https://www.scmp.com/rss/503395/feed Walter E. Block, Ph.D, is Harold E. Wirth Eminent Scholar Endowed Chair and Professor of Economics at Loyola University New Orleans en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com There is something rotten in Denmark. Well, in the US. Let’s leave the Danes out of this. What’s wrong? The 45th president of the United States was banished from the internet by Twitter. Even Senator Bernie Sanders, no supporter of Donald Trump, said he did not feel comfortable with this state of affairs. A whole host of other lesser known figures have also been cancelled – de-platformed, and in many ways silenced – by the likes of Apple, Amazon, Facebook and Google. What would John Stuart Mill,... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3148714/stop-cancel-culture-sit-back-and-let-free-market-take-over?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3148714/stop-cancel-culture-sit-back-and-let-free-market-take-over?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 15 Sep 2021 19:30:11 +0000 Although it is too early to be sure, indications are that a signature motif of US President Joe Biden’s administration will be to undo pretty much everything his predecessor enacted. Evidence for this ranges widely. It includes the Keystone XL pipeline renunciation, fracking prohibition, opening immigration, ceasing wall building, reforming criminal justice, rejoining the Paris climate accord, focusing on racial and gender discrimination and repealing the 1776 Commission that aimed to promote... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3119163/how-biden-can-erase-trumps-legacy-tear-down-trade-barriers-china?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3119163/how-biden-can-erase-trumps-legacy-tear-down-trade-barriers-china?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 26 Jan 2021 17:30:15 +0000 One day, hopefully in months, we are going to have a successful vaccine for Covid-19. Who will get it first, given that, initially at least, it will be in short supply? There seems to be a consensus that those on the front lines – doctors, nurses and others treating those already infected – would be first in the queue. Who is next? Well, the most vulnerable: those already afflicted with pre-existing medical conditions. And after those people? The thinking seems to be to protect the most... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3108097/who-should-receive-covid-19-vaccine-first-let-capitalism-decide?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3108097/who-should-receive-covid-19-vaccine-first-let-capitalism-decide?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 03 Nov 2020 17:30:14 +0000 A “U” or a “V”? That is the question – whether the economic recovery from the Covid-19 shutdown will be a long drawn-out process, a wide, flattish “U”, or a sharp, upward-bound one, a “V”. To best wrestle with this question, let us look back a bit at some economic history regarding recessions and depressions, focusing on the US. Is this of interest to those following the course of the Chinese economy? Of course. When the US sneezes, China catches a cold. And, of course, the opposite is true as... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3094821/donald-trump-can-ensure-v-shaped-economic-recovery-heeding-lessons?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3094821/donald-trump-can-ensure-v-shaped-economic-recovery-heeding-lessons?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 27 Jul 2020 17:00:08 +0000 Has China been stealing intellectual property from the US? A column in The Washington Times discussed “taking on China’s intellectual property theft”. Bloomberg asked, “What’s intellectual property and does China steal it?” Its answer? Yes. Market Watch inquired, “Why is the US accusing China of stealing intellectual property?” The conclusion? Because China is guilty. CNBC reports that “1 in 5 corporations say China has stolen their IP within the last year.” US President Donald Trump has imposed... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3046129/us-targeting-china-intellectual-property-theft-fight-really-worth?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3046129/us-targeting-china-intellectual-property-theft-fight-really-worth?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 15 Jan 2020 19:00:07 +0000