Dear rest of the world: Please know that it is painful for Americans to see what is happening in the case of Edward Snowden. Here he is flying from Hong Kong to Russia — countries that seem like safe havens from the long reach of the U.S. empire. Where will he end up? Could be […]
Laissez-Faire Today
The Government Regulation That’s Been Killing for 50 Years
By the end of the week, 1,700 liberty lovers are expected to stop in at Roger’s Campground in Lancaster, N.H., to see what the Free States Project’s PorcFest is all about. The crowd is openly carrying side arms, rifles, and other weapons, while engaging in all sorts of commerce: accepting dollars, silver, and Bitcoins (leave […]
The Republican Socialists
The collective fondness for presidents grows after they leave office for a simple reason. The next occupant of the office is always worse. For instance, George W. Bush’s approval rating is now 49% versus 46% who view him negatively. Absence has certainly made some hearts grow fonder from the post-Katrina, 2008 Wall Street bailout days. […]
Inside Ben Bernanke’s Doomsday Device
Where things stood at the close of last week: Dow down 105, gold up $9 an ounce. Nothing worthy of comment, in other words. Those who think the world is warming up should visit Edinburgh. It is a city made of stone. Yellow stone. Brown stone. Almost-black stone. Almost every building is built of stone. […]
A Democrat, a Union, and Myriad Businesses See Chaos in Obamacare
Perhaps the question is no longer if Obamacare will wreak havoc on the American economy. Instead, the query seems to have morphed into something far more dire and prophetic: Just how much chaos will the law inflict upon the American people, businesses, and the economy? Many wonder, too, if the law will actually improve the […]
Cryptography and the Money We Use
When NSA whistle-blower Edward Snowden wanted to talk to reporter Glenn Greenwald, he insisted that they use encrypted chat. Unfortunately, Greenwald didn’t know how to go about setting that up. In fact, he needed a tutorial in how to do it. Indeed, many people do. I was looking at the download figures of various encryption […]
Turmoil Coming: How to Survive and Thrive
I was in Paris one time, in a park near the Louvre museum, enjoying a lazy summer day. I wasn’t the only one with such a great idea. There were probably a few hundred others enjoying the sunshine — children playing soccer, kissing lovers entwined on the grass, businessmen on a lunch break… You can […]
The Woman Who Changed Millions of Lives
In this age of Obamacare, the writings of Ayn Rand are inspiring some doctors to push back. A small, but growing group of doctors want their patients to pay cash. That’s right, cash. Their own cash. Well, OK, they’ll accept credit cards and debit cards. To get the service requires membership in a practice called […]
Real Markets and Real Economics
I just spoke to a friend, Skinner Layne, who is from Arkansas, but now lives in Santiago, Chile. He emigrated there and is now heading a startup enterprise that is showing great promise. It is called Exosphere. I asked him about the backstory to the company. It turns out that he moved in 2008, six […]
“If They Want to Get You, They Will Get You in Time”
What a weekend it’s been, like watching a global prizefight of epic proportions, with every conceivable side throwing the hardest possible punches. It began with the first leak in the U.K.’s Guardian, which was echoed in The Washington Post. The specific allegation was that the National Security Administration has obtained “direct access” to all communications […]