Daily Articles

The Libertarian Angle: Thanksgiving and the Free Market

by Future of Freedom Foundation November 28, 2017

FFF president Jacob Hornberger and Richard Ebeling talk about Thanksgiving and the free market. Go to the podcast.

Capitalism and the Misunderstanding of Monopoly

by Richard M. Ebeling November 27, 2017

Numerous misunderstanding and mythologies surround the meaning of capitalism and competition, but few match the confusions over the meaning and relevance of “monopoly” in the workings of the market economy. When looked at dispassionately, factually, and historically, monopoly has almost always represented a problem in society only when created, protected or imposed by government intervention. Critics of capitalism have proposed ...

Thanksgiving: Celebrating the Birth of American Free Enterprise

by Richard M. Ebeling November 20, 2017

This time of the year, whether in good economic times or bad, is when Americans gather with their families and friends and enjoy a Thanksgiving meal together. It marks a remembrance of those early Pilgrim Fathers who crossed the uncharted ocean from Europe to make a new start in Plymouth, Massachusetts. What is less appreciated is that Thanksgiving also ...

Gun Control is Elitist and Wrong

by Scott McPherson November 20, 2017

At its root, gun control is an elitist policy. One group of people decides that by virtue of birth, social status, economic status, or political persuasion, they should control the ownership of firearms. The framers of our Constitution explicitly rejected that notion, lauding instead the value of an armed populace. To protect the right to keep and bear arms, ...

Financial Tyranny

by John W. Whitehead November 16, 2017

When plunder becomes a way of life for a group of men in a society, over the course of time they create for themselves a legal system that authorizes it and a moral code that glorifies it. ― Frédéric Bastiat, French economist Americans can no longer afford to get sick and there’s a reason why. That’s because a growing number ...

Millions Paid for Not Working

by Laurence M. Vance November 15, 2017

The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), part of the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL), releases its monthly jobs report on the first Friday of every month. The jobs report is perceived as a gauge of the health of the economy. The BLS also issues a weekly report of unemployment insurance claims. According to a ...

The Libertarian Angle: Trump’s Trade Antics Abroad (video)

by Future of Freedom Foundation November 14, 2017

FFF president Jacob Hornberger and Richard Ebeling talk about President Trump's folly in the realm of free trade. Go to the podcast.

Capitalism and Competition

by Richard M. Ebeling November 13, 2017

Market competition is at the heart of the capitalist system. It serves as the driving force for creative innovation, the mechanism by which market supplies and demands are brought into coordinated balance for multitudes of goods, and an institutional setting for individuals to freely find their own place to best earn a living in society. Yet, listening to the critics ...

How to Understand JFK Conspiracy Theories

by Jacob G. Hornberger November 13, 2017

The recent October 26 deadline for releasing 50-year-old JFK-assassination records of the CIA and other federal agencies provided an opportunity for people to promote their favorite JFK assassination theories. The Russians did it. Fidel Castro did it. The U.S. national-security establishment did it. The Mafia did it. A lone nut named Lee Harvey Oswald did it. The reaction among some ...

Blame Drug Cartels on the Drug War

by Brian Saady November 9, 2017

Even if the drug war were to end today, there would still be street crime and gangs in the far-distant future. However, these issues would be on a dramatically smaller scale. Mexico’s street gangs could never ascend to the level of an organized crime outfit without the massive profits from illegal drugs to pay for the necessary weaponry, hitmen, ...

America Breaks Down

by John W. Whitehead November 8, 2017

This country has been having a nationwide nervous breakdown since 9/11. A nation of people suddenly broke, the market economy goes to shit, and they’re threatened on every side by an unknown, sinister enemy. But I don't think fear is a very effective way of dealing with things—of responding to reality. Fear is just another word ...

Lessons from the Latest Texas Massacre

by Benedict D. LaRosa November 8, 2017

On Sunday morning, November 5, 2017, another mass shooting occurred, this time during services at the First Baptist Church in the small, rural community of Sutherland Springs, Texas, not far from San Antonio. The shooter, 26-year-old Devin P. Kelley, appears to have had a grievance against his in-laws who belonged to the church and perhaps were expected to be in ...