Mises Wire

In the wake of WWI, Pope Pius XI reminded his readers that governments instituted by men can never be perfect, and they cannot even be good if they neglect natural law. 

As government continues to engage in reckless actions from inflation to starting wars, people develop shorter time horizons, creating social vacuums. Increased gambling and other irresponsible behaviors then fill the void.

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Now at the helm of CBS News, Bari Weiss has become the most prominent figure pushing the idea that America is held hostage by two political “extremes” that have sidelined a large, unified, moderate, and pragmatic political center. That is the opposite of the truth.

Socialists and progressives demand that the US adopt a “single payer” healthcare system in which the government provides “free” healthcare. However, “free” healthcare is not free at all, as medical care consists of scarce goods which always come as a cost to someone.

In theory, the Constitution should safeguard individual liberty by giving citizens a bulwark against state tyranny. However, the Constitution actually advanced federal government power or failed to ultimately prevent it.

President Trump recently accused the New York Times of treason because the paper printed something he didn’t like. Unfortunately, Trump is not the only person to designate the crime of treason to actions that are not even criminal.

The Austrian economics framework shows that subjective valuation is not shown to be arbitrary, but rather purposeful, as people place values on things via a means-end framework.

Most academic historians claim that big businesses in the US were economy-choking monopolies at the end of the 19th century, and that government was needed to enforce competition. In reality, the government and businesses joined forces to promote monopolies.

Great Britain’s Labour government continues to pursue the ruinous policies of inflation and out-of-control spending, all in the name of promoting economic growth. They will get stagflation instead, and then blame the entire problem on capitalism.