Mises Wire

Michael Rectenwald

We should be quite skeptical when states impose the opinion of minority groups on the majority through special programs in schools and elsewhere. Such programs likely involve “positive discrimination” against particular groups, consistent with state objectives.

Douglas French

The Fed says rate hikes are at least two years away. A lot can happen in two years, and since when is forecasting a couple rate bumps two years from now considered hawkish to the point of making the dollar pop and gold flop?

Ryan McMaken

Fannie and Freddie were long quasi-government corporations that typified the corrupt union between the feds and corporate America. But now it looks like both companies are just full-on government corporations. 

Robert P. Murphy

Although it conjures up scary imagery, shadow banking is simply a term for banking operations that occur through financial intermediaries that are not traditional commercial banks.

Daniel Lacalle

It's already clear that after an initial sugar high caused by stimulus funds, there's now hardly any "bang for the buck" from stimulus funds. In fact, governments are spending millions for each job "created" by stimulus.

Antón Chamberlin

Local governments now control child adoption in America. A recent Supreme Court ruling highlights just how political and capricious local officials can be in exercising this power. 

William L. Anderson

The Sanders proposal comes with all of the hidden costs and other unwanted surprises that one would expect from a politician who has supported totalitarian governance for all of his political life.

Mark Thornton

Interventionism does not work because it misallocates resources in the economy. More importantly, it disturbs, distorts, and destroys the corrective process whereby market actors reallocate resources back into a sustainable framework.

Ryan McMaken

In 2020, federal spending grew year-over-year at the highest rate since the Korean War. But state and local spending growth flatlined. Why? The answer lies with the Federal Reserve and how the feds can spend and borrow a lot more than any state. 

Murray N. Rothbard

One big problem a government police force must always face is: What laws really to enforce? Police departments are theoretically faced with the absolute injunction, “enforce all laws,” but in practice scarcity means only some laws are enforced. Which ones?