Why Painting Without a License Could Soon Be Illegal in Minnesota
Why Painting Without a License Could Soon Be Illegal in Minnesota
For years, my daughter, who is 12, has asked to have a room in the basement. My wife finally relented, and the two of them recently gave a fresh paint job to what will be her new room on the lowest level. I’m relieved they got the job done quickly, because a new bill (SF...
By Jon Miltimore
New Jersey’s Plastic Bag Ban Backfire, Explained
New Jersey’s Plastic Bag Ban Backfire, Explained
There’s a famous scene in Seinfeld in which George passes on a TV pilot deal with NBC, only to later accept for less money than originally offered. “In other words, you held out for less money,” Jerry says after George tells him the deal. “You know the basic idea of negotiation, as I understand it,...
By Jon Miltimore
Javier Milei Delivers Argentina’s First Surplus in Over a Decade — and US Media Is Silent
Javier Milei Delivers Argentina’s First Surplus in Over a Decade — and US Media Is Silent
Argentines witnessed something amazing earlier this month: the government’s first budget surplus in nearly a dozen years. The Economy Ministry announced the figures Friday, Feb. 23, and the government was $589 million in the black. Argentina’s surplus comes on the heels of ambitious cuts in federal spending pushed by newly-elected President Javier Milei that included...
By Jon Miltimore
Is the US Dollar ‘Finished’?
Is the US Dollar ‘Finished’?
In August 2005, a little-known financial analyst named Richard Bove issued an eight-page report for Punk, Ziegel, and Company, a boutique investment bank based in New York City. The report, titled “This Powder Keg Is Going to Blow,” noted that federal mortgage policies, including agencies like the Federal Housing Administration that “guaranteed the banks against...
By Jon Miltimore
What Seinfeld Can Teach You about the Government’s Senseless War on Appliances
What Seinfeld Can Teach You about the Government’s Senseless War on Appliances
The Biden administration took a major action in 2022 to show it meant business in a war that had quietly raged for years. The action was not related to the war in Afghanistan, which had just ended, or the conflict in Ukraine, which was about to begin. The administration’s action related to a battle of...
By Jon Miltimore
Is NPR ‘State-Affiliated Media’? Their Coverage of the Federal Debt Certainly Suggests as Much
Is NPR ‘State-Affiliated Media’? Their Coverage of the Federal Debt Certainly Suggests as Much
In late December, after US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen borrowed $90 billion in just one day, the federal government’s public debt eclipsed $34 trillion for the first time in history. The steady accumulation of public debt has become a mainstay in modern America, seemingly as inevitable as death and taxes. But something strange happened when...
By Jon Miltimore
What Nixon’s Ghost Can Teach Americans about Using Price Controls to Curb Inflation
What Nixon’s Ghost Can Teach Americans about Using Price Controls to Curb Inflation
For the last 2 1/2 years, price inflation has been eating away the paychecks and savings of the public. Consumer prices are up roughly 20% since 2020, according to consumer price index data, and recent polls show the public believes inflation is the single biggest problem facing the country. Unfortunately, many are so concerned about...
By Jon Miltimore
A Scientist Who Helped Fauci Discredit the Lab Leak Theory Says He Can’t Sleep at Night—and Is Now Speaking Out
A Scientist Who Helped Fauci Discredit the Lab Leak Theory Says He Can’t Sleep at Night—and Is Now Speaking Out
In March 2020, Dr. Robert Kadlec addressed a House committee to confirm his role and responsibilities as the federal government’s top preparedness official coordinating the government’s COVID-19 response. As assistant secretary for preparedness and response at the Department of Health and Human Services , Kadlec offered a lengthy statement to lawmakers on the “four principal...
By Jon Miltimore
Economists Are Roasting Biden’s ‘Incoherent’ Inflation Tweet—and for Good Reason
Economists Are Roasting Biden’s ‘Incoherent’ Inflation Tweet—and for Good Reason
President Joe Biden’s approval rating is tanking, and he’s now trailing former President Donald Trump in national polls, as well as in some key swing states . Vox blames the economy for Biden’s plunging popularity — or at least voters’ perception of the economy. A new Gallup poll shows that just 32% of people approve...
By Jon Miltimore
The Feds’ Vehicle ‘Kill Switch’ Mandate Is a Gross (and Dangerous) Violation of Privacy
The Feds’ Vehicle ‘Kill Switch’ Mandate Is a Gross (and Dangerous) Violation of Privacy
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...
By Jon Miltimore
Fauci Now Says Americans Should Get to Choose if They Want to Take the Covid Vaccine
Fauci Now Says Americans Should Get to Choose if They Want to Take the Covid Vaccine
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...
By Jon Miltimore
5 Things You Should Know Before Getting a Credit Card
5 Things You Should Know Before Getting a Credit Card
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...
By Jon Miltimore
Why Mr. Beast’s Humanitarian Efforts Actually Work—and Why His Critics Hate Him for It
Why Mr. Beast’s Humanitarian Efforts Actually Work—and Why His Critics Hate Him for It
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...
By Jon Miltimore
Decades After Assisting the Polish Underground During the Cold War, an Economist Will Receive Poland’s Highest Honor
Decades After Assisting the Polish Underground During the Cold War, an Economist Will Receive Poland’s Highest Honor
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...
By Jon Miltimore