The U.S. federal budget deficit hit $984 billion in fiscal year 2019, a shortfall that increased Uncle Sam’s total public debt outstanding by...

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November 5, 2019 | Weekly Newsletter

How Leviathan Grew in 2019 ([link removed])
By Craig Eyermann (The Beacon, 10/28/19)
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The U.S. federal budget deficit hit $984 billion in fiscal year 2019, a shortfall that increased Uncle Sam’s total public debt outstanding by $1.1 trillion. The deficit increased not because tax revenue fell—the Treasury Department actually collected more money in 2019 than in 2018—but because federal spending increased. READ MORE » ([link removed])

[link removed] Crisis and Leviathan (25th Anniversary Edition) Critical Episodes in the Growth of American Government ([link removed])
By Robert Higgs
Do Ukrainians Care about the Trump-Zelensky Phone Call? ([link removed])
By William J. Watkins Jr. (The Washington Times, 10/30/19)
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More Ukrainians seem offended by Mr. Zelensky’s apparent kowtowing to his U.S. counterpart than by President Trump’s request for a “favor” regarding presidential hopeful Joe Biden and his son. Ukrainians are very aware of the partisan squabbles in Washington, but they’re more concerned about Russia’s aggressive occupation of their territory, the economic distress caused by the war, and the cancer of corruption threatening the rule of law. READ MORE » ([link removed])

[link removed] Crossroads for Liberty Recovering the Anti-Federalist Values of America’s First Constitution ([link removed])
By William J. Watkins Jr.
Do University Stores Rip Off Students? ([link removed])
By Richard K. Vedder (Forbes, 10/7/19)
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Small-scale investigations suggest that college stores often charge higher prices for everyday items than stores located farther from campus. This finding is consistent with other evidence that universities routinely exploit students to bolster their bottom line. READ MORE » ([link removed])

[link removed] Restoring the Promise Higher Education in America ([link removed])
By Richard K. Vedder
California’s Baghdadi Backlash ([link removed])
By K. Lloyd Billingsley (California Globe, 10/28/19)
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President Trump irked congressional Democrats when they learned that he failed to inform them about U.S. special forces’ planned October raid to take down ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. The decision to keep Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Representative Adam Schiff, and others in the dark, the president said, resulted from a culture of distrust made worse by his opponents’ frequent leaks to the media. READ MORE » ([link removed])

[link removed] War and the Rogue Presidency Restoring the Republic after Congressional Failure ([link removed])
By Ivan Eland
Bitcoin’s Past Accomplishments and Future Challenges ([link removed])
By Robert P. Murphy (The Hill, 10/31/19)
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Despite frequent reports of its imminent demise, Bitcoin refuses to die. Though it faces major challenges—including a possible threat from quantum computing that Google’s recently announced breakthrough may help deliver—the world’s first and still preeminent cryptocurrency has a total market value of about $170 billion, and its continued existence after 11 tumultuous years suggests that it may be here to stay. READ MORE » ([link removed])

[link removed] Choice Cooperation, Enterprise, and Human Action ([link removed])
By Robert P. Murphy
The Beacon: New Blog Posts
* Blackouts and Monopolies: Public Utilities in California ([link removed]) , by Adam Summers
* Former California Governor Jerry Brown Stokes His Climate-Change Backfire ([link removed]) , by K. Lloyd Billingsley
* How the EPA Makes Wildfires More Likely ([link removed]) , by K. Lloyd Billingsley
* Breakthrough Alzheimer’s Drug Puts FDA’s Drug-Approval Process into Question ([link removed]) , by Raymond J. March
* Prohibition and Gangs Make Marijuana a Deadly Business ([link removed]) , by Randall G. Holcombe

Catalyst: New Articles
* Cities Should Look at Los Angeles’ History of Big Data Policing and Avoid Its Mistakes ([link removed]) , by Jonathan Hofer
* Why Are There So Many Marginally Employed PhDs in English? ([link removed]) , by Richard Vedder
* Millennials Are Ready for a Crash Course on Tax Policy ([link removed]) , by Luka Ladan
* America Needs Doctors in the Digital Domain ([link removed]) , by Ross Marchand
* The Struggles of West Virginia ([link removed]) , by Scott Beyer
* Making Preventative Care Great Again: Conversations in Health Part II ([link removed]) , by Elliot Young


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