The Supreme Court has just made this term’s biggest union decision. Unfortunately, though characterized as a setback for unions, it did little for those coerced by them. It did reveal, however, how limited is government protection for non-union members’ rights. At issue was a state initiative preventing the Washington Education Association from
When people want to add extra “oomph” to negative depictions of self-owners acting without coercion — that is, market competition under capitalism — they turn to name-calling. One of the most effective forms is describing such competition as dog-eat-dog. When that characterization is accepted, the mountain of evidence in favor of voluntary social
Early last year, President Clinton, arguing that “it will save hundreds of lives each year,” came out with a noble-sounding proposal on drunk-driving laws. He said that come October 2001, any state with a blood-alcohol standard higher than 0.08% should be subject to losing 5% of its federal highway funds, a penalty he said should increase later.
December 15 is our Bill of Rights’ 211th anniversary. We take its protections from arbitrary government power for granted. But our Constitution’s framers originally opposed a Bill of Rights. Few remember their reasons, or why the Antifederalists (opponents of giving much power to the federal government) rejected them, resulting in the 1st 10
September 27 marks the anniversary of the publication of the first of the Antifederalist Papers in 1789. The Antifederalists were opponents of ratifying the US Constitution. They feared that it would create an overbearing central government, while the Constitution’s proponents promised that this would not happen. As the losers in that debate, they
January 18 marks the birth of Charles Louis de Secondat, Baron de Montesquieu. Robert Wokler called Montesquieu “perhaps the most central thinker of the enlightenment.” He was also an important influence on America’s founders, particularly his argument that a separation of powers was necessary for liberty to be maintained — so much so that one
March 16 marks James Madison’s birthday. He was “the father of the Constitution”; no one had a greater hand in constructing and interpreting the highest law of our land. His understanding is especially important today, given how far we have moved away from the very limited government the Constitution authorized and toward one that continually
Jury duty garners complaints from those who have been drafted into service, but it seldom gets media attention. Other than when there is a celebrity involved (e.g., when Oprah Winfrey was chosen for a murder trial), juries seem to enter public discourse only when there is a sensational case, such as the upcoming trial for Aurora theater shooting
Como ha señalado recientemente el antiguo presidente de la Comisión Federal de Comercio (FTC), Timothy J. Muris, «el presidente Biden rechaza las políticas antimonopolio impulsadas por la economía de los últimos 40 años». Por el contrario, el Presidente Joe Biden «prometió volver a las tradiciones antimonopolio anteriores». Por desgracia, «esas
Después de fracasar por poco en la Asamblea de California el año pasado, el proyecto de ley 257 se ha vuelto a incluir en la agenda de Sacramento este año. Sus defensores —sindicatos y sus agentes demócratas— creen que esta vez pueden tener éxito. Ahora se acerca la hora de la verdad para esa hipótesis, ya que el proyecto de ley fue aprobado por
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.