July 8, 2020 | Weekly Newsletter
 
By John C. Goodman (Forbes, 6/26/20)

Social insurance programs in United States are ineffective and inefficient—when they’re not outright harmful. The U.S. should boldly rethink the way we address life’s major risks, whether of losing one’s job, outliving one’s assets, or facing a pandemic. READ MORE »
 
By Lee E. Ohanian (California on Your Mind, 6/2/20)

California lawmakers have drafted an amendment that would override the state’s voter-approved ban against public institutions preferentially discriminating by race, sex, and ethnicity. In the decades since voters passed Proposition 209 in 1996, research has found that gains in minority student academic performance and graduation rates have been substantial. READ MORE »
 

Thanks to President Trump's forceful speech defending America’s heritage, South Dakota’s most popular tourist attraction was the weekend’s focal point in the culture wars. In Recarving Rushmore, Independent Institute Senior Fellow Ivan Eland examines and ranks every U.S. president from Washington to Obama against the Founders’ principles of peace, prosperity and liberty under constitutional law. BUY THE BOOK »
By Donald J. Boudreaux (Real Clear History, 6/30/20)

The year 1776 gave the world not only Thomas Jefferson’s radical Declaration of Independence, but also Adam Smith’s masterful Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations. Models of liberty and eloquence, Jefferson’s manifesto founded a new nation—the United States—while Smith’s treatise founded a new discipline—economics. READ MORE »
 
By K. Lloyd Billingsley (The Daily Caller, 6/26/20)

Unions have fared surprisingly well in the two years since the Supreme Court decided that mandatory union fees for non-union workers violated the First Amendment. If the balance of power is to shift in favor of independent workers, it may take something stronger than the Janus decision. READ MORE »
 
By Richard K. Vedder (Forbes, 6/29/20)

Economic downturns usually boost college enrollments, but in today’s environment many unemployed workers are looking more toward vocational training than degree programs. Less selective state schools and liberal arts colleges will probably suffer the most from the enrollment declines and sharply reduced state subsidies. READ MORE »
 
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