competition

Many people believe that grocery stores keep milk in the back to force people to walk past a chunk of real estate they might otherwise ignore if the milk were near the front. I have a different explanation.

It was the World Series. Then Brexit. Then the US presidential election. Then the Super Bowl. But of all the shocking upsets that have rocked my world, the Great Office Pizza Contest of 2017 is the one that stands out the most.

Recently, a local Alabama news station reported that a lawn service was threatening to report a teenager to the city because an ordinance apparently requires lawn-mowing teenagers to procure a business license. It seems ridiculous but stories like these can show everyone the serious problems with occupational licensing in general.

The European Court of Justice is doing its best to stop people using or working for services such as Uber or Airbnb. Given that sharing economy platforms offer consumers a better service at cheaper prices, existing market players are seeking to destroy the competition using legal means rather than by offering a better service. 

Jurisdictional competition leads to better tax policy because politicians act less greedy when they have to worry that the geese with the golden eggs can fly away. Folks on the left fret that this creates a “race to the bottom,” but that’s only because they favor big government and think our incomes belong to the state.

Let’s go through the argument step-by-step. We’ll see that following progressive logic on cultural appropriation to its end, we end up reinventing white separatism and crushing all prospects for peaceful cooperation between people. 
 

Hollywood’s obsession with reboots, remakes, prequels, sequels, and the ubiquitous “cinematic universe” provides ample opportunity to pander to fans’ established tastes. Fanservice is a simple way for the entertainment industry to satisfy its customers. Is that a problem? 

In 2015, the Federal Communications Commission passed a set of Internet privacy and net neutrality rules. The rules were then eliminated by Congress two months ago before they ever went into effect. Net neutrality ideologues are lamenting this new action, saying access to the Internet is a right and should be treated as a public utility. But what would that mean?

It's an international issue that politicians don't listen to the people. But one of the first things a statist will say in response is that "the same thing happens in business. Many big companies don't listen to their customers, either." They're right. But the difference comes in what happens next: businesses pay for their arrogance with their own money, while politicians do not. One of the clearest examples of this phenomenon is the true story of two (sim) cities within urban planning video games.

I have become fascinated by the deceptively simple beauty of the onion ring. In a tasty, fried shell, it illustrates the essence of a free and prosperous society: the division of labor and exchange, resource allocation through the market process, and the power of the consumer.