In 1894, the Supreme Court struck down President Grover Cleveland’s income-tax proposal for violating the U.S. Constitution, a ruling that prompted...

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November 19, 2019 | Weekly Newsletter

Is Elizabeth Warren’s Proposed Wealth Tax Constitutional? ([link removed])
By Randall G. Holcombe (The Beacon, 11/13/19)
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In 1894, the Supreme Court struck down President Grover Cleveland’s income-tax proposal for violating the U.S. Constitution, a ruling that prompted income-tax supporters to pass the Sixteenth Amendment less than 20 years later. Presidential candidate Elizabeth Warren’s proposed wealth tax also seems to fail on constitutional grounds—unless it were introduced after the ratification of a new, enabling constitutional amendment. READ MORE » ([link removed])

[link removed] Liberty in Peril Democracy and Power in American History ([link removed])
By Randall G. Holcombe
Those Shaming Amazon about Bangladeshi Factories Should Be Ashamed of Themselves ([link removed])
By Benjamin Powell (Washington Examiner, 11/12/19)
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Recent attacks on Jeff Bezos and Amazon for selling clothing made in Bangladesh are counterproductive. Forcing all Bangladeshi garment factories to abide by the Accord on Fire and Building Safety, either by passing new safety laws or by shaming large retailers such as Amazon, jeopardizes jobs that provide millions of workers the opportunity to escape extreme poverty. Sustainable safety improvements come about through the market’s natural process of economic development, not through coercion or artificial pressure. READ MORE » ([link removed])

[link removed] Making Poor Nations Rich Entrepreneurship and the Process of Economic Development ([link removed])
Edited by Benjamin Powell
Will the Courts Rein in Collegiate Race/Gender Pandering? ([link removed])
By Richard K. Vedder (Forbes, 10/14/19)
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At a time when the public is casting a skeptical eye on higher education, universities are increasingly doling out huge salaries for positions that didn’t even exist 50 years ago, such as “Chief Diversity Officer” and “Vice Provost for Equality and Inclusion.” Will the courts rein in Excessive Diversity Syndrome? READ MORE » ([link removed])

[link removed] Restoring the Promise Higher Education in America ([link removed])
By Richard K. Vedder
Breakthrough Alzheimer’s Drug Puts FDA’s Drug-Approval Process into Question ([link removed])
By Raymond J. March (The Beacon, 10/29/19)
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Nearly one in ten U.S. seniors suffers from Alzheimer’s. That ratio may improve markedly if the Food and Drug administration gives a company named Biogen the go-ahead to market an experimental new drug called aducanumab. The agency failed to approve the drug manufacturer’s earlier application for approval, but Biogen’s latest attempt is backed up with a much larger dataset to confirm the drug’s effectiveness. READ MORE » ([link removed])

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The Bolivian ‘Coup’ that Wasn’t ([link removed])
By Alvaro Vargas Llosa (The Washington Post, 11/15/19)
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Former Bolivian president Evo Morales wasn’t the innocent victim of an illegal coup that forced him to flee the country. In reality, it was his own continuous effort to hijack Bolivia’s constitution that ultimately toppled his rule—a classic case of hubris getting the best of a corrupt autocrat. READ MORE » ([link removed])

[link removed] Liberty for Latin America How to Undo Five Hundred Years of State Oppression ([link removed])
By Alvaro Vargas Llosa
The Beacon: New Blog Posts
* Are Wealthier Americans Ditching Health Insurance? ([link removed]) , by Craig Eyermann
* President Trump and the Popularity of Socialism ([link removed]) , by Randall G. Holcombe
* Fed Chief Warns That National Debt Trend Will Choke Economic Growth ([link removed]) , by Craig Eyermann
* Is Elizabeth Warren’s Proposed Wealth Tax Constitutional? ([link removed]) , by Randall G. Holcombe
* The Berlin Wall Still Teaches Invaluable Lessons 30 Years After Its Fall ([link removed]) , by Alvaro Vargas Llosa
* Civil Libertarians Worry that Facial Recognition Tech Is Inaccurate, but Fears May Worsen After It’s Perfected ([link removed]) , by Jonathan Hofer
* “Medicare for All” Is Not Free Health Care ([link removed]) , by Randall G. Holcombe
* Will New District Attorney Chesa Boudin “Transform” San Francisco? ([link removed]) , by K. Lloyd Billingsley
* Elizabeth Warren’s Proposed Wealth Tax ([link removed]) , by Randall G. Holcombe
* Trendy California Is Not the First to Ban Tiny Hotel Shampoo Bottles ([link removed]) , by K. Lloyd Billingsley
* Runaway Health Insurance Costs Under the Affordable Care Act ([link removed]) , by Craig Eyermann


Catalyst: New Articles
* The Berlin Wall Still Teaches Invaluable Lessons 30 Years After Its Fall ([link removed]) , by Alvaro Vargas Llosa
* Blackouts and Monopolies: Public Utilities in California ([link removed]) , by Adam B. Summers
* A Tale of Two Drug Approvals ([link removed]) , by Ross Marchand
* Do University Stores Rip Off Students? ([link removed]) , by Richard Vedder
* Is Urban America Ready for Mopeds? ([link removed]) , by Scott Beyer
* Detroit Right to Literacy Ignores the Potential of School Choice ([link removed]) , by Kristiana Bolzman


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