The coronavirus lockdown underscores the foolishness of California’s recent law restricting employers’ use of independent contractors. An open letter to Gov. Gavin Newsom, signed by 151 economists and political scientists, calls for suspending AB-5 to allow more people to earn more income during the current period of economic uncertainty. READ MORE »
 

By Benjamin Powell (The Orange County Register, 4/17/20)

Economies are vast networks coordinated by the independent decisions of countless individuals familiar mainly with their own immediate needs and circumstances. Asking government central planners to determine the optimal sequence of steps to reopen the economy is like asking blindfolded air traffic controllers to optimize the flow of traffic on the nation’s highways. READ MORE »
 

By George F. Gilder (Real Clear Markets, 4/25/20)

Let’s stop pretending that our policies have been rational and need to be phased out, as if they once had a purpose. They should be reversed summarily and acknowledged to be a mistake, perpetrated by statisticians with erroneous computer models. READ MORE »
 

By Richard A. Epstein (Defining Ideas, 4/20/20)

The governors’ response to the coronavirus outbreak has become far more dangerous than the disease itself. What is particularly distressing to those protesting the economic lockdown is that the restrictions are remaining or getting even tighter while the threat from the coronavirus is beginning to recede. READ MORE »

By Donald J. Boudreaux (American Institute for Economic Research, 4/13/20)

Those calling for the government to prepare for major emergencies by ensuring domestic “critical supply chains” are confused about a host of fundamental economic issues. Moreover, they ignore the threat that we would entirely withdraw from international trade owing to special interests lobbying for protectionist policies. READ MORE »