During September this year, much of Europe descended into mild chaos. Millions of Spaniards and French went on strike (following, of course, their return from six weeks vacation) against austerity measures introduced by their governments. Across the continent, there are…

Cap-and-trade legislation has died, with little hope of resurrection for a long time to come.  What the representatives of the people cannot accomplish, however, the Environmental Protection Agency can.
The EPA’s Lisa Jackson has denied ten petitions filed by the…

It has been almost 50 years since Milton Friedman, Nobel economist, released his classic, Capitalism and Freedom. The book has slowly slipped from my course syllabus, not to mention that of the political elite. And why not? What Friedman said…

The economic woes facing America are sparking new conversations about the best way to come out of a long-term downturn. Many pundits prescribe additional government bailouts. Others support strict austerity measures to curb government spending and the growth of federal…

Washington’s stunning economic power grabs—healthcare centralization, Keynesian fiscal stimulus, and Federal Reserve bailouts—are creating an unintended consequence: an increasing demand for freedom literature. Exhibit A would have to be F.A. Hayek’s 66-year-old Road to Serfdom’s recently hitting number one for…

[Yesterday's] NYT has an op-ed by David Brooks that’s been getting good cyber-circulation, “The Gospel of Wealth.” Brooks highlights in particular Southern Baptist pastor David Platt, who is touted as the youngest mega-church leader in the country. Rebelling in many…

In “Recycling Bins Go Big Brother on Cleveland Residents,”
FastCompany.com writer Ariel Schwartz reported that the city is introducing a $2.5 million “Big Brother-like system next year to make sure residents are recycling.”
Chips embedded in recycling carts will keep…

Not long ago, Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell toured the state to highlight its crisis in transportation funding. He called on the General Assembly to resolve the crisis this year. In May, the State Transportation Advisory Committee estimated that the state faced a…

We at Acton have been among the loudest critics of clergy and other religious leaders who undermine economic freedom (and therefore prosperity, including for the poor) by advocating more extensive government intervention in economic affairs.
So we should be the…

Mark it down. At 2:15 p.m. on Tuesday, August 10, 2010, the U.S. Federal Reserve made a historic announcement. It signaled that the central bank was going to “preserve the size of its balance sheet.” The announcement didn’t sound all…