The great debate between Capitalism and Socialism has been settled, but we continue to experience an ever-expanding management of the U.S. economy, which itself is a form of socialism. Mises wrote in Socialism : “It is the aim of Socialism to transfer the means of production from private ownership to the ownership of the State.” Socialism, as
[ No Treason , no. 1, was first printed in 1867, just after the American Civil War. An MP3 audio file of this article, narrated by Brad O’Connell, is available for download .] The question of treason is distinct from that of slavery, and it is the same that it would have been if free states, instead of slave states, had seceded. On the part of
In a U.S. presidential election where about 100 million votes are likely to be cast, what is the probability that your vote will be decisive in determining the outcome? Like it or not, the probability is pretty small---zero for all practical purposes. The probability hurdle is twofold. First, the presidential vote tally in your state would have
The Supreme Court’s recent decision on prayer at government meetings reminds me that Supreme Court “season” is upon us, and for the next two months or so, we can expect to see the court decide on a variety of cases that can have profound impacts on the lives of citizens and non-citizens alike. The court’s decision in Town of Greece vs. Galloway
[This article originally appeared in the Austrian Economics Newsletter , Summer 1991, pp. 1–6. You read can also read it in PDF .] Today regulation is generally recognized as a mechanism by which special interests lobby the government to create barriers to entry or other special privileges. Research has shown, for example, that the Civil
The hordes of lawyers that Al Gore has employed to help him try to overturn the presidential election through voter fraud are the latest example of how the rule of law is being destroyed. Florida election laws are clear as a bell in disallowing hand recounts unless there is fraud or machine failure, which Gore is not claiming is the case. The
Both of the major political parties in the U.S. long ago adopted the rhetoric of the socialist Left with regard to tax deductions. The mortgage interest deduction, the state and local taxes deduction, and all others, are denigrated either as “loopholes” that need to be slammed shut or as sources of needless confusion. A November 8, 2004
[An MP3 audio file of this article, read by Steven Ng, is available for download .] In his superb analysis of democracy, Hans-Hermann Hoppe observes that “prime ministers and presidents are selected for their proven efficiency as morally uninhibited demagogues. Thus, democracy virtually assures that only bad and dangerous men will ever rise to the
Reassessing the Presidency: The Rise of the Executive State and the Decline of Freedom edited by John V. Denson (Ludwig von Mises Institute, 2001, 745 pages) $35.00. Imagine that there is an equivalent of the Academy Awards for politicians. We have just gotten to the big moment. “And the Oscar for Greatest President goes to . . . . um . . . .
Private property and the freedom of association are absolutely essential if an economy wants to classify itself as capitalist or a free market. In fact, you cannot have one without the other. What is the point of owning an apartment complex if I cannot decide who my tenants will be? What does it matter if I own a restaurant, if I cannot hire
What is the Mises Institute?
The Mises Institute is a non-profit organization that exists to promote teaching and research in the Austrian School of economics, individual freedom, honest history, and international peace, in the tradition of Ludwig von Mises and Murray N. Rothbard.
Non-political, non-partisan, and non-PC, we advocate a radical shift in the intellectual climate, away from statism and toward a private property order. We believe that our foundational ideas are of permanent value, and oppose all efforts at compromise, sellout, and amalgamation of these ideas with fashionable political, cultural, and social doctrines inimical to their spirit.