FEE Daily

There Is No Way to "Cancel" Student Loan Debt

by Mitchell Nemeth

Despite the descriptions of many politicians and pundits, there is no way to "cancel" student loan debts. The debt burden would merely be shifted to people who didn't agree to take out these loans.

WE MUST CONFRONT THE REALITY THAT "CANCELLATION" OF STUDENT LOAN DEBT MAY SUCCESSFULLY SERVE A POLITICAL CAMPAIGN PROMISE, BUT IT FAILS AS SERIOUS POLICY.

Mass Shootings Aren't Becoming More Common–and Evidence Contradicts Stereotypes about the Shooters

by Christopher J. Ferguson

A lot of bad information can follow in the wake of mass shootings; clear, data-based discussions of mass homicides can get lost among political narratives. A lot of what you believe is probably wrong.

HERE ARE FOUR COMMON MISCONCEPTIONS ABOUT MASS HOMICIDES AND WHO COMMITS THEM.

Neil deGrasse Tyson Is Right about the Numbers (and Our Emotions)

by David R. Henderson

On Sunday, science writer Neil deGrasse Tyson tweeted statistics about mass shootings and other causes of death. He says, "Often our emotions respond more to spectacle than to data." Various people have expressed their upset at Tyson, but many of the people who are upset at him are proving his point.

SCIENCE WRITER NEIL DEGRASSE TYSON SAYS HUMAN EMOTIONS TEND TO RESPOND MORE TO SPECTACLE THAN DATA. HE'S RIGHT.

The Case for Ending Income Tax Itemization of Deductions

by Brian Riedl

Regardless of whether one believes the overall tax burden should be higher or lower, it is clear that income tax itemization is simply a poor use of a tax preference.

FOR DECADES, MANY ECONOMISTS HAVE ARGUED THAT ITEMIZED TAX DEDUCTIONS COMPLICATE THE INDIVIDUAL INCOME TAX CODE, OVERLY BENEFIT THE RICH, AND DISTORT ECONOMIC DECISION-MAKING.

Google Is Burying Alternative Health Sites to Protect People from “Dangerous” Medical Advice

by Barry Brownstein

There are good reasons to be concerned that we are losing access to information with which to evaluate opposing sides of health issues. Google’s search engine algorithm has essentially ended traffic to many websites that question the medical orthodoxy.

FOR THEIR UNORTHODOX VIEWS, SOME PHYSICIANS ARE BEING TREATED AS MEDICAL HERETICS. GOOGLE’S SEARCH ENGINE ALGORITHM HAS ESSENTIALLY ENDED TRAFFIC TO THEIR WEBSITES.

Watch America's Middle-Class Disappear Over Decades—as Americans Get Richer

by Mark J. Perry

This animated “bar chart race” depicts just how much richer Americans have become over the last 50 years.

AMERICA’S MIDDLE CLASS DID START LARGELY DISAPPEARING IN THE 1970S, BUT IT WAS BECAUSE THEY WERE MOVING UP TO HIGHER-INCOME GROUPS, NOT DOWN INTO A LOWER-INCOME CATEGORY.

The Economic Cost of Cuban Socialism

by Daniel J. Mitchell

The people of Cuba are poor because of awful economic policy. And this means extra hardship for the people of Cuba. Oppression, persecution, rationing, spying, deprivation, and suffering are facts of life.

CUBA HAS A SAD HISTORY. IT TRADED A REGULAR DICTATORSHIP FOR A COMMUNIST DICTATORSHIP SIX DECADES AGO, AND THE RESULTS HAVE BEEN PREDICTABLY AWFUL.

Why Minimum Wage Laws Are Inside-Out and Upside-Down

by David Youngberg

While everyone would like to be paid more, getting paid more always comes at a cost. Humanity’s diversity makes the one-size-fits-all approach of the minimum wage problematic.

MINIMUM WAGE LAWS IGNORE THE INHERENT DIVERSITY OF HUMANITY.

An Open Letter to “Democratic Socialists” Visiting Atlanta

by Zilvinas Silenas

"For those of you who have not experienced socialism, the term 'democratic socialism' might seem innocent or perhaps even idealistic. As someone who has lived under it, for me, socialism is oppression, occupation, mass murder, severe material deprivation, and complete lack of freedom."

TACKING ON THE WORD “DEMOCRATIC” DOESN’T CHANGE THINGS. SOCIALISM HAS NEVER BEEN DEMOCRATIC.

The Dos and Don'ts of LinkedIn

by Chloe Anagnos

In some respects, LinkedIn can make or break you in terms of networking and applying for jobs. Recruiters and peers will spend time looking at your profile, so it’s important to make your online impression just as great as in person.

EVEN IF YOU’RE CONTENT IN YOUR CAREER, YOU NEVER KNOW WHEN YOUR COMPANY MAY GO UNDER, THE ECONOMY MAY TURN, OR WHEN YOU DESIRE TO GROW BEYOND YOUR CURRENT POSITION.

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