Mises Wire

Our guest on Mises Weekends this week is uniquely qualified to discuss modern progressives from a libertarian perspective. Jim Ostrowski, whom Murray Rothbard called "one of the finest people in the libertarian movement," is a lawyer, writer, activist, and chronicler of progressive dysfunction in his native New York. He's the author of Progressivism: A Primer on the Idea Destroying America, which explains progressivism more as personal psychology than a coherent view of the world. If you're interested in how progressives managed to capture the 20th century, stay tuned.

Mp3 file here. 

What if you thought that the process involved in market mechanisms harmed society? That sizeable thumb on statist side of the evaluation scale could override other considerations and government intervention would “win” your endorsement even when it “loses.” In fact, by attributing a great enough weight to supposed harms from market processes, almost any government intervention could be argued to be justifiable. And even convincing demonstrations of government inadequacies and policy failures would do little to dent support for foolish interventions.

Mises Daily Thursday by Christopher J. O'Connell:

Some now blame employers that don’t pay a “living wage” for the fact that so many people receive welfare payments. So, the politicians want to tax employers for every minimum wage employee they hire. Needless to say, this won’t solve the problem.

Mises Daily Wednesday by Michael N. Giuliano:

The rise of government prosecutors in the US and Britain since the nineteenth century has led to many new forms of prosecutorial abuse and expansive government power. The older tradition of privately-initiated prosecution and restitution may offer a way out.

Homer Economicus is the subject of a question on the TV show "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?"

Lyndo

Mises Daily Tuesday by Frank Shostak: 

The Keynesian multiplier would have us believe that economic growth can come from an increase in demand and spending. But if we look more closely, we find there is never a shortage of demand, and what an economy really needs to expand is more saving.

Economist Mark Hendrickson has written an accessible short book that examines some of the biggest flaws found in Thomas Piketty's Capital in the Twenty-First Century. 

Mises Daily Monday by Gary Galles: 

Many poverty relief laws and policies are premised on the assumption that only "the rich" will bear the costs. In fact, the incomes and well-being of many low-income individuals are taxed and diminished to benefit a nebulous group known as "the poor."

Mises Daily Weekend by Jonathan Newman: 

What if the government ran hair salons and the private sector provided auto registrations? Needless to say, getting a haircut would be a harrowing and soul-crushing experience. Meanwhile, registering your automobile would be another matter entirely.