Religion & Liberty Online Archives

Economics

July 23, 2019

How ideologues devalue and dismiss economics

Economics is often dismissed as ideological, reductionist, and mendacious. In the United States we see these criticisms increasingly from both the political left and right. This should come as no surprise as the lessons of economics have implications for the prudential decisions that make up much of our political life. Continue Reading...
July 22, 2019

Bernie Sanders: The apologist for inequality

Since Bernie Sanders announced his candidacy for president in the 2020 election, he has brought a seemingly disastrous and looming problem to the attention of the American people, much like he did in his 2016 run: income inequality accompanied by the tyrannical rule of the elite 1%. Continue Reading...
July 15, 2019

Recalling the one lesson: The US-China trade war revisited

Influential thinker Henry Hazlitt argued that the “art of economics” could be distilled to a generally applicable single lesson: looking not merely at the immediate but at the longer effects of any act or policy [and] tracing the consequences of that policy not merely for one group but for all groups. Continue Reading...
July 12, 2019

Education, efficiency and liberty

Alaska’s university system is currently facing $130 million in funding cuts to an annual budget of $900 million, which included $327 million in state funding last year. These potential cuts have sparked criticism from researchers at other universities, University of Alaska President James Johnsen, Alaskan state legislators, and citizens. Continue Reading...
July 05, 2019

Is income inequality acceptable?

In the past few weeks, democratic presidential hopefuls outlined income inequality fixes anywhere from $1,000 per month basic income to free college and single payer healthcare. While many operate on the assumption that income equality results in a fair economic system, I do not. Continue Reading...