Richard W. Rahn

Science and economics trump government mandates with climate change

Many in the political and media classes, showing their ignorance, try to ignore the laws of physics and economics, particularly when it comes to climate change.

November 25, 2019

Democratic presidential candidates stupid or in denial about wealth tax

Elizabeth Warren and some of the other candidates want to put in a "wealth tax" to pay for their multi-trillion-dollar spending schemes.

November 18, 2019

Abuse of government control over banks can happen in U.S.

Many believe that the abuse of government control over banks could not happen in the United States. But, in fact, it already happened under the Obama administration.

November 11, 2019

This wonderful era, and its exceptions

If you could choose to live in any year of the last 2,000, which year would you pick? For every person, some years are better than others; but looking across all of humankind, this year has probably been the best.

November 4, 2019

Democratic presidential candidates’ proposals weaken Constitution

Many of those running for president are producing a never-ending stream of proposals to diminish protections for person and property and destroy liberty.

October 28, 2019

Rule of law undermined in the United States

If your favorite sports league had no rules to govern the game and the actions of the teams in the league, how long could it last?

October 21, 2019

Humor, the most effective weapon in politics

Last week, the Chinese restricted the National Basketball Association (NBA) because a team official praised the Hong Kong fight for liberty, and then they censored an episode of "South Park" because it spoofed the Chinese communist government.

October 14, 2019

Can the United States avoid a global recession?

Is the world going into a recession? And if so, can the United States avoid being dragged in? Even though there are many who speak with great certainty as if they did know, the short and correct answer to both questions is no one knows.

October 7, 2019

Hasn’t Ukraine suffered enough?

The International Monetary Fund staff just concluded their mission to Ukraine. Upon reading the report, a colleague, who is a very good economist and student of IMF programs, immediately quipped, "Haven't they suffered enough?" -- with the added statement, "The IMF should steer clear."

September 30, 2019

The false prophets of climate doom

Every few years, some self-proclaimed prophet comes along with the announcement that the world is going to end on some specific date (usually because of mankind's sins). These religious doomsayer prophets receive less publicity than in times past, only to be replaced by environmental doomsayers.

September 23, 2019

Freedom still works, as opposed to socialism

Socialism has always been a failure, and each year the world receives more information about the failures and brutality of socialism, but a number of people who appear to be intelligent and sane continue to embrace it.

September 16, 2019

Untouched by climate change reality

If the government had not spent any tax dollars trying to mitigate climate change during the last 30 years, how much warmer would it have been and how much higher would the sea level be? The correct answer is, no measurable change.

September 9, 2019

Predicting the next recession

When will the next recession start? No one knows despite the very confident talking heads on TV who speak with great certainty about things they cannot know.

September 2, 2019

A reality check of The 1619 Project

The New York Times has created what they refer to as The 1619 Project, whose goal "is to reframe American history, making it explicit how slavery is the foundation on which this country is built.

August 26, 2019