As horrifying as a beer shortage sounds, it’s nowhere near the worst of Venezuela’s problems.

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August 20, 2019 | Weekly Newsletter

Under Venezuelan Socialism, There Is No Beer. (And No Democracy.) ([link removed])
By Robert A. Lawson and Benjamin Powell (Reason, 7/25/19)
[link removed] As horrifying as a beer shortage sounds, it’s nowhere near the worst of Venezuela’s problems. Venezuelans aren’t just thirsty. They’re hungry. Most of them don’t have access to markets like those in neighboring Colombia. As a result, three-quarters of Venezuela’s adults in 2016 lost an average of 19 pounds. READ MORE » ([link removed])

[link removed] Socialism Sucks Two Economists Drink Their Way Through the Unfree ([link removed])
By Robert Lawson, Ben Powell
WATCH: Global Warming: Fact or Fiction? Featuring Physicists Willie Soon and Elliott Bloom (6/24/19) ([link removed])
[link removed] Is global warming real? Have any such predictions been established scientifically? Would massive “carbon” taxes and other controls put America and the world—especially the poor—at great risk? At this special event, geoscientist and astrophysicist Willie Soon separates fact from fiction in the global warming debate. He explains why the forecasts from CO2 climate models have been so wrong—and why solar influences on clouds, oceans, and wind drive climate change, not CO2 emissions. Stanford University physicist Elliott Bloom then comments. WATCH » ([link removed])

[link removed] Hot Talk, Cold Science Global Warming’s Unfinished Debate ([link removed])
By S. Fred Singer
The President and Congress Are Fiscal Swamp Monsters ([link removed])
By Ivan Eland (The Fiscal Times, 8/7/19)
[link removed] President Trump and congressional leaders recently agreed on a two-year budget that would add $46.5 billion in defense spending and $56.5 billion in domestic spending, or $320 billion above the spending caps of the Budget Control Act of 2011. The president keeps claiming that he will cut spending, but he never does. The fiscal swamp is not being drained; it just expanded yet again. READ MORE » ([link removed])

[link removed] Eleven Presidents Promises vs. Results in Achieving Limited Government ([link removed])
By Ivan Eland
Who Needs Harvard? Amazon University and Other Options ([link removed])
By Richard K. Vedder (Forbes, 8/5/19)
[link removed] Most large businesses have formal training programs and some have even sponsored university-level training. Now Amazon is entering the fray, offering its employees not college degrees but practical training. This approach may spread, resulting in more people saying no to higher education. READ MORE » ([link removed])

[link removed] Restoring the Promise Higher Education in America ([link removed])
By Richard K. Vedder
Banning E-Cigarette Sales Will Do More Harm than Good ([link removed])
By Raymond J. March (The Hill, 8/9/19)
[link removed] Vaping is harmful. But since vaping restrictions might lead many to switch to conventional tobacco cigarettes, we must exercise caution so as not to make an epidemic exponentially worse. San Francisco and Livermore may be the first U.S. cities to ban e-cigarette sales, but they would not be the first to cause considerable harm by enacting overzealous policies. READ MORE » ([link removed])

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The Beacon: New Blog Posts
* Trump’s Trade War Makes Us All Losers ([link removed]) , by Alvaro Vargas Llosa
* How Uncle Sam’s Borrowing Binge Might Spark a New Financial Crisis ([link removed]) , by Craig Eyermann
* How Government Prolonged the Lobotomy ([link removed]) , by Raymond J. March
* All Gain for Criminals, All Pain for Motorists: California’s Prop 47 Prompts Catalytic Converter Thefts ([link removed]) , by K. Lloyd Billingsley
* Three Assumptions the Left Makes About Economic Inequality ([link removed]) , by Randall G. Holcombe
* Universal Won’t Release The Hunt, but the “Satirical” Movie’s Backstory Is Eerily Familiar ([link removed]) , by K. Lloyd Billingsley
* U.S. Government Sets New Records for Spending and Revenues ([link removed]) , by Craig Eyermann


Catalyst: New Articles
* Let Veterans Work: Don’t Let Licensing Rules Hold Back Our Veterans ([link removed]) , by Conor Norris
* “Planting Trees” Disrupts the Carbon Tax Narrative ([link removed]) , by Robert P. Murphy
* Bernie’s Labor Pains: Three Takeaways ([link removed]) , by Art Carden
* Universities as Rip-Offs: The Costly and Inefficient Edifice Complex ([link removed]) , by Richard Vedder
* If the Gig Economy Has Unintended Consequences, So Does Shutting It Down ([link removed]) , by Luka Ladan
* Plastic Bans Are Symbolism Over Substance ([link removed]) , by Robert P. Murphy


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