Daily Articles

The Zero Interest Option Could Wreck the Economy

by Gregory Bresiger August 1, 2013

Economic history is primed to repeat in the nastiest of ways unless the government stops distorting the price of something we use every day. Every product, good, or service has a price, which is essential to rational decision-making. We use prices every day as vital data that guide us. Without true prices, prices not distorted by government fiat, we would ...

Should the Purchasing Power of Money Be Stabilized?

by Alexander William Salter August 1, 2013

Economists have long debated the costs and benefits of stabilizing the purchasing power of money. Today, most First World countries’ central banks either pursue the stabilization of purchasing power as a primary goal, as in the case of the European Central Bank (technically, the stabilization of the rate of change of money’s purchasing power, by means of an inflation ...

Book Review: The Moral Case for a Free Economy

by Laurence M. Vance August 1, 2013

Defending the Free Market: The Moral Case for a Free Economy by Robert Sirico (Regnery Publishing, 2012), 213 pages. Critics of the free market assert that it fails the underprivileged, leads to income inequality, exploits the poor, and is at times downright cruel. They charge its defenders with being motivated by greed, selfishness, and materialism, and making a god out ...

Book Review: Opponent of Empire

by Martin Morse Wooster August 1, 2013

Rome’s Last Citizen:  The Life and Legacy of Cato, Mortal Enemy of Caesar by Rob Goodman and Jimmy Soni (Thomas Dunne/St. Martin’s Press, 2012),  311 pages. A day, an hour, of virtuous liberty / is worth a whole eternity in bondage. — Joseph Addison, Cato Some of us know that the Cato Institute is named for Cato’s Letters, a series of essays ...

Snowden and the Surveillance State

by Tim Kelly July 31, 2013

When I first found out that the National Security Agency (NSA) was tracking my telephone and Internet activity, I must confess, a part of me felt flattered. Sure, it’s creepy, illegal, and unconstitutional, but on a certain level the idea that a supersecret government agency supposedly responsible for protecting the country from terrorists and other evildoers would bother with creating ...

El Mal del Estado de la Seguridad Nacional

by Jacob G. Hornberger July 31, 2013

Las dos palabras más importantes en la vida de los americanos durante los últimos 60 años han sido “seguridad nacional”. El término ha transformado la sociedad americana a peor. Ha pervertido sus principios y valores. Ha atrofiado las conciencias. Ha alterado el orden constitucional. Y ha producido un gobierno, democráticamente elegido, que ejerce poderes totalitarios. Ahora vivimos en un país ...

The Food-Stamp Juggernaut

by Laurence M. Vance July 30, 2013

The number of Americans receiving food stamps is at an all-time high — and still climbing. One in seven Americans is now on food stamps. Although the food-stamp program has been officially known as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) since 2008, because recipients received $1, $5, and $10 paper coupons (stamps) redeemable for food for so many years, the ...

The Libertarian Angle: The Federal Reserve

by Future of Freedom Foundation July 29, 2013

Jacob Hornberger and Sheldon Richman discuss the Federal Reserve and monetary policy. The Libertarian Angle airs weekly.

TGIF: James Madison: Father of the Implied-Powers Doctrine

by Sheldon Richman July 26, 2013

James Madison famously wrote in Federalist 45: “The powers delegated by the proposed Constitution to the federal government, are few and defined.” Strict constructionists are fond of this quote, and often cite it in defense of their view that the Constitution established a government of strictly limited powers. But did it? One way to approach ...

The Economics Lesson Obama Needs to Learn

by Sheldon Richman July 25, 2013

President Obama is again turning his attention to the elusive economic recovery. His “pivot” will be for naught, however, as long as he continues to ignore two important points: first, government is a major squanderer of scarce resources, and second, its regulations are impediments to saving and investment. We live in a world of scarcity. At any given time our ...

The Libertarian Angle: Libertarians vs. Conservatives and Liberals

by Future of Freedom Foundation July 22, 2013

Jacob Hornberger and Sheldon Richman discuss the differences between libertarians, conservatives, and liberals. The Libertarian Angle airs weekly.

FFF Webinar: Articles of Confederation to the Constitution (audio)

by Sheldon Richman July 22, 2013

On Wednesday, July 17, 2013 FFF vice president and editor Sheldon Richman hosted a free, interactive online webinar entitled “From Articles of Confederation to Constitution." The webinar was an interactive experience with Sheldon and was limited to 24 participants. Download the audio here. Subscribe to the FFF podcast RSS feed.