President Trump seems to forget that in the absence of the United States’ occupation of the middle east, Isis may never have come to fruition in the first place. And while a Google search and a few hours of research would clarify this for the president, he has made the mistake of so many before him and has insisted on staying the course, the consequences be damned.
My colleague Bryan Caplan asks an interesting and probing question. (That’s what good economists do above all else.)
Allen Mendenhall calls for the deregulation of legal education in the United States.
Here’s a great video featuring John Stossel on the benefits of private schooling.
Jeff Jacoby gives us a clearer picture of the recent protest in Boston.
I believe that Gene Healy is correct (fortunately). A slice:
The chief executive officer of the federal government isn’t the Great Helmsman of our culture, but he has, in the corporate jargon, an “outward-facing role.” By default, he’s the head of state in our system, and Americans have a right to demand some minimum standards of conduct. There are remedies for behavior “grossly incompatible with the proper function and purpose of the office.”
But will Trump’s tenure—however long it lasts—result in what French fears: the widespread triumph of “hate, division, and rage”? Here, I’m skeptical. The overwhelming majority of Americans aren’t so far gone as to take their cues about right and wrong from any president—let alone this one. A good thing too, given that, in living memory, presidents have conducted themselves abominably in their personal relationships, lied us into war, and used “the available federal machinery to screw [their] political enemies.” Anyone looking for a personal role model might do better by randomly selecting a professional athlete or reality-show star (some exceptions may apply).
In the Wall Street Journal, Richard Vedder reviews Thomas Hoerber’s new book on Hayek vs. Keynes. Rich is unimpressed.
One of Nafta’s many benefits to American global competitiveness is that it allows U.S. manufacturers to access low-priced intermediate goods from the neighbors, add value in the U.S., and then export the final product around the world. Consumers at home and abroad find these U.S. products attractive because they are well-made and competitively priced thanks to continental supply chains. Workers and wages have benefitted too. The growth of high-paying U.S. jobs in technology, innovation, design and marketing depend on this free-trade web of supply chains.
Frederico Fernandez is correct to note that those who are tearing down statues of unethical people shouldn’t forget to tear down statues of Che. And quit, too, with the t-shirts that glorify that murderous s.o.b.
Ilya Somin explains the cosmopolitan case against world government.
