Audio Mises Wire

As the US government debases the dollar, other nations take notice and possibilities increase that another currency based on sound principles might emerge. Original Article:   "Will a New BRICS Currency Change Anything? Maybe"  

Taxpayer-funded company Dominion is suing private parties for saying things the company doesn't like. These lawsuits illustrate how defamation laws can be used to destroy free speech. Original Article:   " The Dominion Lawsuit against Fox News Is Part of the War against Free Speech"  

Mises had hoped that democracy would lead to free societies after World War II ended. He did not foresee the illiberal turn in the West in the last decade. Original Article:   "Libertarian Law by Democratic Means: The Power of Ideologies and Public Opinion"  

Contrary to the worldview of progressives, taxation and the coercion it brings are not part of a "social contract." Instead, they are implemented by force. Original Article:   " You Don’t Like It? Leave! The Telling Sophistry of Tax Apologists"  

We’re supposed to go along with Green Energy schemes—as we did with masks, school lockdowns, and vaccinations to stop covid—because our government, media, and “public interest” groups insist that we “follow the science.” Original Article:   " How Greening the Economy Will Destroy America"  

The dollar became the dominant global currency not so much because of its own merits, but because of the self-destruction of the pound sterling caused by the British state and central bank. Original Article:   "How the Dollar Became the World's Top Global Currency"  

Austrian business cycle theory points out that easy money leads to malinvestments. Once easy money disappears, the crash begins. Time to clean up malinvested assets. Original Article:   " Paying the Piper: Time to Clean Up the Latest Malinvestments"  

The most popular measure of economic growth is GDP. However, GDP movement is driven by changes in the money supply, not real economic factors. Original Article:   "Does GDP Present an Accurate Picture of the Economy? Not Likely"  

While the horrors of the transatlantic slave trade have been well documented, people other than slave traders and slaveholders benefitted from it, with some surprising results. Original Article:   " Historical Effects of the Transatlantic Slave Trade"  

Austrian economics is not dry theory. It helps us make sense of our world and shows that exchange and production have a place in our moral universe. Original Article:   "How to Teach Austrian Economics to the Neighbor Kids"  

President Biden's executive order to promote transgenderism on college campuses eviscerates long-held due process protections for accused students. This will not end well. Original Article:   " Due Process or Transgender Protection on Campus?"  

While the Fed and the Biden administration try to assure Americans that their banks are safe and secure, the numbers tell a different story. Original Article:   "Charles Schwab and Other Big Banks May Be Secretly Insolvent"  

We hear ad nauseum from political and media elites that the war in Ukraine is about preserving "our freedoms." Murray Rothbard had something to say about this sophistry. Original Article:   "Rothbard Was Right: Wars Don't Enhance Freedom. They Destroy Liberty."  

The real issue we face is not whether we should be in the red tribe or the blue tribe, but rather what will be the constituency for freedom. Original Article:   " Neither Red nor Blue, but Free"  

While politicians, media mavens, and the academic elite spread fear about artificial intelligence, AI is helping make life better for ordinary consumers. Original Article:   "Prices, Food, Employment: AI and Robotics Are for Regular Folks, Not Just the Elite"  

In their attempts to remake the economy, progressive elites are pushing ESG. What they forget is that the economy runs on real things, not ideology. Original Article:   " ESG: Another Fraudulent Hustle That Progressive Elites Have Foisted on the Economy"  

The fight between Russia and NATO is not about "democracy versus authoritarianism." Rather both the US and Russian states are doubling down because they are doing what states do: seeking power. Original Article:   "The Ukraine War Isn't about Democracy. It's about States Seeking More Power."  

While most free market advocates are fixated on the national debt, they also should be looking at municipal debt over which taxpayers have no say. Maybe default is the answer. Original Article:   " Should Local Municipalities Default on Their Debts? Seems Like a Good Idea"  

Canada created its central bank during the Great Depression, ostensibly to stabilize the currency and protect the banking system. Today, that system is falling apart, thanks to inflationary central bank policies. Original Article:   "Canada’s Legal Counterfeiting Ring Is a Product of Progressive Democracy"  

A central tenet of Keynesian economics is that governments must run budget deficits to stimulate economic growth. But government spending actually shrinks the economy. Original Article:   "Government Budget Deficits Cannot Stimulate True Economic Growth"  

Even after two years of "transitory" inflation, America's ruling classes insist that prices are falling and that all of this is temporary. We don't believe them. Original Article:   " The Ruling Classes Are Inflation Deniers and the Ship of Fools Sails On"  

A bedrock of Austrian economics and libertarianism has been free trade. Unfortunately, some people who claim to value liberty no longer value unhampered exchange. Original Article:   " Are Libertarians Abandoning Free Trade?"  

To prevent rail accidents like the one in East Palestine, dial back government regulation and allow the tort system to work. Original Article:   "Prevent Future Losses Like East Palestine by Reducing Regulation and Empowering Torts"  

The passage of an income tax in the early twentieth century was an enormous shift toward a far more centralized and powerful US state. Original Article:   "The Income Tax: Lessons from the Sixteenth Amendment"  

Federal laws with acronyms are usually bad news. (Think the USA PATRIOT Act.) The RESTRICT Act is yet another Orwellian proposal in which the federal government assumes ignorance is strength. Original Article:   " Disinformation and the State: The Aptly Named RESTRICT Act"