What can we learn from Bernie Sanders’ viral meme?
If you have been active on social media at all over the past week, you will inevitably have encountered the viral meme showing Bernie Sanders sitting on a foldable chair, arms crossed, at Joe Biden’s inauguration. What has unfolded since this meme went viral presents...
Markets make your holiday feast bigger, better, and cheaper than ever
Humans have long dreamed of a time when food was so plentiful that delicious and nutritious food would be easily obtained by all. The socialists of the 18th and 19th century imagined futures in which the seas flowed with lemonade and roasted chickens flew right into...
Christmas gifts are a hassle. Why do we bother?
The knitted magenta item Aunt Myrtle gave me wasn’t exactly on my must-have list. “Oooh,” I said admiringly, but the look of slight confusion on my face must have betrayed my true sentiments. Mom leaned over and whispered, “What is it?” “I’m not sure.” I held it up,...
Some economics of Christmas
As an economist, there’s nothing I love more than watching the free market work its magic around the holiday season. There are so many lessons to learn about economic principles this time of year, but Christmas perfectly illustrates three in particular: Free markets...
