Audio Mises Wire

Commercial real estate in the US faces major problems despite efforts by the Federal Reserve System to prop it up. Bonds used to finance commercial real estate markets are being hit especially hard, and there is no relief in sight. Original article: Distress in Commercial Real Estate Bonds Hits All-Time High    

We have reached this point: the government keepers of money do not even understand what money is or why inflation is harmful. To them, the real threat to the economy is “deflation.” Original article: Finding Shelter from Monetary Racketeers    

Mainstream economists today examine economic phenomena from a “black box” perspective in which they look at inputs and outputs without trying to understand causal mechanisms that make the outcomes possible. Original article: A Critique of Black Box Economics    

Never forget the Christmas truce of World War I, when troops refused to be pawns of empire for one blessed day. Original article: The Christmas Truce of World War I    

Murray Rothbard wrote that egalitarianism is a “revolt against nature.” Progressives claim that inequality harms society and is morally unacceptable, but in reality, it is necessary for division of labor, which enables social cooperation. Original article: Wealth and Income Inequality Are Essential for Social Cooperation    

With the demise of the Biden administration, it is time to take a hard look at the DEI programs it imposed. While divisive, simple removal will not solve underlying problems. Original article: Post-Election Prospects for Ending DEI    

As Joseph Schumpeter noted, markets need “creative destruction” to survive and advance. However, Europe‘s Digital Market Act (DMA)—while written to ostensibly protect competition—gives the digital economy uncreative destruction. Original article: Destroying Creative Destruction: The DMA against Innovation    

Modern academic economics is based upon the methodologies used to study the natural sciences. However, such methodologies are inappropriate to study economics, which must be based upon causal-realism. Original article: The Relevance of the Natural Sciences Methods in Economics    

Economist Bryan Caplan has held up the United Arab Emirates as an example of how open borders can be successful. Caplan clearly does not understand how immigration works in the UAE. Original article: Caplan’s Errors on the UAE and Open Borders    

Critics of free markets claim that the 1980s and 90s were near-pure laissez-faire when, in reality, the regulatory state only got stronger.  Original article: “NAFTA Fever” and the Myth of Government-Created Free Markets    

The great free-market classical liberal William Leggett believed that Americans do not need politicians telling us on which days Americans ought to be thankful. Original article: Thanksgiving Day    

  Original article: The American Addiction to Transfer Payments    

While most of us know George Orwell as an authoritative critic of totalitarianism, few people know he was a committed socialist and a lifelong defender of communist Leon Trotsky. While he understood totalitarianism, he never understood socialism. Original article: The Complex Legacy of George Orwell  

Mainstream economists often base their analysis upon assumptions that do not square with reality. Austrian economics, on the other hand, is built upon realistic assumptions and the acknowledgement that good economics must reflect human action. Original article: Assumptions in Economics and in the Real World    

Modern American culture is statist to the core. The typical school curriculum tells students that capitalism is evil and socialism is good.  This only gets worse in college.  Original article: Your Kids Are Already Communist, and College Will Make It Worse    

Even though DEI (diversity, equity, and inclusion) has taken a beating in some state legislatures, it still has a corrupting influence, especially in higher education. As Murray Rothbard pointed out, egalitarians are “at war with nature.” Original article: The Corrupt Nature of DEI    

The original Mont Pelerin Society meeting in 1947 featured Ludwig von Mises, whose warnings about the dangers of socialism and totalitarianism had gone unheeded. In the wreckage of World War II, the truth of his message should have been obvious. It wasn't. Original article: The Battle on Lake Geneva—Mises vs. the Statists at Mont Pelerin    

While it is often framed in the media as a battle between principled conservatives and an angry, non-ideological movement focused solely on personal loyalty to Trump, the current civil war on the American right is only the latest chapter in a much older story. Original article: The Context Behind Donald Trump’s “Takeover” of the American Right    

Austrian economics today needs critics. It doesn‘t need the critics (like Paul Krugman) who cannot give valid and accurate criticisms, but rather people who actually understand the concepts upon which Austrian thinking is built provide a real challenge. Original article: Wanted: Critics of Austrian Economics    

Totalitarianism is not compatible with a functioning economic system based upon free exchange and private property. Such regimes depend upon historicism and logical relativism. Original article: Totalitarianism Begins with a Denial of Economics    

Historical revisionism is nothing new, and recent attempts to label an “antiracist” approach to history have wrongly been called “revisionist.” To better understand revisionism, one must first be grounded in reality, then apply reality-based thought to studying the past. Original article: Historical Revisionism: What It Is and What It Is Not  

Buchanan and Tullock‘s The Calculus of Consent influentially applies economic ideas to politics, focusing on methodological individual. However, there are a few pitfalls about which readers should be aware. Original article: What Is Consent?  

Wage differences between men and women often are automatically attributed to sex discrimination against women. However, as research has shown time and again, other factors are at work.  Original article: Discrimination and Opportunities for Women  

Birkin bags are pricey and the producer restricts its potential buyers. Unfortunately, disgruntled customers who don’t want to follow the company’s rules are now appealing to US antitrust law. Original article: Contrived Scarcity and Antitrust Lawsuits—“It’s Not a Bag, It’s a Birkin”      

The watchword among progressives this election season is: “Nothing less than our democracy is at stake.” In truth, democracy itself is not in danger, but one can accurately say that “democracy,” as practiced in the US, endangers our lives. Original article: The Limits to Public Opinion and the Failure of Democracy