Audio Mises Wire

Mises University begins Sunday, July 20, and given that misinformation abounds about the economy, it is good to have a forum where students can learn economic truths and stretch their minds. Original article: https://mises.org/mises-wire/why-mises-university-matters

Despite assurances from Amtrak's administrators that profitability is just around the corner, Amtrak remains a huge money loser. However, even given the long distances of some of the routes, Amtrak could still be profitable if its leadership is willing to make changes. Original article: https://mises.org/mises-wire/subsidies-amtrak-and-siemens-pathway-cronyism-few

The word "democratic" is supposed to soften the blow of socialism, with Zohran Mamdani's campaign being the latest to fool the voters. In reality, there is no softening real socialism, as it depends upon coercion, violence, and ultimately becomes totalitarian. Original article: https://mises.org/mises-wire/democratic-socialism-totalitarianism

Like a child with his new favorite toy at Christmas, President Trump is using tariff taxes not only to attempt to centrally plan the pricing of thousands of goods and services in the economy, but also to engage in election interference in other countries. Original article: https://mises.org/power-market/trumps-election-interference-tariff

There are real concerns regarding Mamdani. Mamdani is a self-described socialist, and socialism has failed disastrously everywhere it's been tried. Original article: https://mises.org/power-market/new-york-city-doomed

Exposing such lies is key for restoring liberty. The good news is that the more mistrust of government grows, the easier it will be to find people receptive to our message. Original article: https://mises.org/power-market/mistrusting-government-about-epstein-and-more

By introducing legislation to raise the federal minimum wage to $15 an hour, Republican Sen. Josh Hawley is demonstrating that while Republicans like to talk about free markets, they are statists and interventionists like their Democratic colleagues across the aisle. Original article: https://mises.org/mises-wire/josh-hawley-proves-republicans-still-dont-understand-economics

Perhaps no publication contributed more to the Colonials' drive for independence from Great Britain than Thomas Paine's pamphlet "Common Sense." But what if he had tried to get the Continental Congress to publish it, instead? The following debate might have occurred. Original article: https://mises.org/mises-wire/thomas-paine-slaps-congress-his-resume

When President Trump declared the Epstein case closed, many of his supporters in MAGA objected, believing that the government is still hiding the truth. But Trump opponents claim that MAGA is a monolithic movement beholden only to Trump. This incident tells us something else. Original article: https://mises.org/mises-wire/split-over-epstein-tells-us-something-important-about-maga-movement

In its attempt to claim that the concept of free trade is full of fallacies, The American Compass builds its anti-free trade case upon fallacies. Original article: https://mises.org/mises-wire/fallacies-conservative-protectionists

The most popular method of deprecating capitalism is to make it responsible for every condition which is considered unsatisfactory. Original article: https://mises.org/mises-wire/propaganda-war-against-capitalism

Modern progressive governance claims it has science on its side. Hayek‘s Nobel speech punctured that viewpoint. Original article: https://mises.org/mises-wire/hayek-difference-between-science-and-scientism

Progressives blame all the recent wildfires on "climate change," but the real culprit is government mismanagement of public forests and grasslands. The recent fire at the North Rim of the Grand Canyon is yet another example. Original article: https://mises.org/mises-wire/why-government-lands-burn

When socialist Evo Morales was elected president of Bolivia, he received favorable press from the western media. Like most socialists, however, his government turned tyrannical. Disqualified from office, he and his followers now seek to stage a coup to return him to power. Original article: https://mises.org/mises-wire/bolivia-held-hostage-tyrants-return

A government that rules by imposing politically-oriented statutes upon its citizens cannot lay claim to governing by “rule of law.” Hayek understood that claiming “legality” to anything the state does is a sure road to tyranny. Original article: https://mises.org/mises-wire/why-hayek-rejected-mere-legality

Although most political attention is focused on the US presidency, James Bovard pleads guilty to contempt of Congress. This is the Congress that is spending and borrowing the country into financial oblivion, but never taking the blame for the results. Original article: https://mises.org/mises-wire/my-46-years-contempt-congress

Reich, Elizabeth Warren, and other leftists never address the root cause of what they correctly diagnose as excessive corporate power: the Federal Reserve. Original article: https://mises.org/power-market/robert-reichs-blind-spots-elephant-progressive-lefts-room

Innovations aren‘t very useful unless they serve consumers in the marketplace. Otherwise, we‘re pursuing innovation for its own sake, and that isn‘t progress. Original article: https://mises.org/mises-wire/intellectual-property-innovation-should-serve-consumers-not-producers

American corporations are lavishing billions of dollars on leftist groups in the name of “equity.” But many of them are also donating to even more questionable people and causes. Original article: https://mises.org/mises-wire/putrid-underbelly-woke-capitalism

The Efficient Market Hypothesis claims that financial markets process information immediately and correctly. However, since the EMH is based upon unrealistic assumptions, we also have to question the efficacy of this hypothesis, especially when central banks intervene in the markets. Original article: https://mises.org/mises-wire/do-financial-markets-operate-upon-superior-knowledge

The poet, the opera, and the Terror: when art dares to confront the violence of power. How one artist portrays the French Revolution and the political terror it unleashed is a grim reminder of what today's Bastille Day celebrations ignore. Original article: https://mises.org/mises-wire/guillotine-and-lyre-what-andrea-chenier-reveals-about-french-revolution

Murray Rothbard called egalitarianism a "revolt against nature," and he believed that the egalitarianism inherent in the Fourteenth Amendment was socially harmful. Social engineering never turns out well, but that doesn't discourage progressives from engaging in it. Original article: https://mises.org/mises-wire/social-engineering-under-fourteenth-amendment

Critics of free markets such as Oren Cass claim that Austrians and other supporters of the free economy are engaged in “market fundamentalism.” However, support for free markets is not an act of blind faith but is based upon understanding of how markets actually work. Original article: https://mises.org/mises-wire/debunking-myth-market-fundamentalism

Throughout history, decentralization and secession have helped pave the way for more individual freedom. Naturally, political elites want to centralize everything, thus setting off the eternal battle between centralizers and decentralizers. Original article: https://mises.org/mises-wire/forces-centralization-and-struggle-freedom

When does philosophy degenerate into simple propaganda? In this week's Friday Philosophy, Dr. David Gordon examines the writings of Jürgen Habermas, concluding that much of what Habermas said was little more than ginned up Marxism. Original article: https://mises.org/friday-philosophy/jurgen-habermas-philosopher-marxist-propagandist