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Debunking All the Main Arguments for Antitrust Laws https://tklist.us/?p=33564

It does not take too much upstairs to see through the Biden administration’s rejection of the JetBlue-Spirit Airlines merger. The latter is on the verge of bankruptcy. It is $1.1 billion in debt. It faces the headwinds of a new labor agreement raising pilot pay by 34% and has trouble with its Pratt & Whitney […]

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Interest on the National Debt—Who Does It Go To? https://tklist.us/?p=33554

This week, to start off “Ask an Economist” for the year, I have a question from Stan K. about the national debt. I’m happy to report that after asking for questions in early January, I have received the most ever. I look forward to working through all I can. Here is Stan’s question: Peter, I […]

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Why Is There A Dyslexia Epidemic? https://tklist.us/?p=33511

The earliest documented cases of dyslexia, or a language processing disorder that makes it difficult to read, date back more than a century. For decades, it was considered a relatively rare occurrence, but today it is estimated that up to 20 percent of the US population is dyslexic. What is going on? Advances in childhood […]

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The Feds' Vehicle 'Kill Switch' Mandate Is a Gross (and Dangerous) Violation of Privacy https://tklist.us/?p=33507

In November 2021, former US Representative from Georgia Bob Barr wrote a little-noticed political column claiming that buried inside President Joe Biden’s $1 trillion bipartisan infrastructure legislation was a dangerous provision that would go into effect in five years.  “Marketed to Congress as a benign tool to help prevent drunk driving, the measure will mandate […]

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Publius Rutilius Rufus: Rome's 'Last Honest Man' https://tklist.us/?p=33493

Banished for debasing the currency from his home city in what is now north-central Turkey, Diogenes of Sinope chose to beg in the streets of Corinth and Athens, live in a clay jar, and eschew wealth of any kind. The story is often told that he walked the streets with a lantern, looking in vain […]

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The Problem with a Chicago Municipal Grocery Store https://tklist.us/?p=33476

Chicago’s new mayor, Brandon Johnson, is experimenting with a surprising new city policy— government-run grocery stores. The policy idea was announced by Johnson earlier this week. “I am proud to work alongside partners to take this step in envisioning what a municipally owned grocery store in Chicago could look like,” he said. The proposal comes […]

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Why Do Some Countries Stay Poor? https://tklist.us/?p=33473

This week for Ask an Economist, I have a question from a reader named Mark. He says, “I’ve worked with immigrants that recently moved to the US, and workers still living in their native country and working for me remotely. My experience is that they’re on average, much harder working and more skilled (even in […]

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Libertarianism For Beginners: A Review https://tklist.us/?p=33453

Todd Seavey’s 2016 book Libertarianism For Beginners is a thoughtful and accessible introduction to libertarian thinking, perfect for someone who is maybe curious about the philosophy but has never quite understood what it’s all about. At 200 pages, the book is an easy read and not too long—though this is hardly due to a lack […]

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Why the Federal Reserve Pays Interest to Your Bank—and You Get Nothing https://tklist.us/?p=32964

I think the average American does not know that the US Federal Reserve currently pays 4.90% interest to banks on people’s checking and savings deposits—this includes the cash in the drawer! I just checked my personal savings account and I am currently getting .01% on my savings account. My hard-earned money is earning my bank […]

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Why Taxes Are Harmful: A Response to The Woke Salaryman https://tklist.us/?p=32932

A Singapore-based webcomic called The Woke Salaryman recently posted a comic extolling the virtues of taxation and encouraging people to pay their taxes. The comic, called “Why are taxes important?” goes through three common talking points about the supposed benefits of taxation and public services. Since these same points come up so frequently in debates […]

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The Myth That America Prospered After WWII Despite Extremely High Taxes on the Rich https://tklist.us/?p=32926

Left-wing politicians who demand higher taxes on the rich argue that the United States has, in the past, prospered when tax rates were very high, proving that high taxes do not harm the economy. And it is true: In the 1950s and early 1960s, the top federal personal income tax rate in the US was […]

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Marxism Remains Relevant Only as a Destructive Force https://tklist.us/?p=32850

Though Karl Marx’s theories were never valid, they changed the world by stoking grievance, focusing it on the status quo, demanding that the status quo be burned to the ground, and promising that a never-fully-defined utopia would spontaneously spring from the ashes. His claims included the following: Value is a function of “socially useful” labor […]

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How Libertarians Should View Harvard’s Racial Discrimination in Admissions https://tklist.us/?p=32831

With the Supreme Court’s hearing of the Students for Fair Admission case against Harvard University and the University of North Carolina, racial discrimination is now in the news. Like two contending (intellectual) armies, Liberals and Conservatives have staked out very different positions. In the view of those on the right side of the political economic […]

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What the American Founders Meant by Equality https://tklist.us/?p=32653

The Declaration of Independence famously proclaimed that “all men are created equal.” Thanks in part to that prestigious endorsement, “equality” has become a widely held social ideal. But what most modern-day egalitarians promote is far removed from the kind of equality that the authors of the Declaration were referring to. Many today invoke “equality” to […]

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Andrew Schulz Is Disrupting Comedy Much Like Uber Did the Cab Industry https://tklist.us/?p=32591

If you haven’t heard the name Andrew Schulz yet, you will. He is, in this writer’s very humble opinion, one of the greatest comedians of his generation. Schulz’ comedy is brilliantly irreverent and his unorthodox path to success flies in the face of the established industry–the same industry that has often capitulated to the whims […]

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UK Man Arrested For ‘Malicious Communications’ After Posting Meme Mocking the Transgender Flag https://tklist.us/?p=32546

Hardly a day goes by without some viral international incident reminding us why we’re so lucky to have the First Amendment. The latest such lunacy comes courtesy of the United Kingdom, where police just arrested a man for posting an allegedly offensive tweet. Yes, seriously. As shown in a viral video, Hampshire officers on Thursday […]

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Why Government Is the Biggest Obstacle to Educational Freedom https://tklist.us/?p=32523

In Massachusetts where I live, average private school tuition hovers around $23,000. For secular private schools, the cost is typically much higher, with Boston-area private school tuition often exceeding $40,000. This price tag is way too high for most families to afford, but emerging microschools are typically a fraction of the cost of other private […]