The tax exclusion for employer-provided health coverage is a highly regressive form of subsidy, providing a benefit to families in the top...

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August 11, 2020 | Weekly Newsletter

Is There a Better Way to Subsidize Private Health Insurance? ([link removed])
By John C. Goodman (Forbes, 7/30/20)
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The tax exclusion for employer-provided health coverage is a highly regressive form of subsidy, providing a benefit to families in the top tenth of the income distribution about 30 times as much as the benefit to families in the bottom tenth. A far better alternative is the comprehensive health reform proposed by Rep. Pete Sessions of Texas and Sen. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana. READ MORE » ([link removed])

[link removed] A Better Choice Healthcare Solutions for America ([link removed])
By John C. Goodman
What Bezos, Cook, Pinchai and Zuckerberg Should Have Told Congress about Antitrust Hysteria ([link removed])
By William F. Shughart II (The Beacon, 8/3/20)
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Last month’s House Judiciary Committee saw the CEOs of Amazon, Apple, Google, and Facebook try to defend their business practices from charges that miss the bigger picture. No one is forced to deal with any of these companies, and none of them are “monopolists”—a term that is much overused, especially in high-technology markets. READ MORE » ([link removed])

[link removed] Antitrust and Monopoly Anatomy of a Policy Failure ([link removed])
By Dominick T. Armentano
An Open Letter to the People of Hong Kong ([link removed])
By Lawrence J. McQuillan (The Beacon, 7/24/20)
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Hong Kong’s new “national security” law is a massive setback for the rights, liberties, and security of the former British colony’s 7.5 million residents. Independent Institute President and CEO David J. Theroux and Senior Fellow Lawrence J. McQuillan join 68 other leading advocates for freedom from around the world by signing an open letter in solidarity with the people of Hong Kong. READ MORE » ([link removed])

[link removed] China’s Great Migration How the Poor Built a Prosperous Nation ([link removed])
By Bradley M. Gardner
Colleges: ‘The Public Be Damned’ ([link removed])
By Richard K. Vedder (Forbes, 7/27/20)
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A recent poll found that 67 percent of the 2,700 respondents thought American colleges and universities put “their own institutional interests” first, while only 9 percent thought they make “student interests” their top priority and 4 percent thought the schools attempt to serve “the greater good.” To win renewed public favor, colleges must slash costs and fees, return to rigorous instruction that prepares students for both good jobs and responsible citizenship, and expand the frontiers of knowledge through high-quality research. READ MORE » ([link removed])

[link removed] Restoring the Promise Higher Education in America ([link removed])
By Richard K. Vedder
Why Blockading Would Have Been Better than Bombing Japan ([link removed])
By Ivan Eland (The American Conservative, 8/6/20)
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Instead of dropping atomic bombs over Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the U.S. military could have blockaded Japan and thereby saved hundreds of thousands of civilian lives. A naval blockade, however, would not have fulfilled perhaps the real purpose of dropping atomic bombs—to fire a warning shot at the Soviet Union. READ MORE » ([link removed])

[link removed] War and the Rogue Presidency Restoring the Republic after Congressional Failure ([link removed])
By Ivan Eland
The Beacon: New Blog Posts
* Advanced Introduction to the Austrian School of Economics ([link removed]) , by Randall G. Holcombe
* As the Pandemic Demonstrates, Leviathan Feeds on National Crises ([link removed]) , by Craig Eyermann
* California Supreme Court Curtails Pension Abuse by Law Enforcement Officers, Others ([link removed]) , by Lawrence J. McQuillan
* When Reimagining the Police, Remember These Cases ([link removed]) , by K. Lloyd Billingsley
* Trump Signs More Executive Orders as a Last-Ditch Effort to Lower Drug Prices ([link removed]) , by Raymond J. March
* What Bezos, Cook, Pinchai and Zuckerberg Should Have Told Congress about Antitrust Hysteria ([link removed]) , by William F. Shughart II
* Lessons from Wilford Brimley’s Best Performance ([link removed]) , by K. Lloyd Billingsley

Catalyst: New Articles
* Art Deco – an Ode to Urban Glamour ([link removed]) , by Scott Beyer
* Bezos, Zuckerberg and Congressional Antitrust Hysteria ([link removed]) , by William F. Shughart II
* Violence in Portland Is Not ‘Just Property Damage’ ([link removed]) , by Brad Polumbo
* Media Groupthink Comes for Sweden ([link removed]) , by Luka Ladan
* Parents and Students to Lose Freedom of Choice ([link removed]) , by K. Lloyd Billingsley
* Removing Regulations in Response to COVID-19 ([link removed]) , by Conor Norris
* How ‘Self-Censorship’ Hurts Free Speech ([link removed]) , by Brad Polumbo


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