Want Less Corruption? Try Having Smaller Government.
People can never be made incorruptible. We can, however, design governmental systems filled with checks and balances that limit the temptations.
Economics
New York Floats a Crackdown on Independent Workers
Like California’s ruinous A.B. 5, the proposal would greatly harm freelance employment.
The SEC Is Starting a Massive Database of Every Stock Trade
Brokers will have to report every trade and the trader’s personal information.
Businesses See Political Advocacy As a No-Win Situation
Companies who embrace political agendas to please some of their employees or customers risk alienating others.
Biden Wants To Restrict Work and Flexibility for Freelancers
Most independent contractors don’t want the PRO Act anyway.
Social Security and Medicare Cuts Are Coming, Whether Politicians Do It or Not
As legislators refuse to act, benefits will be cut without any possibility of sheltering those seniors who are poor.
FTC Commissioner Resigns To Protest Agency's 'Disregard for the Rule of Law'
Chair Lina Khan has flouted the rule of law and due process, Commissioner Christine Wilson wrote.
U.S. Will Add $18.8 Trillion in New Debt by 2033
Plus: Age verification for social media, a bill to ban cannabis "gatherings," and more...
New Hampshire Gov. Sununu Just Announced a Massive Occupational Licensing Reform
In a budget address, Gov. Sununu promised legislation to allow some out-of-state licenses, abolish others.
PredictIt Helps Forecast Election Results. Bureaucrats Are Trying To Kill It.
Election betting markets are often more reliable than pundits. Did the site steal user funds? No. Did they lie to people? No. Harm anyone? No.
Is Inflation Sneakily Starting To Rise Again?
January's consumer price data indicates another drop in annual inflation, but the past three months might tell a different story.
Photos Show the Transformation of Great Britain
A new exhibit at the National Gallery of Art displays how the U.K. changed in the 1970s and '80s.
New California Bill Proposes Legalizing Authentic Cannabis Cafes
Cannabis consumers should have the same commercial leisure spaces that alcohol drinkers do.
IRS Plans To Raid Workers' Tip Jars
A coming crackdown on $1.6 billion in unreported tips will continue the IRS' long and ugly history of targeting low-income Americans.
Oregon's Whiskey Ring Shows Perils of State Liquor Control
Top government officials reportedly kept rare bourbons for themselves and other powerful insiders.
Biden's Terrible Billionaire Tax
By raising the effective tax rate on capital gains, the proposal would reduce U.S. saving, discourage entrepreneurship, and decrease economic output.
Biden's Drug Price Controls Will Kill More Patients in the Long Run
And increase total health care costs to boot.
For Joe Biden, Competition Is Essential. Except When It Must Be Banned.
It's a fundamental contradiction that's affected the Biden administration's economic policy for the past two years.
The Fight Over the Debt Ceiling Is Just Beginning
Legislators will increasingly argue over how to spend a diminishing discretionary budget while overall spending simultaneously explodes.
The FTC's Antitrust Radicals Are Rebuked Again in Federal Court
The FTC is trying to seize new powers to regulate the economy.
Marc Andreessen: What the World Needs Most Is More Elon Musks
The Netscape co-founder and legendary venture capitalist talks about the future, innovation, and your next beach read.
Marc Andreessen on A.I., Crypto, Nietzsche, and Why We Need More Elon Musks
The venture capitalist and prognosticator on his hopes for the future and his fears about the present.
Mike Pompeo Says He 'Grew Up Libertarian'
These days, he may run for president. His politics have changed.
Biden Promises To Let Social Security's Ship Keep Sinking
Biden vowed to block any attempts to cut Social Security benefits, and Republicans made it clear that they have little appetite to try it.
Republicans and Democrats Face Impasse Over Cutting Spending Versus Raising Taxes
Plus: Court denies motion to suppress January 6 geofence warrant, Texas may ban some immigrants from buying property, and more...
Florida's War on Drag Targets Theater's Liquor License
Apparently, parents’ rights don’t extend to letting their kids listen to naughty Christmas lyrics.
Democrats Say They Support Green Energy. Why Do Their Policies Say Otherwise?
If you look closely, you'll find a lot of contradictions.
Biden Promotes a Hummer That Doesn't Even Qualify for His Electric Vehicle Tax Credits
Biden sat in a truck that costs as much as $120,000 to promote a tax credit that only applies to electric vehicles retailing for up to $80,000.
COVID Stimulus Spending Played 'Sizable Role' in Inflation
Fiscal stimulus during the pandemic contributed to an increase in inflation of about 2.6 percentage points.
National Conservatives Can't Find a Good Excuse for Viktor Orbán's Inflation Disaster
Hungary's inflation hits 24.5 percent—the highest in the European Union—and Orbán's price controls aren't helping.
More Cracks in the FTC's Aggressive Antitrust Plans, as Court Refuses To Ban Meta From Buying V.R. Fitness App
Plus: Trump teases new avenues of authoritarianism, interest rates raised again, and more...
After Repeatedly Opposing Marijuana Banking Reform, Cory Booker Says It Is Urgently Needed
The senator bemoans the "cannabis crisis" he helped maintain by blocking the SAFE Banking Act.
DeSantis Revokes Licenses From Businesses That Fail To Use Flawed E-Verify System
Floridians will bear the cost of DeSantis currying favor with immigration restrictionists.
Poll: One-Fifth of Americans Say Government Is Our Nation's Top Problem
Plus: Democrats doubt Harris' ability to win, an end to pandemic emergency status, and more...
Are We Making Any Progress on Police Brutality?
Plus: The editors consider the ongoing debt ceiling drama and answer a listener question about ending the war on drugs.
Argentina's Inflation Crisis
Annual inflation was reported at 88 percent in October, up from 50 percent in January 2022.
Should We Abolish the Federal Reserve?
Economists Lawrence H. White and Frederic Mishkin debate whether the Federal Reserve should be replaced with free market institutions.
If Republicans Want To Cut Spending, They Should Start With the Pentagon
Sen. Rand Paul says Republicans "have to give up the sacred cow" of military spending in order to make a deal that will address the debt ceiling and balance the budget.
The Biden Administration Flirts With Imposing Nationwide Rent Control Via Executive Action
The White House's idea of using Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae to adopt rent control faces numerous legal and practical hurdles.
End the Fed? A Soho Forum Debate
Economists Lawrence H. White and Frederic Mishkin debate whether the Federal Reserve should be replaced with free market institutions.
Ticketmaster's Taylor Swift Glitch Doesn't Require a Congressional Hearing
The site crashed because Swift is very popular, not because antitrust enforcement is too weak.
Social Security Is on the Brink of Collapse. The GOP Won't Touch It.
In 1950, there were more than 16 workers for every beneficiary. In 2035, that ratio will be only 2.3 workers per retiree.
DOJ Antitrust Suit Seeks To End Google Ad Dominance. The Market Is Already Taking Care of That.
Plus: Journalism versus qualified immunity, Mississippi bill would end civil asset forfeiture, and more...
No, the World Is Not Heading Toward 'Mass Extinction'
Despite an apocalyptic media narrative, the modern era has brought much longer lives and the greatest decline in poverty ever.
Government Watchdog Finds $60 Billion in Pandemic Unemployment Fraud, Suggests Maybe Doing Something About It
Despite multiple warnings in the past, the Department of Labor has yet to implement a comprehensive strategy for detecting unemployment insurance fraud.
What the U.S. Should Learn From China's Population Decline
The U.S. remains the top destination for the world's immigrants—but it must be careful not to squander its immigration advantage.