Cryptocurrencies are not having a good time right now.  An estimated half trillion dollars has been erased with the recent market crash, ending the mania we’ve seen in the space since late last year. As stunning as the numbers are, this is nothing new for the infamously volatile crypto industry. More worryingly for cryptocurrency, and…

The release of the Panama Papers last weekend — a paper trail of eleven million leaked documents from the Mossack Fonseca global law firm — shows how major global banks move assets of billionaire capitalists and major political figures offshore to protect them from taxation. The revelation has stirred up a political hornets’ nest all…

C4SS Feed 44 presents Kevin Carson‘s “‘Redistribute Wealth by Heavy Taxes’? It’s Already Been Done” read by Tony Dreher and edited by Nick Ford. The main thing governments have existed for, since the beginning of history, is to levy taxes on workers and producers in order to provide rents for the economic ruling classes that…

Classical liberalism recommends, in Thomas Jefferson’s words, “a wall of separation” between church and state. In his case for religious toleration, John Locke argued that separation protects people from the “compulsive force” of individuals trying to inculcate “certain doctrines” through “fire and sword.” Robert Audi later added that “if the state prefers one or more…

Donald Trump says he wants to impose a 45% tax on goods imported from China. Trump’s proposed tax would interfere with people’s freedom. It would be discriminatory. It would injure American consumers. And it would hurt the poor here and in China. It’s no surprise to find the developer, reality TV star, and GOP presidential…

Un articolo pubblicato il 29 ottobre sul Washington Post prende in esame il piano “rivoluzionario” di Bernie Sander su come cambiare in un solo colpo il sistema bancario e quello postale. L’autore cita il fatto che “dal 1911 al 1967, le poste assunsero anche funzioni bancarie”, permettendo così ai clienti di depositare denaro in un…

An article published on October 29th by the Washington Post discusses Bernie Sanders’s “revolutionary” plan to change the banking system and Postal Service in one fell swoop. The author mentions that “from 1911 until 1967, the Postal Service also served as a bank,” where customers could deposit money into a savings account. Sanders, recognizing that low income…

The good news about the presidential election season is that so many voters seem disgusted with career politicians. The bad news is that these voters are naively opting for “outsiders” who in reality are just politicians in another form. They are anti-politician politicians. This, I submit, is not progress. It is certainly a hopeful sign…

Karl Hess: Presidential Speechwriter Turned Homesteader Interview by Anson Mount (Mother Earth News) (Originally published in Mother Earth News, January/February, 1976 issue) Introduction It was so easy back then — during the 1950’s and early 60’s — to be a Right Thinking Citizen of the United States. Easy because we all knew who wore the…

C4SS Feed 44 presents Erick Vasconcelos‘s “Let’s Abolish Government Debt” read by Erick Vasconcelos and edited by Nick Ford. It’s a radical idea, but debt should be abolished. Today. Over time, it not only morphed into a system that generates increasing debt and that channels money from the individuals to banks’ and capitalists’ pockets, but government…

It is difficult to take a political work seriously with the word “nanny” in the title, but Dean Baker’s 2006 book the “Conservative Nanny State” is a serious book and a decent introduction to some often overlooked market distortions that benefit the rich at the expense of everyone else. It also has the advantage of…

Jacob G. Hornberger discusses the marriage of government schooling and the national security state. Jacob G. Hornberger discusses the fears surrounding ISIS. Ivan Eland discusses oil, U.S. policy with respect to Saudi Arabia, and U.S. policy towards Israel. George H. Smith discusses freethought and freedom. David Boaz discusses the parasite economy in Washington. Jacob Sullum…

C4SS Feed 44 presents Cory Massimino‘s “AEI’s Perry Ignores the Unseen” read by James Tuttle and edited by Nick Ford. Perry does have a point where federal income taxes are concerned. “After transfer payments, households in the bottom 60% are ‘net recipients’ with negative income tax rates, while only the top two ‘net payer’ income quintiles had positive…

The cops who ganged up on Eric Garner, got him into a chokehold, and mashed his face into the sidewalk didn’t intend to kill him. They intended only to show him who’s boss on the streets of Staten Island — and show him in a way he would never forget. As a Facebook friend of…

Nel suo classico Quel che si Vede e quel che non si Vede, Frédéric Bastiat osserva: “Tra un cattivo economista e un buon economista c’è una sola differenza: Il cattivo economista considera unicamente gli effetti visibili; il buon economista prende in considerazione sia gli effetti visibili che quelli che andrebbero previsti.” Mark J. Perry, dell’American…

In his classic essay, What is Seen and What is Not Seen, Frederic Bastiat remarks, “There is only one difference between a bad economist and a good one: The bad economist confines himself to the visible effect; the good economist takes into account both the effect that can be seen and those effects that must be foreseen.” The American…

Sento spesso persone che, senza riflettere, dicono: “Lo stato ha il diritto di tassare”, “lo stato ha il diritto di punire i criminali”, o “lo stato ha il diritto di controllare i confini nazionali”. Dentro di me, provo orrore per la facilità con cui si fanno queste affermazioni, per il fatto che molti considerino queste…

I often hear people make casual remarks like, “Well, the State has a right to collect taxes,” “the State has a right to punish criminals,” or “the State has a right to controls its borders.” Inside, I am always somewhat horrified at how very easily these kinds of assumptions are made, at how obvious the…

Attorno alla metà di luglio il segretario del Tesoro americano Jack Lew, citando il bisogno di un “nuovo senso di patriottismo economico”, ha proposto che il Congresso vieti alle compagnie con sede negli Stati Uniti di trasferirsi all’estero verso ambienti fiscali più favorevoli. L’uso teatrale della parola “patriottismo” è l’aspetto notevole della proposta di legge,…

American libertaranism has a reputation for being another species of that genus known as American conservatism. This is influenced by the American Libertarian’s penchant for lower taxation and less government spending. A position often described as fiscal conservatism. Fiscal conservatism must be understood contextually like any other term or issue. To what extent does the…