Audio Mises Wire

Contra critical theorists, who claim human reason is nothing more than a social construct, reason is both understandable and universal. We cannot abandon it, for if we do, we abandon liberty itself. Original Article: Understanding Reason Is Paramount to Understanding Liberty  

Contrary to popular belief, regulatory agencies do not improve the quality of our lives, nor do they provide safety or security. They need to be abolished, as free markets provide their own effective forms of regulation. Original Article: The Case for Abolishing Regulatory Agencies  

Political and academic elites have successfully convinced the public that they should fear private enterprise. However, people really should fear an out-of-control government. Original Article: They Want to Scare You with Myths of “Unhampered Capitalism”  

Ludwig von Mises was ridiculed for his assertion that “middle of the road” leads to socialism in the end. As the federal government swallows increasing amounts of the economy, we see that Mises was right. Original Article: No, Mises Was not Wrong about the Middle of the Road  

Contrary to mainstream economists, credit expansion that is not backed by real savings leads ultimately to an economic downturn. Original Article: Lending without Saving Brings Recession and Poverty  

Do Austrian theories also apply to financial markets? Original Article: Man, Economy, and Financial Markets  

Many people are selling their gold to make ends meet. Others are buying gold as insurance against mounting price inflation. Original Article: As the Dollar Falters, Gold Becomes Insurance, Not Speculation  

Unfortunately, these assaults on the First Amendment continue to find support even among people who pretend to be in support of freedom and opposed to federal power. Original Article: War Hysteria Fuels New Attacks on Free Speech  

In a recent symposium on Murray Rothbard's For a New Liberty, philosopher Matt Zwolinski takes issue with Rothbard on Murray’s views of freedom and property rights. Original Article: Zwolinski Tries to Take Rothbard to the Mat  

The decades of American and European intervention in Africa are coming to an end, and things are even worse for American interests there. Perhaps overthrowing governments and trying to dictate political outcomes wasn’t a good idea. Original Article: Blowback in the African Coup Belt  

Despite statements from Biden and other progressives, profits in a market economy are not a form of plunder. Instead, they represent entrepreneurial gains that mostly benefit consumers. Original Article: Profit Is Not Plunder  

Mainstream economists claim money has purchasing power because the government issuing the money has so declared. That makes no sense. Original Article: How Does Money in Our Possession Acquire Value?  

For most Americans, the debate is about what size the welfare state should be. But why is there a welfare state at all? Original Article: Thinking Properly about Public Welfare  

Despite the media definitions of the Trump trial as a “hush money trial,” the actual criminal charges are contrived and legally unprecedented. This is a show trial. Original Article: The Hush-Money Case against Trump Is Ridiculous and Revealing  

Progressives claim that profits are an unjust transfer of wealth from the poor to the rich. In reality, entrepreneurs earn profits by directing resources from less valued to more valued uses to satisfy consumer needs. Original Article: Free-Market Profit Comes From Voluntary Exchange, not Exploitation  

In publicly opposing apartheid, William H. Hutt saw how legal segregation kept black South Africans from pursuing legitimate economic goals. To Hutt, apartheid deprived people of equality of economic opportunity, which kept them in poverty. Original Article: State Coercion and the Injustice of Apartheid  

Congress claims to have targeted TikTok because China's government allegedly uses it to spy on Americans. Besides dealing with a nonexistent threat, the bill gives the federal government vast new powers to misuse. Original Article: The TikTok Ban Is the Next Patriot Act  

Progressive historians, journalists, and politicians claim that the Industrial Revolution and the growth of industry brought poverty and exploitation to American workers. The truth is much different, even if it is rarely heard. Original Article: The American Labor Market: Fact vs. Fiction  

While Austrian and feminist critiques of neoclassical economics have some similarities, they also differ strongly on important points. Feminist critiques are based upon what Mises called polylogism, while Austrian critiques are based upon praxeology. Original Article: Can There Be an Alliance between Austrian and Feminist Schools of Economics?  

What better way to explain the relationship between higher-order and lower-order goods than with food? Here, we look at the falafel sandwich. Original Article: What Can Carl Menger Teach Us about Falafel Sandwiches?  

Somalia is a country invented by European intervention. The region known as Somaliland ought to be free to secede from this imperialist creation. Original Article: Somaliland Needs Self-Determination  

Despite the accusations that Javier Milei is a fascist in libertarian clothes, many of his reforms have been successful in reversing some of the damage done to Argentina's economy by real fascists. Original Article: No, Milei Is Not a Fascist  

States know that treason and sedition laws are about much more than matters of law and order. They are essential components of enhancing state power. Original Article: Abolish all Treason and Sedition Laws  

Bolivia has been mired in poverty, hyperinflation, and state control of the economy for generations. It is time for a change, and the Alasitas Fair is leading the way. Original Article: How the “Informal” Economy Creates Free Markets in Bolivia   

On this day ninety-one years ago President Franklin D. Roosevelt via executive order seized gold legally held by Americans, criminalizing the use of sound money. Our economy and our nation has never recovered from this act. Original Article: Fixing FDR’s Biggest Blunder: From Gold Standard to Fiat Folly and Back