Entries by Foundation for Economic Education (FEE)

Karl Marx’s Gravest Miscalculation

The roots of socialism’s tragedies can be found in Marx’s famous Manifesto. I recently had occasion to re-read Karl Marx’s seminal Communist Manifesto. It had been nearly twenty years since my first reading of the text in graduate school and I remembered little beyond class antagonisms, Marx’s materialism, and the exploitation of the proletariat. But […]

Socialized Health Care: The Communist Dream and the Soviet Reality

NOTE: This column was originally published on Friday, December 19, 2008. The utopian ideal of equality of circumstances has captured people’s imagination since ancient times. If only everybody could have the same of everything the world would be different. There would be no envy, no crime, no poverty, no greed, and no unhappiness. From Plato […]

U.S. State GDPs Compared to Entire Countries

It’s pretty difficult to even comprehend how ridiculously large the US economy is. Click here to view the U.S. State GDPs Compared to Entire Countries map. The map above (click to view and enlarge) matches the economic output (Gross Domestic Product) for each US state (and the District of Columbia) in 2018 to a foreign […]

What’s the Most Important Issue for the Liberty Movement to Focus On?

There are many great candidates, but there’s one that stands above the rest. One of the problems with large social movements is that it can be difficult to figure out which issues to focus on, and the liberty movement is no exception. There are thousands of ways the government has inserted itself into our lives, […]

Three Days of the Condor: The 1970s Movie That Revealed the Real Terror of a Deep State

In the end, Three Days of the Condor leaves us with a riddle. What is the use of a free press if those with influence are too afraid or corrupt to print the truth? On a recent flight, I rewatched one of the great political thrillers of all-time: Three Days of the Condor. From start to […]

The Biden Administration Just [Quietly] Scaled Back Student Loan ‘Cancellation’

UPDATE:  Dear God, Biden thinks he “passed” a student loan bailout bill by a “vote or two” 🤦‍♂️pic.twitter.com/OLVJBhFmLW — Charlie Kirk (@charliekirk11) October 24, 2022 Student debt forgiveness is unjust, highly regressive, and inflationary. It should be scrapped, not scaled back. In August, the White House announced that most federal student loan borrowers would be eligible […]

Debunking Hurricane-Season Fallacies—3 Economic Fallacies to Watch Out For

You might be prepared for a hurricane, but are you prepared for a deluge of fallacies? With hurricane season upon us, many are preparing for the worst. Windows are being boarded up, pantries are being stockpiled with extra food and water, and rescue crews are monitoring weather forecasts closely. Some have already experienced the worst, […]

Cornell University Physician: ‘I Was Wrong about Covid Vaccine Mandates’

Scientists and public health officials must act more humbly and recognize the limits of their knowledge, writes Dr. Paul Fenyves. The great martial artist Bruce Lee reputedly said that all mistakes are forgivable—if one has the courage to admit the mistake. Paul Fenyves, a primary care physician in New York City who specializes in internal medicine, seems […]

Government Schools Are No Place for Bright Kids

The age-based education system in the US needs serious rethinking. Sometimes, something that’s right in front of you can escape your attention. Over the past five years I’ve looked at countless student performance numbers, and almost always, my attention goes to the large percentages of students who are performing below grade level in reading, math, […]

Reagan’s Goal to End the Department of Education Is Finally Gaining Momentum

Ending the Department of Education may seem like a radical idea, but it’s not as crazy as it sounds. The debate over the federal role in education has been going on for decades. Some say the feds should have a relatively large role while others say it should be relatively small. But while most people […]

Freedom Is Essential For True Morality

And having a final end does not obviate the need for liberty. What is the role of human freedom in morality? It’s a question I’ve been pondering and researching since graduate school. C.S. Lewis once explained the different aspects of morality by using the metaphor of a flotilla. Every ship must be well run on […]

The Myth That Our Planet Faces an Overpopulation Crisis

The world is not in danger of being overpopulated, so why do so many insist it is? Shortly after my wife graduated from college, she joined Zero Population Growth. Looking back, she tells me it was an emotional reaction fueled by reading Paul Ehrlich’s apocalyptic claims. In his book, The Population Bomb, Ehrlich wrote: “The battle to feed all […]

It’s ‘Unreasonable’ for Banks to Share Your Financial Info With the Government, 8 in 10 Americans Say

About a fifth, 21%, think it is reasonable. hat if your bank shared what you spent your money on with the federal government? By law, banks and other financial institutions (like car dealerships, jewelers, pawn shops) are required to report certain types of purchases people make to financial regulators. What do Americans think of this? […]

Not a Single U.S. State Is Requiring Kids to Get Vaccinated to Attend Public School. Why?

Economics may offer a clue as to why not one state is mandating vaccination to attend school in the 2022-2023 school year, even though many government officials support coercive vaccination policies. September has arrived and many children are back in public schools (though fewer than previous years). At a recent event, one parent joked to […]

Why Living Under the U.S. Constitution Is the ‘Greatest Political Privilege’ of All

This Constitution Day, let’s remember that it was this document and the system it created that put America on the path to becoming a beacon for the world. September 17 is Constitution Day, the annual occasion for Americans to pay special tribute to the nation’s most important governing document. On this day in 1787, delegates […]