing their clients to suffer from obesity, we cannot help but wonder what lunatics have taken over the U.S. legal system. This current litigation, which is done in the name
A week ago I received an email that was part of a mass mailing by an anti-smoking activist who was championing all of the new “smoke-free” legislation that is being churned out by state, local, and national governments around the world. Although I am not a smoker, I must admit to having more than a passing interest in the recent assault on tobacco
Last month, my wife decided to get flu shot for our children, but when she saw the long lines that stretched around whole city blocks, she decided that even if a flu shot were important, nothing could justify subjecting young children to waiting for hours. We may try later – or we may not try at all and just hope we remain healthy this winter.
I have a friend serving time in the federal prison camp near Cumberland, Maryland, and I visit him whenever possible. (Like many other federal prisoners, he should not be incarcerated at all, but that is material for another story at another time.) During my last visit, we were discussing prison medical care, or the lack thereof. “Bill,” he said,
The Schiavo case, aside from the specifics of the family dispute at the heart of that case, raises fundamental economic questions that cannot be avoided. The welfare state is central to this case, since much of the payment for the services Schiavo received came from that entity. It is increasingly a factor in most institutionalized end-of-life
For the most part, we know what happened — and what did not happen — after Katrina had battered parts of the U.S. Gulf Coast and flooded most of New Orleans. Despite promises of aid “around the corner,” adequate government assistance did not reach many of the refugees, and especially the people of New Orleans who were stuffed into the Superdome,
What is the Mises Institute?
The Mises Institute is a non-profit organization that exists to promote teaching and research in the Austrian School of economics, individual freedom, honest history, and international peace, in the tradition of Ludwig von Mises and Murray N. Rothbard.
Non-political, non-partisan, and non-PC, we advocate a radical shift in the intellectual climate, away from statism and toward a private property order. We believe that our foundational ideas are of permanent value, and oppose all efforts at compromise, sellout, and amalgamation of these ideas with fashionable political, cultural, and social doctrines inimical to their spirit.