Evan Vanderwey

Meme Magic . . . Ludwig von Mises may have died in more than 40 years ago, but he would have understood the power of a good meme better than the rest of us today, because he understood the power of ideas.

Post-War prosperity . . . Think things were so great in the 1950s? With a top tax rate of 91%, 20% for the lowest bracket, and nine recessions in the decade, it may only have seemed great compared with WWII and the Great Depression. Now the 60s, they were great.

Tolerating the bad idea . . . Even that, says John Stuart Mill, is good for society. So don’t silence the crackpot. Talk to him (or her).

Is organic better? . . . NO, says Bjorn Lomborg of PragerU. And NO, says a lot of studies.

Freedom for our friends down south . . . Waaay down south. Lawrence Reed of FEE talks the evils of socialism and the hope for liberty in South America.

Is it a luxury bubble? . . . or sustained long-term growth? Mark Thornton of Mises has an opinion (and some data to back it up).

US Econ History #6 . . . Brian Domitrovic explains the effects of heavy government intervention during the Progressive and New Deal eras. Interesting note: the 1920’s, the decade between these eras, was actually pretty good. [5:20]

Franchise regs will help no one . . . The National Labor Relations Board wants to re-write the rules on the franchisee / franchisor relationship. And in typical short-sighted government fashion, it will actually hurt both groups. [2:30]

A win for the little guy . . . and the mini drone. A federal court has struck down an FAA rule that would mandate the registration of small non-commercial drones. That’s good. What’s bad is that someone thought up the rule at all.

The weight loss plan that’s sweeping Venezuela . . . Brought to you by Remy. Try it today!

Our debt . . . household debt, that is, has just surpassed even levels during our run-up to 2008. That’s an all-time high, folks. Ryan McMaken of Mises breaks it down for us.

The Gilded Age . . . Brian Domitrovic looks back at our high-water mark for economic growth – the 1870s and 1880s. Despite the excess of the robber-barons, intense competition improved the lot of the working man quicker than any time, before or since.

The immigration debate . . . actually gets debated by some really smart people at Learn Liberty. It’s a longer commitment (1.5 hours), but just dropping in for a stretch is worth it.

Cyber security . . . Gov’t is the problem, not the solution, says Scott Shackford of Reason.

A state-level immigration policy? . . . Not exactly, but recent legislation pieces in the US Senate and House may be a step in the right direction.