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Pierre Lemieux rightly celebrates black markets. And in doing so he exposes the immorality of those who suppress markets (or who support market suppression) while themselves – and quite unlike smugglers and so-called “price gougers” – doing nothing to meet the demands of desperate consumers.

And Ryan Bourne reminds us of the folly of legislation meant to prevent so-called “price-gouging.

My colleague Pete Boettke reflects on economics and today’s crisis.

Bruce Yandle reflects on hate and politics.

George Will reviews Andrew Bacevich’s new anthology on American conservatism. (I, actually, am glad to learn that Bacevich includes in his collection something by Frank Chodorov!) A slice from Will’s review:

Today, however, self-described “national conservatives,” convinced that “the thinking person’s Trumpism” is not an oxymoron, are struggling to infuse intellectual content into the simmering stew of economic nationalism, resentment of globalization’s disruptions and nostalgia for the economy and communities of the 1950s.

Eric Boehm explains how Trump’s tariffs punitive taxes on American consumers make more difficult Americans’ efforts to deal with COVID-19. A slice:

It should be obvious that the response to a public health emergency will require goods that aren’t, strictly speaking, medical equipment. But then, it should be obvious that tariffs are a poor way to redirect global trade, since they mostly punish American importers, businesses, and consumers.

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