Taxes and Spending

A vacancy tax is a charge imposed on property owners who leave residential or commercial properties unoccupied for a specified duration. As usual, a statist violation of property rights.

Dr. Robert Murphy explains why America’s chronic trade deficits trace to Nixon’s 1971 gold exit—not China—and how a popular reading of Triffin’s “dilemma” confuses the issue.

How did Murray Rothbard view Ronald Reagan's legacy? A mood of blind "feel-good" Americanism, entrenched big government, and the evisceration of libertarian gains—leaving only one positive (repealing the 55 mph speed limit).

Dr. David Gordon explains why the leading philosophical defenses of taxation collapse, and why natural rights still say taxation is theft.

Greg Kaza reviews Brian Domitrovic's The Emergence of Arthur Laffer. Alienated from academia during the stagflation era, Laffer was able to reach policymakers by presenting his ideas in a simple way, such as with his famous napkin Laffer curve.

The Fed by design feeds the political machine in DC by concealing the costs of government spending. The Fed serves the government, not the American people.

The standard line for passenger rail travel in the US is that we need a government-subsidized entity like Amtrak because while there is a “need” for such service, it is impossible to provide it profitably. However, profitable travel is possible, but would require the end of Amtrak itself.

In both cases, the use of nationalism and patriotism by Brazilian governments reveals a recurring strategy: appealing to national pride to divert attention from self-inflicted crises.

In both cases, the use of nationalism and patriotism by Brazilian governments reveals a recurring strategy: appealing to national pride to divert attention from self-inflicted crises.

The rise of the internet has replaced manual labor with brain work─which pays way more. And Donald Trump wants to go backwards. That way, more Americans can stand in front of a machine all day.