Monthly Archives: January 2022

Libertarian economic think tank

United States

The Ludwig von Mises Institute for Austrian Economics, or Mises Institute, is a libertarian nonprofit think tank located in Auburn, Alabama, United States.[2][3] It is named after Austrian School economist Ludwig von Mises (18811973).

It was founded in 1982 by Lew Rockwell, Burton Blumert, and Murray Rothbard,[4] following a split between the Cato Institute and Rothbard, who had been one of the founders of the Cato Institute.[non-primary source needed][5] It was funded by Ron Paul.[3]

The Ludwig von Mises Institute was founded in 1982 by Lew Rockwell. Rockwell, who had previously served as editor for Arlington House Publishers, received the blessing of Margit von Mises during a meeting at the Russian Tea Room in New York City, and she was named the first chairman of the board.[6][7][self-published source?] Early supporters of the Institute included F.A. Hayek, Henry Hazlitt, Murray Rothbard, Ron Paul, and Burt Blumert.[4][non-primary source needed] According to Rockwell, the motivation of the institute was to promote the specific contributions of Ludwig von Mises, who he feared was being ignored by libertarian institutions financed by Charles Koch and David Koch. As recounted by Justin Raimondo, Rockwell said he received a phone call from George Pearson, of the Koch Foundation, who had said that Mises was too radical to name an organization after or promote.[8]

Rothbard served as the original academic vice president of the institute. Paul agreed to become distinguished counselor and assisted with early fundraising.[4][non-primary source needed]

Judge John V. Denson assisted in the Mises Institute becoming established at the campus of Auburn University.[9] Auburn was already home to some Austrian economists, including Roger Garrison. The Mises Institute was affiliated with the Auburn University Business School until 1998 when the institute established its own building across the street from campus.[10][non-primary source needed]

Kyle Wingfield wrote a 2006 commentary in The Wall Street Journal that the Southern United States was a "natural home" for the institute, as "Southerners have always been distrustful of government," with the institute making the "Heart of Dixie a wellspring of sensible economic thinking."[5]

Its academic programs include Mises University, Rothbard Graduate Seminar, the Austrian Economics Research Conference, and a summer research fellowship program. In 2020, the Mises Institute began offering a graduate program.[11] It has led to the creation of spin-off organizations around the world, including Brazil,[12][bettersourceneeded] Germany,[13] South Korea,[14][bettersourceneeded] and Turkey.[15][non-primary source needed]

A defining philosophy of the institute is Misesian praxeology ('the logic of human action'), which holds that economic science is deductive rather than empirical. Developed by Ludwig von Mises, following the Methodenstreit opined by Carl Menger, it opposes the mathematical modeling and hypothesis-testing used to justify knowledge in neoclassical economics. Misesian economics is a form of heterodox economics.[16] This emphasis on Misesian methodology is distinct from other scholars in the Austrian tradition, including Hayek and those associated with George Mason University.[17]

The Mises Institute has been criticized by some libertarians for the paleolibertarian and right-wing cultural views of some of its leading figures, on topics such as race, immigration, and the presidential campaigns of Donald Trump.[18][19][20][21]

In the late 1980s and early 1990s, Rockwell and Rothbard embraced racial and class resentments to build a coalition with populist paleoconservatives.[18] This rhetoric appeared at the time in newsletters for Ron Paul that Rockwell was later identified as writing, including statements against black people and gay people that later became controversies in Paul's congressional and presidential campaigns.[18][3] Separately, Rothbard's writing opposed "multiculturalists" and "the entire panoply of feminism, egalitarianism".[3]

A 2000 report by the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) categorized the Mises Institute as Neo-Confederate, "devoted to a radical libertarian view of government and economics."[22] In 2003, Chip Berlet of the SPLC described the institute as "a major center promoting libertarian political theory and the Austrian School of free market economics", noted Rothbard's disgust with child labor laws, and wrote that other institute scholars held anti-immigrant views.[23]

When a New York Times reporter requested a tour of the institute in 2014, Rockwell asked him to leave, saying he was "part of the regime."[3]

Candice Jackson, who served as acting head of the U.S. Department of Education Office for Civil Rights during the Trump Administration, was previously a summer fellow at the Mises Institute.[24]

The Mises Institute makes available a large number of books, journal articles, and other writings online, and archives various writings on its website. Its Quarterly Journal of Austrian Economics discusses Austrian economics. It published the Journal of Libertarian Studies from 1977 to 2008.[citation needed]

Notable figures affiliated with the Mises Institute include:[25][non-primary source needed]

Coordinates: 323624N 852929W / 32.60664N 85.49128W / 32.60664; -85.49128

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Mises Institute - Wikipedia

Fred Fiske| Guest columnist

Watch Sen. Paul and Dr. Fauci's COVID-19 clashes

A mashup of the verbal showdowns between Dr. Anthony Fauci and Senator Rand Paul.

USA TODAY

A COVID-related bulletin: Dont trust the know-it-alls; the way forward is not always clear; no one has all the answers not Democrats, Republicans, independents or Libertarians.

President Joe Biden is as stumped now as former President Donald Trump was then. As Dr. Anthony Fauci explains, its a wily virus.

Heres a deal: Ill stop beating up on Trump over COVID-19, if youll take a break from bashing Biden over Omicron.

Its tough to be a leader during a pandemic whether a president, senator, governor, mayor, health administrator or school superintendent. People can get edgy.

Fauci and Sen. Rand Paul seem ready for a duel. There was a hubbub about education officials calling parents domestic terrorists. Hey, some parents railing about school closings have gone overboard; not good. I also sympathize with the frustrated moms and dads (and teachers).

Every day, in homes across the country, decisions have to be made: measuring risks and benefits. Its enough to drive anyone to distraction. Or into denial.

Mardie is one of my most COVID-conscious friends fully vaccinated, uses high-grade masks, limits exposure to strangers. Yet she makes an exception for an unvaccinated grandchild. And why not?

My palJoeyhas planned a two-family trip to Orlando for months, and now faces unwelcome factors a surging virus, an unvaccinated toddler, the depressing prospect of canceling and losing thousands in airfare and Disney tickets.

My buddy Michael, among the brainiest fellows I know, wont get vaccinated. Hes considered all the angles, believe me.

Michael stays cheerful; others, not so much. The vaccinated resent the unvaccinated. The unvaccinated face added risks, and feel besieged (that Green Bay quarterback seems to be OK, but the tennis star took a hit when Australia kicked him out).

In supermarket checkout lines, masked shoppers look daggers at the unmasked, who pretend not to notice. Parents worry about their children, and little ones in theirlittle masks are growing up worried.Worst of all, people keep getting sick, really sick, and dying.

Daughters Molly and Kate both had COVID scares, but theyre OK. Brother Jonathan got pretty sick, and is better. Kates family of four are on a dizzying test-go-round due to exposures and precautions in the normal course of their busy lives. Positive test results mean lonely, unsettled days of quarantine.

Will we get through this? I hope so. It would help if there was less passion, more compassion; more faith that democratically elected leaders even the ones you disagree with are not out to get you and wreck the country.

Most of them have done the best they can. That includes Biden, Trump, Fauci, Rand Paul, even (gulp) Mitch McConnell. (I never thought Id write that.)

There is plenty of room in this messy democracy to engage on any number of issues immigration, climate change, abortion, guns, race and more. Thats what elections are for.The COVID epidemic is different.Epidemiology is messy, too, but its science, not politics.

Trust the scientists to get us through this, and the politicians will continue to be well, politicians. Meanwhile, try not to take it so personally. Stop blaming the other guy. Lets declare a truce in politicizing COVID, which so far seems to be outsmarting us all.

Fred Fiske is the retired editorial page editor and senior writer of The Post-Standard in Syracuse, New York. He winters in North Hutchinson Island.

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Given that no one's perfect or always right, let's declare truce in COVID wars | Opinion - TCPalm

Judge Eddie Trevino, for one, says theres been a dramatic change over the last 10 12 years in how Austin operates.

COLLEGE STATION, Texas As county judges, commissioners and other local leaders got together to talk about the future of the state, many openly wondered what ever happened to the notion that here in Texas, one size doesnt fit all. And what works in Tarrant County, may not work as well down in Cameron County.

They seem to be intent upon trying to centralize folks, all the power into Austin, where I believe they feel like they can have more influence on the elected officials there. And I think it's caused a great deal of damage to Texas and the citizens of Texas, Judge Glen Whitley said on this week's Yall-itics.

Republican Tarrant County Judge Glen Whitley and Democratic Cameron County Judge Eddie Trevino were just two of the local leaders from across Texas to meet in College Station for three days to discuss policy and politics at the Conference for Urban Counties. Some met in person. But the Omicron surge led many to attend virtually. And in a first for Yall-itics, the podcast was recorded before that live audience.

While many issues were discussed while we there, the conversation tended to gravitate towards the rules coming out of Austin. Judge Trevino, for one, says theres been a dramatic change over the last 1012 years. He says statewide leaders in Austin now simply tell the rest of Texas they know whats best, so just listen to them and do what they say.

It doesn't make any sense to me because all we're doing is spinning our wheels and spending a lot of time, energy and resources where we're not getting anything accomplished and they're just trying to make sure that, like he said, they have full control in Austin. If that was the case, why do you have school boards? Why do you have county Commissioners? It just doesn't make any sense, Trevino said.

Listen to the full episode of this week's Y'all-itics:

But these are local leaders, so there were plenty of other problems to discuss and game plan for during the conference. And as we approach the one-year anniversary of the power grid meltdown in Texas that left hundreds dead and billions in damage, many fear the grid still isnt ready for another winter storm, even after all of the promises weve heard out of Austin.

Well, let's just say that I'm praying more that we don't have to test it than I am we're all confident that if we test it, it'll succeed, Whitley said.

And county-level leaders always take the brunt of criticism when it comes to rising property taxes. But these County Judges are quick to point out that an increase is often preceded by a mandate coming out of Austin.

If the state passes a law and they don't fund it, that means we have to fund it and for 90% of us that means the only funding mechanism we have is property tax, Whitley said. So, I have been very careful to always describe it now as a state mandated property tax increase because even though I've got to increase it, they mandated that I had to increase it when they passed the law and didn't fund it.

And in terms of pure politics, we are in primary season after all. So these leaders will be watching the election, albeit through different prisms.

Judge Trevino, the Democrat from the southernmost county in Texas, says his party needs to start rethinking its messaging, especially as the GOP is making a concerted effort to attract voters in the Rio Grande Valley. He says family, faith and community remain vitally important to voters in that region of Texas. And theres also the message of growth and opportunity.

We're a huge, huge area of a lot of people. And the growth that we're experiencing with the port of Brownsville, with SpaceX, with the LNG's, with everything else that's going on Valley-wide, the investment in our infrastructure, I just think that we've been found out, Trevino said. Because it's a growing area, it would only make sense that the Republicans would want to get a better foothold here

Meantime, this is Whitleys last year in office. First elected county judge in 2007, he will retire at the end of 2022. And Whitley says his Republican party has changed over those years and he hopes it moves away from the extremes.

I'm hopeful that they will come back more to what I believe is the Republican Party and not so much the Libertarian Party or the Radical Party, Whitley said. We've got some fixing to do in the Republican Party. And if we don't fix it, if we don't come back more to the pro-business, if we don't come back more to working to help our people, then we're going to have some tough times ahead of us over the next 10 years.

Property Taxes. The Power Grid. Even whiskey. These local leaders discussed it all with the Jasons. Hear how theyd tackle some of your most pressing problemsin the latest episode of Yall-itics.

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Local Texas leaders say too much power is centered in Austin - and they want control back - WFAA.com

Remember that Greensboro City Council primary that was supposed to be held on Tuesday, Oct. 5, 2021 and then was delayed to Tuesday, March 8, 2022 and then was delayed to Tuesday, May 17?

Well, it looks like its going to be delayed again, and not necessarily for the last time, to Tuesday, June 7.

Its not just the Greensboro City Council primary that is being delayed, but the statewide primary that is now being delayed because of the legal challenges to the redistricting maps drawn by the Republican-led legislature for the congressional districts and the state House and state Senate districts.

The North Carolina Senate is set to vote on Wednesday, Jan. 19 on further delaying the statewide primaries to Tuesday, June 7.

The NC Supreme Court on Dec. 8 suspended filing for all 2022 elections and delayed the primary from March 8 to May 17.

A three-judge panel on Jan. 11 ruled the redistricting maps constitutional, noting that the maps were partisan but that they were not unconstitutional.

The cases were appealed to the NC Supreme Court and oral arguments in those lawsuits are set for Feb. 2.

The State Board of Elections says that it needs finalized districts in place by Feb. 14 in order to hold the primaries on May 17, which would allow the NC Supreme Court only 12 days to hear the redistricting case, rule on it and if the NC Supreme Court finds that the districts are unconstitutional, the legislature would then have to redraw the districts and get those approved all in the 12 day timeframe.

Because the NC Supreme Court has a 4-to-3 Democratic majority it is anticipated that the court will find the districts drawn by the Republican legislature to favor Republican candidates unconstitutional.

The Greensboro City Council election was originally delayed by the state legislature because the 2020 Census data needed to redraw city council districts was delayed due to issues created by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The current members of the Greensboro City Council are serving terms extended until a City Council election is held. Delaying the primary to June 7 would also delay the City Council general election and the terms of the current members of the City Council presumably until July or August.

The rest is here:
City Council And Statewide Primaries Likely To Be Delayed Again - The Rhino Times of Greensboro - The Rhino TImes

The Fund for Our Economic Future appointed Cleveland venue operator and business owner Sean Watterson as senior consultant, Hospitality Talent and Strengthening Workplaces.

Watterson will be responsible for identifying both short-term and long-term solutions to improve the hospitality industry's ability to attract, retain and promote workers in the position housed within the Fund for Our Economic Future, with funding support from Cuyahoga County's Department of Development, the Deaconess Foundation and the National Fund for Workforce Solutions, and with additional support from Destination Cleveland and the Greater Cleveland Sports Commission.

"For nearly two years, businesses and workers in hospitality have endured significant pandemic-induced uncertainty," said Bishara Addison, director of job preparation for the Fund for Our Economic Future, in a statement. "Together we philanthropic, civic and public partners recognize the critical role hospitality plays in our region's economic success. Sean's work will help restaurants, event venues and other hospitality businesses, and the people these businesses employ, navigate today's uncertainty and build toward a better tomorrow."

Watterson is president and co-owner of the Happy Dog, a bar and music venue in the Gordon Square Arts District, and will work "to advance a more equitable economy, and a newly adopted three-year strategy that seeks creative solutions to the region's most pressing economic challenges," according to the announcement.

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Happy Dog owner will lead a hospitality recovery group - Crain's Cleveland Business

Before the announcement in Parliament on Wednesday, the government had looked to appeal to voters on immigration and cultural issues with a raft of policy ideas, such as using the Royal Navy to stem the tide of migrants crossing the English Channel and freezing the budget of the BBC.

Yet none of those hastily assembled gambits seemed to slow the momentum of Mr. Johnsons political unraveling. On Wednesday, minutes before the prime minister appeared in Parliament, a Conservative lawmaker, Christian Wakeford, announced that he would join the Labour Party, delivering a stinging blow to Mr. Johnson.

Mr. Wakeford, who sat with Labour lawmakers, expressed anger at how the prime minister had handled the outcry over the parties and confirmed that he had submitted a letter calling for a no-confidence vote.

In a letter to Mr. Johnson, Mr. Wakeford said, Both you and the Conservative Party as a whole have shown themselves incapable of providing the leadership and government this country deserves.

Mr. Johnsons earlier public appearances, including a television interview on Tuesday, not only failed to convince his internal critics but seemed to deepen the crisis. He showed more fight in Parliament on Wednesday, and again insisted he would not resign, but was still put on the defensive by the Labour leader, Keir Starmer, who mocked his shifting explanations about a party he attended in the Downing Street garden in May 2020.

Noting that Mr. Johnson had apologized to Queen Elizabeth II for parties held on the eve of the funeral of her husband, Prince Philip, Mr. Starmer asked, Isnt he ashamed he didnt hand in his resignation at the same time?

Mr. Johnson has struggled to sustain his argument that he did not mislead Parliament an offense that could lead to a prime ministers resignation on the grounds that he thought he was attending a work event when, in May 2020, he joined several dozen staff members drinking in the garden at the height of lockdown restrictions.

Continue reading here:
Boris Johnson Says England Will Ease Covid Rules - The New York Times