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U of A Faculty & Staff Arrested: FBI agents and U.S. Marshals took them away in handcuffs for a scheme to defraud taxpayers of $435 billion.
/in Economy, Education, Political Satire, Politics /by Craig J. CantoniTUCSON – As part of a nationwide federal sting operation named “Bring Social Justice”, deans and top administrators from the Tucson-based University of Arizona were arrested at their homes last night and taken away in handcuffs by FBI agents and U.S. Marshals for what could be the biggest fraud in U.S. history. The operation also […]
The Deficit Myth – Modern Monetary Theory and the Birth of the People’s Economy: A Review
/in Economy, Liberty, News, Politics /by Neland NobelProfessor Stephanie Kelton, an advisor to leading Democrats and the Biden campaign, has written the Deficit Myth: Modern Monetary Theory and the Birth of the People’s Economy, a highly readable explanation of Modern Monetary Theory (MMT). Replete with frequent references to Sesame Street and Spider Man, it is just the work needed to inform the young […]
Lockdowns Not Linked With Lower COVID Death Rates, New Study Finds
/in Culture Wars, DrRichSwier.com, Economy, Healthcare, Politics, Waste, Fraud and Abuse /by Foundation for Economic Education (FEE)Many US states and countries around the world are imposing another round of economic lockdowns in an effort to combat the coronavirus. The actions are certain to come with a series of devastating unintended consequences—economic destruction, surging poverty, and mental health deterioration among them—but a new study suggests the lockdowns may not do what they are […]
Waffle House’s Stand Against Lockdowns Is Exactly What America Needs—Almost
/1 Comment/in Culture Wars, DrRichSwier.com, Economy, Healthcare, Politics /by Foundation for Economic Education (FEE)Waffle House CEO Walt Ehmer’s stance against lockdowns is courageous, but ultimately bolder action may be required to save businesses from the pernicious effects of lockdowns. Walt Ehmer, the CEO of Waffle House, didn’t mince words when he explained his biggest problem with economic lockdowns stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic. “None of the people who […]
Arizona Prop 208 Passed: An Economic Rabbit Hole
/in Economy, Education, News, Politics /by Thomas C. PattersonArizona voters have some serious ‘splaining to do about the passage of Proposition 208, which raised education funds by boosting income tax rates by up to 98% for high income filers. How could this have happened? Arizona schools have already received over one billion dollars in new sustainable monies over recent years, with more coming. […]
Cost of Lockdowns: A Preliminary Report
/in Economy, Education, Healthcare, Liberty, Life Advocacy, News, Politics /by AIER StaffIn the debate over coronavirus policy, there has been far too little focus on the costs of lockdowns. It’s very common for the proponents of these interventions to write articles and large studies without even mentioning the downsides. Here is a brief look at the cost of stringencies in the United States, and around the […]
US Household Incomes Increased More in 2018 Than in the Previous 20 Years—Combined
/in DrRichSwier.com, Economy, Politics, Science /by Foundation for Economic Education (FEE)For years, a school of economists has complained that US wages have been virtually stagnant for decades. “Jobs are coming back, but pay isn’t. The median wage is still below where it was before the Great Recession,” former Labor Secretary Robert Reich said in 2015. “Last month, average pay actually fell.” In fact, it’s not hard […]
Most States Reject Higher Taxes at the Ballot Box: Arizona is the Lone Exception
/in Economy, Liberty, News, Politics /by Arizona Free Enterprise ClubWhile public attention has been on the highly charged speculations of the Presidential race, voters in 17 states throughout the country were asked to vote on a variety of tax measures at the ballot box. The results of these measures were fascinating to say the least, especially the results in typically blue states that are […]
Gov. Whitmer Announces New Restrictions as Coronavirus Cases Surge
/in DrRichSwier.com, Economy, Healthcare, Politics /by The Daily CallerWhy does it matter if the Covid numbers have gone up when the death count has gone down? — Dr. Dawn Michael💗 (@SexCounseling) November 16, 2020 Michigan Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer announced new restrictions Sunday evening meant to combat the worsening coronavirus pandemic. The restrictions, which begin Wednesday and extend through the end of November, […]
Lockdown Despotism and the “Control Panel” Delusion: Why the Biden-Harris COVID-19 plan is so ominous.
/in Economy, Healthcare, Liberty, News, Politics /by Dan SanchezJoe Biden and Kamala Harris recently updated their “plan to beat COVID-19.” One passage is worth examining for the dangerous mentality it betrays: “Social distancing is not a light switch. It is a dial. President-elect Biden will direct the CDC [Centers for Disease Control] to provide specific evidence-based guidance for how to turn the dial […]
Lockdowns Haven’t Brought down Covid Mortality. But They Have Killed Millions of Jobs.
/in Economy, Healthcare, Liberty, Life Advocacy, News, Politics /by Mitch NemethDuring the early onset of covid-19 in the spring, government officials across the political spectrum widely agreed that government intervention and forced closure of many businesses was necessary to protect public health. This approach has clearly failed in the United States as it led to widespread economic devastation, including millions of jobs lost, bankruptcies, and […]
Joe Biden’s ‘Transition Agenda’ is Full of Big Government Power Grabs
/in DrRichSwier.com, Economy, News, Regulation /by Foundation for Economic Education (FEE)Biden’s rhetoric focuses on restoring order and stability amid emergency, but the details of his transition agenda involve a radical upheaval of our economy. Joe Biden plans to hit the ground running after Inauguration Day. Biden and his running mate, Kamala Harris, have released a sweeping transition agenda they hope to implement after taking power. It focuses […]
The Arizona Corporation Commission “Regulates” Our Climate Thirty Years into the Future
/in Economy, Environment, Liberty, National Security, News, Politics /by Thomas C. PattersonOn October 29, almost out of the public eye, the Arizona Corporation Commission (ACC) gave final approval to a dreadful regulation, mandating all energy in the state be produced with zero carbon emissions by 2050. Arizona has its own mini-Green New Deal! The consequences will be devastating to Arizona’s economic competitiveness. A mere 15% mandate […]
Purple People Without a Political Party: A purple person recounts a lifetime of living among the red and blue
/in Culture Wars, Economy, Liberty, News, Politics /by Craig J. CantoniTUCSON – As the nation has divided into red and blue (Republican and Democrat), purple people like myself no longer have a political party. Most of us are classical liberals or distant cousins to today’s libertarians. Purple had become our color because we had preferred a blend of red and blue policies at the national […]
Why Everyone is Vulnerable When the Government Determines the Essentialness of Someone’s Livelihood
/in DrRichSwier.com, Economy, Politics /by Foundation for Economic Education (FEE)In a genuine free market, it’s the consumer who should remain sovereign. Did you ever think that there would come a time when going to work or meeting with consenting individuals would be acts punishable under the law? Or if going to a grocery store or something as basic as getting a haircut would be […]
Bloomberg and Rosenwald: Compare & Contrast
/in Culture Wars, Economy, Education, Life Advocacy, News /by Neland NobelMichael Bloomberg, a Jewish billionaire who built his fortune on a computerized data base and computer terminal used by Wall Street firms, put in $100 million in Florida to try to swing the election for Democrats. Numerous other billionaire tech moguls, are pumping millions of dollars into Black Lives Matter, a Marxist organization dividing America. […]
A Perspective on Social Justice
/in Culture Wars, Economy, Liberty, News, Politics /by Ken VeitConsider the expression “social justice”. What does it actually mean? Presumably, everyone is in favor of justice, as opposed to unfairness. But let’s consider what the people bloviating most strongly actually mean by the expression. What do they really want? In the broadest sense the expression suggests that someone (or some group) is getting more […]
The “Myth” of Pre-Existing Conditions
/in Economy, Healthcare, Liberty, Life Advocacy, News, Politics /by John R. Ammon, MDIf you have a history of hypertension, diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, breast or prostate cancer, lumbar stenosis, treated grand-mal seizures or any of tens of thousands of conditions in the spectrum of human disease, you have a pre-existing condition. As a member of the human race, you either have or will eventually have one or multiple […]
A GREAT AWAKENING: The U.S. Relationship with China and the CCP is on the November 3rd Ballot
/in Economy, National Security, News, Politics /by Neland NobelOne of the odd byproducts of the Wuhan virus pandemic and its subsequent lockdown has been the growing realization of the perfidy of China, its malevolent influence on the World Health Organization and the dependence the U.S. has on that Communist nation for pharmaceuticals and other important manufactured goods. Indeed, the awkward integration of supply […]
The Tragedy of Tucson: First in a two-part series on why the Old Pueblo isn’t prosperous
/in Culture Wars, Economy, News /by Craig J. CantoniWith 1.05 million people, metro Tucson is Arizona’s second-largest metropolis. About 56% of that population is in the City of Tucson, about 36% is in unincorporated Pima County, and the remaining 8% is in the relatively nice suburbs of Oro Valley and Marana. Once the territorial capital of Arizona, Tucson has a milder climate than […]
Debt Explodes into Dangerous Territory
/in Economy /by Neland NobelThe amount of debt owed by the US government has risen to the highest levels ever recorded. More importantly, as the chart above shows, it is the highest debt ever in relation to the size of the economy. In peacetime, it now exceeds the peak of World War II. Notice that over time, debt surged […]
Save Yourself: Stop Believing in Lockdown
/in Economy, Healthcare, Liberty /by Stacey RudinStoried minds have argued that a failure to critically examine our beliefs makes us culpable for adverse outcomes. Beliefs lead to actions, which impact other people. As Voltaire wrote during the Enlightenment — when society still had time away from the screen to reflect on philosophy, morality, and fundamental truth — “those who can make […]
The Green New Deal means monumental disruption: Not just for energy, but for every aspect of our lives, living standards, culture and freedoms
/in Economy, Environment /by David WojickBy David Wojick and Paul Diessen Kamala Harris co-sponsored the Senate resolution to support the Green New Deal. Now Joe Biden has endorsed the plan. Naturally, people want to know what the GND will cost – usually meaning in state and federal government spending. But that is the wrong question. The real question is, how […]
More Evidence That Shutdowns Are Useless
/in Economy, Healthcare /by John HindrakerGovernments around the world have responded to COVID-19 with more or less harsh (but, of course, never complete) shutdowns of economic and social activity. The costs of these shutdowns have been enormous, obvious and undeniable, while the alleged benefits have been hypothetical and speculative. As experience with the virus accumulates, there is, I think, a […]
We Need a Principled Anti-Lockdown Movement
/in Economy, Healthcare, Liberty /by Jeffrey TuckerShell-shocked is a good way to describe the mood in the U.S. for a good part of the Spring of 2020. Most of us never thought it could happen here. I certainly did not, even though I’ve been writing about pandemic lockdown plans for 15 years. I knew the plans were on the shelf, which […]