Economics
SpaceX Makes Progress on Second Test of Starship
The private sector space company overcame red tape and government delays to get to launch day.
Kansas Thinks You Need 1,000 Hours of Training To Remove Hair
Bryn Green wants to start a sugaring business, but the state’s occupational licensing regime requires her to spend thousands on irrelevant training. Now she's suing.
Starting Next Year, You Can Buy a Car on Amazon
While the partnership between Hyundai and Amazon is a good first step, states should get rid of laws that mandate franchise dealerships.
Teachers Union Head Mystified by Increase in Homeschooling
American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten misses a pretty big reason why families are leaving traditional public schools.
Full Extent of COVID Fraud Will 'Never Be Known With Certainty'
A new GAO report details federal prosecutors' attempts to put the horse back in the barn.
Here's One Way To Move Toward Responsible Government and Sane Fiscal Policy
The Copenhagen Consensus has long championed a cost-benefit approach for addressing the world's most critical environmental problems.
Republican Presidential Nomination
Blessed Are the Shitposters
Plus: Hospital raid, Eric Adams' fondness for Erdogan, open carry at the makeup counter, and more...
New Labor Rules Will Screw Over Your Local McDonalds
A new joint employer rule from the NLRB threatens to fundamentally change the business relationship between a franchise and its parent company.
After Moody's Warning, Federal Officials Continue To Ignore Fiscal Reality
Moody's calculates that interest payments on the national debt will consume over a quarter of federal tax revenue by 2033, up from just 9 percent last year.
Michigan Lawmakers Signed Nondisclosure Agreements, Can't Discuss Corporate Welfare Scheme
If states insist upon giving away taxpayer money to private companies, the least they can offer in return is transparency.
The Future of Energy? Brooklyn's Bitcoin-Heated Bathhouse
A new Reason documentary explores why, for some, bitcoin is the 'real Green New Deal.'
The New York Times Credulously Embraces the 'Super Meth' Theory
There is no solid evidence that P2P meth is more dangerous than pseudoephedrine-derived meth and no reason to think it would be.
Milton Friedman Was No Conservative
A new Friedman biography ably explores the economist's ideas but sidesteps the libertarian movement he was central to.
Russ Roberts: Life in Israel Since October 7
A discussion with economist, podcaster, and Shalem College President Russ Roberts in the wake of the October 7 terrorist attacks in Israel
Great Moments in Unintended Consequences (Vol. 13): Gun Buybacks, Poppy Payday, CAFE Standards
Good intentions, bad results
Both Republicans and Democrats Want 'Buy American' Provisions for E.V. Chargers
When the Biden administration temporarily suspended its own protectionist policies, Senate Republicans voted to reinstate them.
The U.S. Needs a Fiscal Commission Because Congress Won't Do Its Job
In the last 50 years, when the budget process has been in place, Congress has managed only four times to pass a budget on time.
How Has Israel Changed Since Oct. 7?
Join Reason on YouTube and Facebook at 1p.m. Eastern for a discussion with economist, podcaster, and Shalem College president Russ Roberts.
Essentials for Van Life
How do you build a bedroom, a kitchen, a bathroom, and a workspace in a van?
The Best of Reason Magazine: Love, Trade, and Force: The Machinery of Freedom at 50
David Friedman's anarchism doesn't have the answer for everything. That's the point.
Cato Institute Call for Papers on Constitutional Protection for Economic Liberties
Winning submissions will be included in a symposium, and get a $2000 honorarium.
How Vexatious Government Demands Can Lead Your Bank To Refuse To Do Business with You
The government treats its endless appetite for information about citizens as more important than people's ability to conduct business in a normal fashion.
The Wildly Misleading Statistic at the Center of the FTC's Antitrust Case Against Amazon
Lina Khan says this number is crucial to understanding Amazon's monopoly power, but she's either confused or lying about what it means.
Maine Voters Will Decide on Bernie Sanders-Backed Utility Plan
A plan to have the state take control of Maine's two private electric utility firms has divided the political left.
20 Years to Disaster
"The United States has about 20 years for corrective action after which no amount of future tax increases or spending cuts could avoid the government defaulting on its debt."
Lyn Alden: Our Money Is Broken
"At its core, money is a ledger," writes the investment analyst in her new book, Broken Money.
Spending Recklessly in Good Times Is a Recipe for Disaster in Bad Times
Years ago, when interest rates were low, calls for the federal government to exercise fiscal restraint were dismissed. That was unwise.
Is Our Money Broken?
Join Reason on YouTube and Facebook at 1 p.m. Eastern for a discussion with Lyn Alden about her new book, Broken Money.
Johan Norberg: Why We Need a Capitalist Manifesto
Q&A; with the author of the book Elon Musk calls "an excellent explanation of why capitalism is not just successful, but morally right."
87% of Americans Want Politicians To Do Something Before Social Security Runs Out of Money
Entitlement reform has long been considered a third rail in American politics, but that perspective might be changing.
Capitalism Made Us All Richer. So Why Are We Unhappy?
A Q&A; with Johan Norberg, author of the book Elon Musk calls "an excellent explanation of why capitalism is not just successful, but morally right."
Why Is Halloween Candy So Expensive? Sugar Protectionism.
A new report from the GAO highlights how America's system of sugar subsidies and tariffs costs consumers about $3.5 billion every year.
Don't Believe Janet Yellen's Shoddy Wartime 'Girl Math'
Plus: President Joe Biden’s weird economy and Rep. Mike Johnson as the unlikely new speaker of the House of Representatives.
Biden Wants Another $56 Billion in 'Emergency' Spending
Congress is being asked to borrow more money to fund broadband access and other pet projects. Only about $9 billion would be spent on natural disaster recovery efforts.
New Speaker Mike Johnson's First Good Idea: A Debt Commission
A debt commission won't solve any of the federal government's fiscal problems, but it's the first step towards taking them seriously.
Democrats Say They're Fighting Inequality. But Many of Their Policies Favor the Rich.
Over the last several years, they have worked nonstop to ease the tax burden of their high-income constituents.
'America Funded It': Rand Paul Blasts Fauci and the Media for Suppressing the Lab Leak Theory
The notion that COVID-19 came from a lab was once touted as misinformation. But now the FBI, the Energy Department, and others agree with Paul.
Joe Biden's Plan for 31 Subsidized 'Tech Hubs' Is an Old, Tired Idea That's Doomed To Fail
Presidential administrations from both parties keep trying to make "place-based" economic development work.
Government-Run Grocery Store Is Predictably Losing Money
The folly of government-run grocery stores is sadly not a historical relic like the USSR.
Lawmakers and Unions Defend Burdensome Airline Regulations With Bogus Statistics
The world's largest union of pilots says this requirement is necessary for safety and not unduly burdensome, but its data are misleadingly cherry-picked.
SAG-AFTRA's Halloween Costume Rules Are Super Annoying
The union wants you to throw your Barbie costume in the trash, scab.
Jim Jordan Is Trying To Buy the Speakership With Tax Breaks for Wealthy Residents of Blue States
It's a maneuver that makes little fiscal, philosophical, or political sense, but thankfully it also seems unlikely to work.
California Is Taxing Itself to Death
Since departees tend to be high earners, their absence threatens to wreck the state's swollen budget.
Americans Learned a Lesson About Interest Rates. Washington Has Not.
Higher rates lead to more debt, and more debt begets higher rates, and on and on. Get the picture?
SpaceX: FAA Is Slowing Progress to the Moon
“If you’re able to build a rocket faster than the government can regulate it, that’s upside down.”
