Opinion
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Economics and Artificial Intelligence
Opinion -Will Artificial Intelligence (AI) liberate or enslave humanity? As an economist with zero technical expertise, I will not venture a guess. But some economic fundamentals offer some perspective on the AI economy. -
Door Dash and Affordability
Opinion -Affordability has become a paramount political issue, especially housing for young Americans. But do poor spending decisions and not house prices keep Gen Z and Millennials from buying? The debate highlights how markets ration goods and suggests that young Americans may face unprecedented challenges. -
Elon Musk’s Trillion Dollars
Opinion -SpaceX’s initial public offering (IPO) made Elon Musk humanity’s first trillionaire. This threshold has escalated leftist rhetoric against the rich. Mr. Musk’s wealth illustrates important aspects of markets and the nature of seizing wealth. -
- Emerging Issues Center
- Rights, Justice, and Culture News
- LLP
- Government & Politics
- Government & Liberty
- Economy
Life, Liberty, Property #152: Immigration Driving Up Housing Costs
Opinion -budget-tax-news, Editorial -Mass immigration has contributed to the rapid increase in the price of housing, I noted in my Heartland Institute policy study on “Housing Affordability: America’s Short-Term Crisis and Long-Term Problem.” A draft working paper from the Federal Reserve confirms that conclusion, with the researchers stating illegal immigration drove 30 percent of the increase in home prices during the years 2021 through 2024, along with 20 percent of the rise in rent prices. -
- Rights, Justice, and Culture News
- Emerging Issues Center
- LLP
- Government & Politics
- Government & Liberty
- Economy
Life, Liberty, Property #151: Can Warsh Lead Us Out of the Inflation Trap?
Opinion -budget-tax-news, Editorial -Markets are indicating strong optimism about the U.S. dollar. An article at Unleash Prosperity’s Hotline argues new Federal Reserve Chairman Kevin “Warsh Is Slaying Inflation Already.” -
- Emerging Issues Center
- Rights, Justice, and Culture News
- LLP
- Government & Politics
- Government & Liberty
- Economy
Life, Liberty, Property #150: Rhode Island Starts Tax Hike Death Spiral
Opinion -budget-tax-news, Editorial -Rhode Island just enacted a tax increase that will chase the highest-earning households out of the state and ensure revenue shortfalls as long as it remains in place. -
- Emerging Issues Center
- Rights, Justice, and Culture News
- LLP
- Government & Politics
- Government & Liberty
- Economy
Life, Liberty, Property #149: Federal Reserve Assumptions Have to Change
Opinion -budget-tax-news, Editorial -Tying the money supply to something real such as gold would solve the inflation and economic boom-bust cycles. The same is true of allowing the market to create money. -
- Emerging Issues Center
- Rights, Justice, and Culture News
- LLP
- Government & Politics
- Government & Liberty
- Economy
Life, Liberty, Property #148: The Bill of Rights and the Rise of Soft Despotism
Opinion -budget-tax-news, Editorial -U.S. consumer confidence declined in May in the wake of a sharp rise in inflation expectations and worries about a possible recession. ... -
Wall Street vs. Main Street: A Round Up of the Current Excellent Economic News
Opinion -Lots of DC - and a lot of the rest of us - continue to pretend that Wall Street is the only US economic indicator that matters. -
- Emerging Issues Center
- Rights, Justice, and Culture News
- LLP
- Government & Politics
- Government & Liberty
- Economy
Life, Liberty, Property #147: Consumer Confidence Declines, Credit-Card Debt Rises
Opinion -budget-tax-news, Editorial -U.S. consumer confidence declined in May in the wake of a sharp rise in inflation expectations and worries about a possible recession. ... -
- Emerging Issues Center
- Rights, Justice, and Culture News
- LLP
- Government & Politics
- Government & Liberty
- Economy
Life, Liberty, Property #146: Are Markets Calling for an Interest Rate Hike?
Opinion -budget-tax-news, Editorial -As Kevin Warsh takes over as chairman of the Federal Reserve (Fed), investors and analysts are expressing much worry about interest rates.... -
Property Tax Relief
Opinion -Gov. Ron DeSantis has proposed eliminating property taxes in Florida, which does not have a state income tax. Property taxes are being reevaluated over fairness concerns. -
Should the Federal Reserve Be Independent?
Opinion -Governments today control but did not create money. Money emerged spontaneously, as economist Carl Menger detailed, and provides an example of spontaneous order. Money is a product of human action but not human design. -
Some Lessons from Former Fed Chair Alan Greenspan: Working at the Fed Is Harmful for One’s Understanding of Reality
Opinion -Editorial -The founders of the United States had quite a good understanding of the main problems caused by government banks (e.g., “Why Do We Have the Federal Reserve Bank?” by Dalia Marciukaityte). This knowledge was not completely lost in the 20th century. Before becoming one of the longest serving Fed chairs, Alan Greenspan described the reasons […] -
Busybody Egalitarians
Opinion -There are busybodies all around us. Many of them are incensed about income inequality. -
Why Do We Have the Federal Reserve Bank?
Opinion -Editorial -These days, most people assume that a central bank—in the United States that is the Federal Reserve Bank (Fed)—is something that a country has to have. -
Jobs and Economic Policy
Opinion -Good paying jobs allowing people to support families should be the focus of economic policy. So argues Oren Cass of American Compass. In The Once and Future Worker, Cass discussed what jobs-centered policy might mean: “creating an economy in which workers of all kinds can sustain strong families and communities. And that requires a policy […] -
A Strong Economy Doesn’t Have a Citizenry That Is $18.8 Trillion in Debt
Opinion -Starting in the 1970s, the U.S. government began stupidly helping Big Business convert America into a 70 percent consumption economy. Which now means: For every $10 of U.S. economic activity, $7 is spending money. Which means any little economic hiccup – is awful for the U.S. economy. And explains why anytime there is even a little […] -
Price Ceilings Do Not Help
Opinion -President Trump takes Americans’ affordability concerns seriously. He recently capped credit card interest rates at 10 percent. Unfortunately, price controls address symptoms and not causes of affordability. The President’s legal authority to limit interest rates is unclear. My discussion presumes that the cap takes effect. People do not like high prices for things we buy. […] -
Trump Selects Fed Critic to Replace Powell for Fed Chair
Opinion -President Trump has selected Kevin Warsh, a former Federal Reserve governor and current Hoover Institute fellow, to replace Jerome Powell as the chair of the Federal Reserve. While it is unclear what Warsh would actually do, assuming that he is confirmed to be the next chairman, his past criticisms of the Federal Reserve provide hope […] -
99 Percent Market Dominance – And It Ain’t a Monopoly. Just Organic Choices by Individuals.
Opinion -I am a conservative. Who thinks decades’ worth of a lack of proper antitrust enforcement – has been a key component in the downfall of America. Especially in the tech sector. Especially with Big Tech The likes of Google, Apple, Microsoft, and Amazon are so incredibly huge in large part because Big Government has colluded […] -
Will the Next Big Crash Lead to the Great Taking?
Opinion -The best-kept secret on Wall Street is not how Jeffrey Epstein became filthy rich; it is that ordinary Americans do not actually own the assets in their investment and retirement accounts. -
New Heartland Institute Book: How Wall Street Quietly Took Ownership of Your Investments
Opinion -Press Release -Most Americans believe they own the stocks, bonds, and retirement assets in their investment accounts. Legally, they don’t. That reality carries massive implications for the security of Americans’ savings as the United States barrels toward its next major economic crisis. -
Crony Capitalism and Socialism
Opinion -Editorial -Voluntary transactions between consumers, firms, employees, and investors and direction using coercive commands, or capitalism and socialism, provide alternative ways to organize an economy. America’s mixed economy is neither capitalist nor socialist. But government favors for business, or “crony capitalism,” may be increasing support for socialism. Government can benefit businesses in numerous ways. Nobel prize […]
