COVID-19 and the Planners’ Need to Plan
Despite the fact that the CDC’s formal name includes the word “Prevention” and that its stated goals include various planning buzzwords, its managing of the COVID-19 response has been an unmitigated disaster.
Mises Wire
Diversification versus Risk
The size of an entrepreneur's return on his investment is determined not by how much risk he assumes, but rather whether he complies with consumers' wishes.
The Noncrime Known as “Price Gouging”
Anti-price gouging laws mean that those who really end up getting the short end of the stick are those who don't have the time or the means to beat the crowds to the store. Worse off are those of lesser means who rely on public transportation or walking to transport groceries home.
The State Has Seized Many New Powers. It Won’t Let Go of Them Easily.
The state has used this virus scare to demand that politicians and bureaucrats be given near-total control over every aspect of life, including virtually every business and employer in America. Will this now be a permanent feature of American life?
The Government’s Pandemic Strategy Is a Reckless One
It's time to stop pretending that the policies favored by some biologists—who know nothing about how economies work to lessen the health effects of poverty—come without grave costs to public health.
COVID-19: The “Experts” Have No Crystal Ball
The 2016 election was an important reminder that most experts were totally wrong in their predictions of what would happen. Now the experts are claiming that freedom and markets must be abandoned based on new guesses about the future.
More than Half of All US COVID-19 Deaths Occur in Only Four States
The effects of COVID-19 are not evenly distributed in the United States. Only certain regions are facing sizable strains on their resources. A nationwide lockdown would create huge economic costs for regions where the the costs of disease have been relatively low.
Fear Makes It Easy for Governments to Expand Power
Why are governments so enthusiastic about shutting down businesses when other less draconian measures are available and prudent? The answer lies in the fact that governments can act with near impunity and want to maximize their power.
The Use of Knowledge in Entrepreneurship
It is a marvel that imperfect, limited information available to the entrepreneur can be used to produce so much good for society.
Diseases Are Bad. Government-Forced Shutdowns Are Often Worse.
There is a reason to panic. But the panic should be over how governments—who know so very little about the virus that they have decided warrants destroying the global economy—will create many new threats to health and well-being through their policies.
