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Mob Rule Is No Path to Liberty

Trump rioters in front of Capitol

Jose Luis Magana / AP

The Cato Institute has long worked to encourage people everywhere to better understand and appreciate the principles of government that are set forth in America’s Founding documents. Among these principles is the peaceful transfer of power after free and fair elections. “The assault on the Capitol is a tragic violation of these principles,” writes Cato President and CEO Peter Goettler. “We condemn these actions in the strongest terms, support the rule of law and the Constitution, and reject the attempts to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election.”

  • “Mob Rule Is No Path to Liberty,” by Peter Goettler
  • “Only Impeachment Is Censure Enough,” by Gene Healy
  • “Reflections on the President’s Conduct,” by Robert A. Levy

Deregulating Legal Immigration: A Blueprint for Agency Action

Joe Biden 2013 official picture

President Trump restricted legal immigration through a series of unprecedented regulations and presidential orders during his one term. Once President‐​elect Joe Biden takes office, he will have the opportunity to reverse these actions and deregulate what is—and was even before Trump—an overly burdensome and expensive legal immigration system. This compendium of 30 concise proposals by 15 authors—including several of America’s leading immigration law experts—can help the Biden administration operate the immigration system as openly and efficiently as the laws allow.

  • “Deregulating Legal Immigration: A Blueprint for Agency Action,” by David J. Bier

United States Ranks 17th in Sixth Annual Human Freedom Index

2020 Human Freedom Index - Cover

The United States ranks 17th in the sixth annual Human Freedom Index (HFI), the most comprehensive measure of freedom ever created for a large number of countries around the globe. The U.S.‘s overall freedom score decreased from the previous year of 2017, from 8.55 to 8.44 on a ten point scale. “After recent years in which the United States started to regain higher levels of overall freedom, it, unfortunately, began falling again in 2018, with the drop in economic freedom exceeding the decline in personal freedom,” says co‐​author Ian Vasquez.

  • “Human Freedom Index,” by Ian Vásquez and Fred McMahon

COVID-19 and the U.S. Fiscal Imbalance

Media Name: 200906stimulus.jpg

Before COVID-19, the U.S. debt burden was large and on an unsustainable path. In a new paper, Cato scholar Jeffrey Miron looks at the fiscal impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, the ensuing recession, and subsequent policy responses. Miron concludes that, in the long run, the pandemic will not dramatically alter the debt burden’s path. So rather than focusing on cutting spending for COVID-19 relief, Congress should focus on curbing the growth in mandatory entitlement spending.

  • “COVID-19 and the U.S. Fiscal Imbalance,” by Jeffrey Miron

Featured

Blog

Give Yourself a Break Today? Donald Trump and the Self‐​Pardon

By Gene Healy.

In the final hours of his presidency, will Donald Trump attempt what even desperate, drunk Richard Nixon thought was too crazy: try to pardon… himself?

Blog

The Good and Bad of Biden’s Plan to Legalize Illegal Immigrants

By Alex Nowrasteh.

It’s heartening to see the Biden administration getting ready to hit the ground running on immigration reform even if their first bill has virtually no chance of becoming law as currently envisioned.

Commentary

Use Persuasion, Not Coercion, to Reach COVID Immunity

By Jeffrey A. Singer. Times Union.

Quarantining people infected with the COVID-19 virus and objectively threatening the health and life of others is an act of self‐​defense.

Commentary

The Brutal Taiwan Dilemma Trump Will Leave for Biden

By Ted Galen Carpenter. The American Conservative.

No matter what move the new president makes, there will be major drawbacks.

Blog

New Legislation Casts Doubt on Future of Administrative Jones Act Waivers

By Colin Grabow.

Presidents have waived the Jones Act in the past to help speed assistance following natural disasters. New legislation, however, has placed the future of such waivers in serious doubt. 

Commentary

Donald Trump and the Limits of Free Speech

By Johan Norberg. The Spectator.

The right to free speech is a negative right. It guarantees you the right to be left alone, to speak your mind. But it does not give others an obligation to lend you their printing press.

Blog

Capitol Hill Insurrection Fallout: More Bad “No Fly” List Proposals

By Patrick G. Eddington.

What’s needed right now is a reminder that every time a major, security‐​related national trauma takes place, the public demands Congress “do something” in response, and that congressional response is almost always something the nation regrets later.

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The Biden Immigration Plan Includes Massive Legalization

Featuring Alex Nowrasteh and Caleb O. Brown. January 19, 2021.

Andy Craig’s tweet on Representative Swalwell is cited on FNC’s The Faulkner Focus

Featuring Andy Craig. January 19, 2021.

Ian Vasquez discusses the Human Freedom Index on KWRO’s The Rob Taylor Report

Featuring Ian Vásquez. January 19, 2021.

Kerry McDonald discusses her upcoming book series, “Teach Capitalism,” on the Published Author podcast

Featuring Kerry McDonald. January 19, 2021.
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