In the past two decades, the TSA has proven it is ineffective in providing real security for airline passengers. However, its growing incompetence is matched only by its increasing intrusion into travelers' lives. Original Article: The TSA Is Still Crazy after All These Years

Mainstream economists turned climate warriors use cost-of-production methods to determine the “true” social cost of carbon. They appeal to a discredited methodology falsely attributed to medieval Scholastics. Original Article: The Worse-than-Medieval Economics of Climate Technocrats

Progressives claim that perhaps individual freedom might be appropriate for a simpler society but that as society grows more complex, the need for government grows. As Leonard Read pointed out, however, greater complexity requires greater freedom, not less. Original Article: The More Complex the Society, The Less Government Control We Need

In this week's episode, Mark looks at "All-Time Highs" in such things as stocks, real estate, and stock indexes. Housing prices hit an all-time high this week, and gold is not far behind. While all-time highs—or even "new highs"—are unambiguously good for owners of these assets, it is much more ambiguous as a signal about the future. Gold might be an exception to this rule, as Mark explains. Be sure to follow Minor Issues at Mises.org/MinorIssues. Get your free copy of Murray Rothbard's Anatomy of the State at Mises.org/IssuesFree.

According to a Brown University professor, ExxonMobil threatens our democratic republic by purchasing another company. The totalitarian woke atmosphere in American higher education is the real threat. Original Article: Is ExxonMobil's Acquisition of Pioneer Natural Resources a "Threat to Democracy"?

The US Government will face another round of federal debt expansion in 2024, but will there be enough creditors to allow their continued spending? Investors are not buying Treasury Debt at forecasted rates, foreign investors are exiting federal debt, and even the Federal Reserve is reducing its treasury holdings. Dr. Jonathan Newman recently wrote for the Mises Wire on this topic, and he joins Bob to break down the data and explain what is up with treasuries and the future of the dollar. Dr. Newman's Article on The Treasury's Creditors: Mises.org/HAP424a   Human Action Podcast listeners can get a free copy of Murray Rothbard's Anatomy of the State: Mises.org/HAPodFree

While the Fed tries to engineer the mythical “soft landing” for the economy, Austrian economists know that this is an exercise in futility. Once the credit-fueled boom occurs, the bust logically follows. Original Article: The Inevitable Bust: Why Economic Booms Contain the Seeds of Their Own Destruction

Ten years ago, I discovered the Mises Institute. This is the advice I wish I could send back to my younger self. Original Article: Ten Years Ago, I Discovered the Mises Institute. These Are the Things I Wish I Had Done Differently

Ryan McMaken and Benjamin Seevers examine the reasoning behind efforts to destroy Americans' right to sell land to foreign nationals, especially the Chinese. It seems some think that Chinese nationals' ownership of 0.03% of American farmland is a big problem.  "Arkansas' Attack on Chinese-Owned Property Is Reckless and Crony-Driven" by Benjamin Seevers: Mises.org/RR_162_A "Should We Allow U.S. Land To Be Sold to the Chinese?" by Walter Block: Mises.org/RR_162_B "Foreign Investment in U.S. Ag Land – The Latest Numbers" by Daniel Munch: Mises.org/RR_162_C Claim your free book: Mises.org/RothPodFree Be sure to follow Radio Rothbard at Mises.org/RadioRothbard. Radio Rothbard mugs are now available at the Mises Store. Get yours at Mises.org/RothMug  PROMO CODE: RothPod for 20% off

Advocates of unbacked paper money claim that theirs is the “civilized” choice, as opposed to gold, or what Keynes called “that barbarous relic.” These inflationists, however, are the ones wrecking civilization as we have known it. Original Article: From the Invisible Hand to the Invisible Sleight-of-Hand

Forget the other mainstream explanations for interest. Time preference explains this phenomenon and gives a true picture of why interest exists in the first place. Original Article: Time Preference Is the Key Driver of Interest Rates

As this author previously has noted, the ideology of statism is responsible for much of the violence that plagues the world. We see this played out in Israel's aggressive retaliatory attacks in Gaza in response to the October 7 killings by Hamas. Original Article: Statist Ideology and War: Israel versus Hamas

The new problem we now face arises from the fact that huge deficits are only manageable so long as interest rates remain very, very low.  Original Article: There's No Easy Way Out of This Debt Spiral

Data on employed persons, wages, and other measures point to trouble ahead in an economy already strained by growing bankruptcies, mounting debts, and disappearing savings.  Original Article: October's Sobering Jobs Report Adds to Mounting Bad Economic News

The eternal “climate emergency” is upon us. While doomsday is said to be around the corner, the reality is that the only thing rising is the level of government control.  Original Article: The "Climate Emergency": Fueled by 21st Century Marxism

The new problem we now face arises from the fact that huge deficits are only manageable so long as interest rates remain very, very low.  Original Article: The Federal Reserve is Running Losses. Does This Cost Anyone Anything?

While Israel receives praise for being a "democracy" in the undemocratic Middle East, its surveillance policies mirror those of China, which is decidedly not democratic. Original Article: Israel Isn’t the Brilliant Friend of Freedom the Beltway Claims It to Be

The newly-released movie "Killers of the Flower Moon" depicts what happens when politically-connected people can use the state to carry out nefarious deeds. Unfortunately, government failure is one lesson that is sure to be lost here. Original Article: Killers of the Flower Moon Is about Government Failure

An unfortunate consequence of increased wealth is the growth of the parasitic consumptive class of political and cultural elites. Labor migrations often follow in the wake of damage that elites do. Original Article: Is Migration a Tool of the Consumptive Class?

In this week's episode, Mark looks at the implications of famed investor Jim Chanos shutting down his hedge fund which specialized in shorting stocks. The closure comes as stock markets in the US hit all time record highs. Mark frames these two events in light of the Austrian Theory of the Business Cycle.  Be sure to follow Minor Issues at Mises.org/MinorIssues. Get your free copy of Murray Rothbard's Anatomy of the State at Mises.org/IssuesFree. Additional Resources "The Social Function of Stock Speculators" by Robert P. Murphy: Mises.org/Minor46_A "Short Sellers Keep the Market Honest" (Wall Street Journal) by Jim Thanos: Mises.org/Minor46_B "Jim Chanos, Short Seller Who Took on Enron and Tesla, to Close Hedge Funds" (Wall Street Journal) by Gregory Zuckerman Follow and Peter Rudegeair: Mises.org/Minor46_C