John A. Parnell, Ph.D.
Vermont socialist and presidential candidate Bernie Sanders recently introduced a bill to eliminate undergraduate tuition at public colleges and universities. His College for All Act would also reduce interest rates on federal student loans and allow graduates a refinance their loans at these lower rates, thereby “stopping the government from making profits on student loans.” […]
Read MoreLibertarians and conservatives agree on many issues. When it comes to economics, both groups generally favor free markets, although there are some divisions. I tend to side with the libertarians on most of these issues, but immigration is an exception, not for ideological reasons but for pragmatic ones. Libertarians are strong ideological proponents of open […]
Read MoreCurrently, the federal government holds most of the U.S. student loan debt, almost $1 trillion. This is a crisis. Graduates—especially those without jobs—are clamoring for relief. With the feds in control of the loans, it’s almost a political certainty that a substantial “plan” to aid troubled students will pop up around election time. Some of […]
Read MoreAnother major corporation has joined Wal-Mart, Target and others in hiking its wages. Effective July 1, employees at non-franchised McDonald’s will receive hourly wages at least $1 above the local minimum wage. While this increase will only effect those not already earning $1 more than the minimum and it only affects those at company-owned stores—about […]
Read MoreWal-Mart recently announced it will start paying all of its workers at least $9 per hour. TJ Maxx and Target have now followed suit. I’m being asked frequently if these moves are a response to the minimum wage protests or other business interests. It’s impossible to tell if you read the press releases—companies never tell […]
Read MoreI was intrigued to learn that the University of Minnesota recently decided to no longer include racial descriptions in crime alerts to avoid stigmatizing minorities. By definition, crime alerts are designed to provide specific information about a perpetrator so that the general public—in this instance, faculty, staff and students—can remain vigilant and safe. The purpose […]
Read MoreThe oil-rich and once expanding Venezuelan economy is in shambles. The country is running out of basics, from food to toilet paper. While retaining preferred exchange rates for select food and medicine at 6.3 bolivars per dollar, the official value of the Venezuelan currency has plummeted from about 50 to 170 in the last several […]
Read MoreI’m a fan of good talk radio (Wilkow on Sirius is my favorite). I don’t like every host but I enjoy an open discussion of ideas and I appreciate the genuine passion that goes with it. But I’m not the only one. About 50 million Americans listen to talk radio each week. The history of […]
Read MoreIn a recent post, I addressed a call from statists to increase the gas tax. I suggested that Republicans accept the proposal, but only if the plan included a revenue-neutral cut in income tax rates across the board. I reasoned that a use tax is always better than an income tax and that such an […]
Read MoreThe job picture has improved some in recent months. While current statistics overstate the employment rate by understating the number of available workers, it is true that things have gotten a little better. Hopefully we’ll finally have a recovery from the recession, one that is long overdue. Needless to say, the Obama administration—like any other—is […]
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