The Washington Gazette

Japan’s Government Looted the Future—and Its Children Are Paying the Price

powered by Surfing Waves ( Editor’s Note: The years from 1991 to 2001 are known as “The Lost Decade” in Japan. After years of rapid growth in the 1980s, the Japanese economy fell into a prolonged slump marked by persistent, high unemployment, low growth rates and erratic monetary policy. (See “ The Lost Decade ” for additional information on this.) In recent years, Japan’s economy has somewhat rebounded but as economist Hiroshi Yoshida explains below, new issues are now arising that call into question Tokyo’s i…

Markets vs. Marxism and “Stakeholder Capitalism” | Samuel Gregg & Kate Wand (Video)

powered by Surfing Waves Proponents of free markets often provide excellent economic arguments, but what about the moral argument for free markets vs. interventionist systems? What kinds of virtues can free markets encourage? Dr. Samuel Gregg and Kate Wand explore how government interventions such as protectionism and tariffs do not provide incentives to be creative and lead to higher prices, cronyism, and inefficiency. Like this video? Check out the full version here . * This article was origi…

New ‘Hunger Winter’ Looms as Europe Prepares to Shiver

powered by Surfing Waves Reprinted from Inside Sources Even as Europe has been dealing with its hottest summer on record, it has been fearfully aware that it may face its worst winter since the one at the end of World War II, from 1944 to 1945. Electricity shortages and unpayable fuel prices for many households are in store for Europe. Industrial production in Germany, Europe’s economic driver, is threatened, and governments from London to Athens are struggling with how they will help with ene…

The Surprising Act of Contrition That Made Han Wudi Arguably China’s Greatest Emperor—Despite His Flaws

powered by Surfing Waves In the middle of the 2nd Century B.C., as the Roman Republic began its century-long slide into the dictatorship of the emperors , a ruler 6,000 miles to the east was just getting started. For 54 years he reigned over China, a record on the throne that would stand for 18 centuries. His original name was Liu Che but he is formally known as Wu of Han and more commonly called Han Wudi . Hang on, I promise this will get interesting. Depending on how you count them, China’s emperors numbered …

What Does Senator Joe Manchin think he’s getting?

powered by Surfing Waves BY BENJAMIN ZYCHER: Numerous news reports have emerged about the reforms to the energy infrastructure permitting process that Senator Joe Manchin has obtained as promises from President Joe Biden, Senator Chuck Schumer, and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, in exchange for his support for the “ Inflation Reduction Act .” That title sets a new standard for Beltway disinformation: Inflation is a monetary phenomenon, and the most that plausibly could be said is that the bill would not incre…

Remembering Vin Scully—and Harsh Truths on Socialism

powered by Surfing Waves Baseball fans received sad news this week. Vin Scully, the great baseball broadcaster who spent 67 seasons calling games for the Dodgers—first in Brooklyn, then in Los Angeles— died Tuesday . He was 94. There are many legendary MLB announcers. Harry Caray. Bob Uecker (my personal favorite). Phil Rizzuto. And more. But many will tell you that Scully was the best of them all. Legend has it Scully’s love for the game stemmed from a 1936 visit to a Bronx laundromat , where an eight-year-ol…

Prices Rose Even Faster In June

powered by Surfing Waves Far from moderating, new data from the Bureau of Economic Analysis show that inflation picked up in June. The Personal Consumption Expenditures Price Index (PCEPI), which is the Federal Reserve’s preferred measure of inflation, grew at a continuously compounding annual rate of 6.5 percent from June 2021 to June 2022, up from 6.1 percent in the prior month. Prices have grown at a continuously compounding annual rate of 4.3 percent since the start of the pandemic, which is signific…