Recently, a TikTok video of a zoomer in tears about her nine-to-five job went viral. In the video, she complains that she has to take a long commute to work since she can’t afford to live in the city. With an early rise and a late return, she explains that she doesn’t have time to...
The irrational pandemonium of the 20th century was the fear of a population explosion. Estimates from scientists such as Paul Ehrlich projected population growth would lead to mass starvation, death, and environmental degradation. None of that happened. Instead, food became more plentiful, life expectancy increased, and the environment got cleaner. This is because, as economist...
The ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas seems to have brought out the worst in many people on both sides, not only in the sense of bloodthirst, of which there is sadly plenty, but also in the sense of letting emotion get in the way of clear moral reasoning. To a lesser extent, the Russia-Ukraine...
Once upon a time, academics argued over whether the government was too large or too small. I haven’t seen much of such conversations lately, even as government has blown far past its previous levels of magnitude and power. Perhaps that means it is worth reconsidering the major competing claims in the earlier discussion about the...
In November 2021, former US Representative from Georgia Bob Barr wrote a little-noticed political column claiming that buried inside President Joe Biden’s $1 trillion bipartisan infrastructure legislation was a dangerous provision that would go into effect in five years. “Marketed to Congress as a benign tool to help prevent drunk driving, the measure will mandate...
ew data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show COVID-19 cases are again rising in some parts of the country. The CDC’s map indicates that several states are experiencing a “substantial increase” in cases (more than 20%), including Texas , New Mexico, Kansas, and Nebraska, which saw a 57.3% spike from the previous...
Northwood University is announcing Faculty Forum, a new initiative to highlight the expertise of faculty from America’s Free Enterprise University. “In recognizing the invaluable contributions of our dedicated faculty, Northwood University is proud to launch a transformative initiative to spotlight their commitment and industry expertise,” stated President Kent MacDonald. “Our faculty members are the driving...
Credit cards can be useful and beneficial, but they need to be managed responsibly. When I got my first credit card at age 24, I felt like a new world had opened up to me. Just that fast, I could swipe a card and purchase anything I wanted. Well, not anything, of course. My credit...
Mr. Beast’s philanthropy, which is all voluntary and profit-driven, surpass government-led efforts by miles. And that’s what his critics can’t handle. James Stephen “Jimmy” Donaldson, better known by his professional moniker “Mr. Beast,” has made a name for himself — and hundreds of millions of dollars for humanitarian causes — by leveraging his social media...
The 20th century was full of attempts to centrally plan population. Scientists like Paul Ehrlich and businessmen like Hugh Moore spent their lives putting direct pressure on politicians and citizens into addressing the looming specter of “overpopulation.” Population doomer language was often dramatic and often included predictions of mass death within just decades. The predictions...
n November 1986, Lawrence W. Reed arrived at the Warsaw-Okecie Airport in Poland to catch a plane back to the United States after a two-week visit to the Soviet satellite state. The 33-year-old economist was hoping to be back in time for Thanksgiving, but his plans for turkey dinner hit a snag when a customs...
As someone who has spent time researching population economics, I’m no stranger to false bad news. It’s no secret that doom-and-gloom headlines sell better than “everything is fine.” So over the last few months seeing viral video after viral video of shoplifting going unpunished I finally had to ask, is the shoplifting problem really worse?...
One hundred and fifty years ago, the largest political corruption trial in history ended with the conviction of one William M. “Boss” Tweed, whose vice was so vast and comprehensive that no one is quite sure of how much money he actually stole. Estimates range on the low side of $50 million to the high...
In a 2016 interview, Stephen King was asked if he had “a personal favorite” film adaptation of one of his stories. The first movie out of the bestselling author’s mouth was not Carrie or Misery. It was not The Shining, the Stanley Kubrick film King famously hated. It wasn’t Pet Semetary or It. The film...