Word has it that, especially because the UK has now ‘brexited’ the European Union, you want a UK-US trade deal that would further increase trade between the British and American […]
Tag: Economic History
Dismal is Better
Americans admire the rugged individualist who goes his own way, who stands alone. The problem is that standing alone at social gatherings is…lonely. And, frankly, pathetic. But that’s what usually […]
Hayek and Bitcoin
The late economist FA Hayek had a great deal to say about private money, inflation, and indeed, about preserving individual freedoms against a tyrannical state. As we approach the 15th […]
Tax Strike!
As the deadline to file individual federal income taxes looms, some readers might wonder if they receive sufficient services in return for what they pay. Over the centuries, many Americans […]
A CBDC Would Not Be Money in the Sense Used in the Constitution
The latest fad in monetary policy circles worldwide is CBDC or Central Bank Digital Currency, a government-created cryptocurrency exchanged on a blockchain. Many fear that it would give governments complete […]
ESG Investing: Today’s Virtue of Tomorrow’s Taboo?
Pundits have both praised and vilified Biden’s recent veto of House Joint Resolution 30, which dealt with environmental, social, and governance (ESG) issues in investing. In doing so, Biden diluted […]
Monetary Policy and that Old-Time Fiscal Religion
The ongoing debt-ceiling debate has brought concerns about the sustainability of US fiscal policy to the forefront of public discussion once again. While it may be tempting to blame current […]
Politics, Not Markets, Makes Banking Unstable
Is fractional-reserve banking inherently unstable? Over at National Review, Edwin Burton, a visiting economics professor at the University of Virginia, argues that the “mismatch between the maturity of the source […]
John Cowperthwaite: An Underappreciated Champion of Economic Development?
No one knows who John Cowperthwaite is. No one who is not a classical liberal that is. Among that small subset of the population, Cowperthwaite is an unsung hero. As […]
FDIC: No Savior Then or Now
If you think the US banking system has problems now, ninety years ago this month a new President shuttered the entire banking system for a week. Knock on wood that […]