Richard W. Rahn
Articles by Richard W. Rahn
AI will eventually destroy almost every job that now exists
Last week, ChatGPT revealed that it was better at being me than I was at being me. Fortunately, so far, it is only part of me where artificial intelligence is better. Published July 8, 2024
How dangerous are political lies?
Ever wonder why politicians and their media friends seem to lie so much more than other people? The simple answer is that the payoff can be large if others believe the lie (winning an election and gaining political and monetary power), and even if the lie is found out, most soon forget with little consequence. But in most other lines of work, lying about job performance (an airline pilot or mechanic, or a food safety inspector or worker) can be fatal. Published July 1, 2024
The end of the energy crisis
Be thankful for entrepreneurs, scientists and engineers. They offset many of the sins of the political class and make our futures better. For decades, self-proclaimed environmentalists and their power-seeking political and media allies have been demanding the end of the use of fossil fuels -- all in the name of saving the planet. We were also told we would run out of oil and natural gas, so renewables -- mainly wind and solar power -- were the only hope.d we would run out of oil and natural gas, so renewables -- mainly wind and solar -- were the only hope. Published June 24, 2024
Who is the biggest and richest?
Does China have a larger economy than the U.S.? Is India, Germany or Japan the world's third-largest economic power? How many minutes of labor does it take for the average worker to buy a Big Mac? These may seem like simple and straightforward questions, but the answers are surprisingly complex. Organizations such as the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank, the United Nations and others also have large research staffs searching for better ways to measure the world economy. Published June 17, 2024
Abusive paper chase: Prosecuting Donald Trump and Hunter Biden
In the last two weeks, Americans have seen prosecutorial abuse in the legal cases against former President Donald Trump and President Biden's son Hunter. Published June 10, 2024
Is there any way out of the global debt crisis?
Elon Musk sees a future where no one works other than doing work as a hobby, and AI and robots do all of the work, which would require universally high incomes. Published June 3, 2024
Tyranny of Fauci and the experts: COVID-19 misinformation campaign
Last week, a House committee revealed emails from David Morens, who worked under Dr. Anthony Fauci, former director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. Published May 28, 2024
What Britain needs to do to spur growth and prosperity
The British Conservative Party has been in power for the last 14 years but seems on the verge of losing in a big way. Published May 20, 2024
Hard economic lessons from Germany that many Americans seem to have forgotten
One hundred years ago, the Germans suffered horrible hyperinflation. From a value of 4.2 to the dollar in 1914, the German mark depreciated to 4.2 trillion to the dollar by November 1923. Published May 13, 2024
Stop whining about liberal media: Republicans must build or buy an advantage
Do you just whine about problems, or do you try to solve them? For decades, many people complained and demanded that the government do something about automobile air pollution. Published May 6, 2024
What would Eisenhower have done about Columbia University?
They have learned nothing! As I write this, Columbia University and others continue in chaos, depriving serious students of what they have paid for. Published April 29, 2024
End NPR ‘money laundering’
The way to stop NPR's taxpayer rape and misinformation machine is to prohibit its affiliates from providing any taxpayer funding for it. Published April 22, 2024
Biden admin has few choices to reduce inflation
Why do the smartest people in the world (at least in their own minds) keep getting surprised? This past week, the most common measure of inflation rose, even though official Washington told us it would fall. Published April 15, 2024
The importance of high standards in a DEI-driven culture
Many advocates of diversity, equity and inclusion programs fail to understand that lowering standards or forcing career choices that do not make the best use of everyone's talents makes the problem worse. Published April 8, 2024
Bingeing on free money at taxpayers’ expense
What ever happened to fiscal discipline? Published April 1, 2024
Debt crisis: U.S. increasingly relies on poorer countries to fund its welfare programs
The U.S. and other rich countries are increasingly funding their government debts by sucking savings from those in poorer countries. Published March 25, 2024
Are you part of a Ponzi scheme?
Greece, Argentina, and the old Soviet Union had governments that were Ponzi schemes that eventually went bust. Published March 18, 2024
Biden is ultimately responsible for ‘shrinkflation’
President Biden often acts as if inflation came from the tooth fairy (or "greedy businessmen") rather than as a result of the actions and policies of his own government. Published March 11, 2024
Inflation and the search for stable money
Inflation is a deadly problem, and unpredictable changes in the inflation rate (currency debasement) make it an even more deadly hazard to future economic well-being. Published March 4, 2024
Wealth destroyers: New York once had a reputation for having world’s most honest financial courts
Perhaps the single largest wealth destruction in history took place last week, due to the actions of only two people: New York Attorney General Letitia James and Judge Arthur Engoron. Published February 26, 2024