Audio Mises Wire

Central to the paradigm of Austrian Economics is the action axiom. People act, and they act purposefully. That knowledge alone permits us to construct an entire set of theories that explains economic life. Original article: Understanding the Action Axiom: How It Shapes the Structure of Society   

Western governments are keen on pursuing “hate crimes” and criminalizing what it calls “hate symbols.” However, these governments reserve to themselves just how one defines “hate,” which is nothing more than an attack upon free speech. Original article: “Hate Symbols” and the Meaning of Liberty   

The Old Right was a principled band of intellectuals and activists, who fought the “industrial regimentation” of the New Deal. They loathed tariffs and saw protectionism as a species of socialist planning. Original article: The Old Right Opposed Tariffs   

When people speak of “old school economics,” they generally mean the application of economic thinking that involves what we might call “common sense.” That would include permitting a price system to work, protecting private property, and so on. But there is more. Original article: What is Old School Economics?   

Thanks to increasingly broad car-seat laws, a third child often requires the purchase of a larger, more expensive vehicle. At the margins, this has an effect on fertility. Original article: Yes, Car Seat Laws Reduce the Birth Rate   

While F.A. Hayek contributed much to the Austrian School of Economics, he also supported the establishment of the welfare state, believing that it was compatible with the rule of law. Ludwig von Mises, however, knew that the welfare state is the ubiquitous slippery slope. Original article: Hayek on the Welfare State   

Regulators with the European Union want people to believe that the “dead hand” of government regulation actually enhances competition. The only thing their actions enhance is more government power. Original article: Ctrl+Alt+Regulate: The DMA’s Misguided Reboot of Competition   

Home prices continue to rise as the government tries to further intervene into the housing markets, all in the name of the “American Dream.” However, remember that these massive increases in housing prices began when the government decided to make housing more “affordable.”Original article: Home Ownership Is Not the American Dream   

As monetary authorities continue to inflate the money supply, they inflict more and more damage upon the currency. Unfortunately, as the economy falters under the inflationary regime, the “solution” always is to ramp up inflation. Original article: The Present Monetary System Is Heading for a Breakdown   

What if we could have eavesdropped on a conversation between Fed Chairman Jerome Powell and Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen? It might have gone as follows.... Original article: “I Have Bills to Pay,” Or Why the Fed Really Cut Interest Rates   

One of the outcomes of the American Civil War was the movement toward centralization of political power in Washington. The Reconstruction regime imposed upon the former Confederate states following the war was an overt attempt to further impose federal power there. Original article: Centralizing Federal Power through Southern Reconstruction   

The Ukraine war rages on and while the media and political classes repeat the “Putin started it” mantra, the evidence points elsewhere. The US government and its European allies have provoked Russia for years, hoping it would lead to an outbreak of war. Original article: Enough Already: Stop Provoking Russia   

When discussing the homeless situation in the US, Star Trek does not usually come to mind. However, one episode from about three decades ago was both insightful and prophetic in presenting what would be homelessness in San Francisco. Original article: Past Tense—The Homeless Problem in Star Trek DS9   

What does ChatGPT know about money? More than one might think. George Ford Smith asks the AI program some questions about money and gets some surprising answers. Original article: What Does ChatGPT Know about Money?   

In the past four years, a number of monuments honoring the Confederacy have been torn down or removed. As we have seen before, however, the activism behind this movement will not stop with just taking down Confederate symbols. Original article: The Battle of the Confederate Monuments   

While Henri Bergson did not point his intellectual abilities toward politics, lesser men who were unscrupulous commandeered his ideas to promote their own collectivist ideologies. Original article: Henri Bergson: The Philosopher of Life and Creative Evolution   

Remember when progressive governments outlawed church gatherings but sanctioned sex orgies? Yes, it really happened. Original article: Covid Tyrants Partied While Demanding Lockdowns for Everyone Else   

Ask most people why our economy is advanced, and they will likely will answer, “Technology.” Yet, technical knowledge is meaningless without capital development, and capital development is impossible without real savings. Original article: Does Technical Knowledge by Itself Drive Economic Growth?   

Banking systems around the world have huge effects on our lives, yet few people understand how banks work. Worse yet, even fewer understand the malign powers of central banks and how this system undermines economies. Thus, it is important to demystify these systems. Original article: Understanding the Basics of Modern Banking   

The Fed’s specialty is propaganda through data, with a long record of failure. This is by design. Their communication tools must work in overtime, particularly in the face of a decision like this, to avoid “spooking markets”, though this veneer is easy to see through. Original article: An Economy So Strong It Requires Crisis-Level Fed Action   

After Trump narrowly escaped another assassination attempt, the establishment seems uninterested in the motives of the would-be shooter. Perhaps that’s because he’s echoing the same simplistic narratives about the Ukraine war and Trump that they demand we all believe. Original article: The Second Trump Shooter Believed Exactly What the Establishment Media Wanted Him to Believe   

The Fed is desperate for you to think that “this time is different.” Unfortunately, Powell can’t seem to come up with explanation of why that is the case. Original article: The Fed Hits the Panic Button and Slashes the Fed Funds Rate  

The more things change, the more they remain the same. In our present age of inflation, we are reminded of how Diocletian and other Roman authorities ordered price controls and other measures to hold down prices. None of these edicts were successful in bringing down prices. Original article: The Denarius and the Dollar: Price Controls Then and Now  

Many proponents of free markets have tried to cast aside the name “capitalism” as a descriptor of the market system. They should take caution before doing so. Original article: Yes, We Should Defend the Term “Capitalism”  

The political zeitgeist is to embrace protectionism, leading some who support free trade to embrace open borders. However, as Murray Rothbard explained, people and societies are complex entities and what may work for trade does not work for open immigration. Original article: Tariffs, Protectionism, and Why Borders Matter