John Tamny

“Every book about the future is unavoidably a Rorschach test of the anxieties and events of the present. That’s why so many predictions fail; they miss the markers of...

It seems like something from another era at this point, but no doubt some readers remember just how sensitive markets were not too long ago to protectionist trade rhetoric from...

The great Arthur Laffer is unyielding in his support for open borders to foreign goods. Years ago, around 2003, Laffer explained the genius of open markets to an audience mixed with...

It seems like something from another era at this point, but no doubt some readers remember just how sensitive markets were not too long ago to protectionist trade rhetoric from...

“And while I now go to the movies for work, I also go to the movies for pleasure and for the love of art. I go because I’m curious, because I like the director or star. I...

Amid all the negativity of late, one bit of good news has come via the internet. In particular, Americans haven’t suffered slower internet speeds despite a reported uptick in...

Somewhere along the way economists, pundits and politicians got it in their heads that people exchange, invest and lend with “money.” No, money is merely the agreement...

Somewhere along the way economists, pundits and politicians got it in their heads that people exchange, invest and lend with "money." No, money is merely the agreement about value...

In 2009 Arnold Kling and Nick Schulz published From Poverty to Prosperity. There were numerous excellent insights in what remains a very important book, but arguably the most...

In 2009 Arnold Kling and Nick Schulz published From Poverty to Prosperity. There were numerous excellent insights in what remains a very important book, but arguably the most...

“The Founders didn’t throw off a king only to enable a majority to do what no king would ever dare. No, they instituted a plan whereby in “wide...

Carmen Reinhart and Kenneth Rogoff released This Time Is Different in 2009. It’s since given conservatives, liberals, and libertarians ammunition of sorts when it comes to...

It’s not unreasonable to assume that if asked, most who’ve heard of supply-side economics would identify it as the Laffer Curve. The previous curve, named for the great...

It's not unreasonable to assume that if asked, most who've heard of supply-side economics would identify it as the Laffer Curve. The previous curve, named for the great Arthur...

On Wednesday of this week a prominent oyster provider for D.C. area restaurants was forced to let 350+ workers go. Readers can likely imagine that more than a few lack any kind of...

On Wednesday of this week a prominent oyster provider for D.C. area restaurants was forced to let 350+ workers go. Readers can likely imagine that more than a few lack any kind of...

“Much of the security of person and property in modern nations is the effect of manners and opinion rather than law.” – John Stuart Mill, Principles of Political...

"Much of the security of person and property in modern nations is the effect of manners and opinion rather than law." - John Stuart Mill, Principles of Political Economy In...

In the late 1990s, and after Michael Ovitz and Ron Meyer had both left CAA (the superagency that they created, and ran together) respectively for Disney and Universal, the two...

In the late 1990s, and after Michael Ovitz and Ron Meyer had both left CAA (the superagency that they created, and ran together) respectively for Disney and Universal, the two...

“What would I do? I’d shut it down and give the money back to shareholders.” – Michael Dell, commenting on a near-bankrupt Apple Computer in 1997 No companies...

"What would I do? I'd shut it down and give the money back to shareholders." - Michael Dell, commenting on a near-bankrupt Apple Computer in 1997 No companies ever run out of...

Every so often it’s worth restating the simple truth that just about every business ever founded in Silicon Valley has gone bankrupt. By all accounts from venture capitalists...

Every so often it's worth restating the simple truth that just about every business ever founded in Silicon Valley has gone bankrupt. By all accounts from venture capitalists who...

As of this writing, more than 20% of Americans have been told to cease activity outside their place of residence. The individuals decreeing the inability of tens of millions to work,...

As of this writing, more than 20% of Americans have been told to cease activity outside their place of residence. The individuals decreeing the inability of tens of millions to work,...

At lunch last week at a diner-style restaurant with an old friend in a fancy part of northern Virginia, the friend talked of how his daughter had been working as a hostess at one of...

At lunch last week at a diner-style restaurant with an old friend in a fancy part of northern Virginia, the friend talked of how his daughter had been working as a hostess at one of...

“The Pothole” is the title of episode 16, season 8 of the classic television series Seinfeld. In this one Jerry accidentally knocks girlfriend Jenna’s toothbrush...

"The Pothole" is the title of episode 16, season 8 of the classic television series Seinfeld. In this one Jerry accidentally knocks girlfriend Jenna's toothbrush into the toilet,...

It’s March 20th today, at which point it’s worthwhile to travel back in time to February 20th. Was any economist, politician or pundit calling for stimulus checks,...

It's March 20th today, at which point it's worthwhile to travel back in time to February 20th. Was any economist, politician or pundit calling for stimulus checks, "lending...

Howard Marks has long made the point that the seeds of bad economic times are planted during the good times, and the seeds of good during bad. Marks’s correct vision of...

Howard Marks has long made the point that the seeds of bad economic times are planted during the good times, and the seeds of good during bad. Marks's correct vision of recession and...

It’s sad any of this needs to be said or written, but it cannot be stressed enough that government outlays are a consequence of growth that’s already taken place. The...

It's sad any of this needs to be said or written, but it cannot be stressed enough that government outlays are a consequence of growth that's already taken place. The federal budget...

What’s about to be read will surely trigger all manner of self-identified free market types, but here we go: neither Milton Friedman nor Walter Bagehot were truly for free...

What's about to be read will surely trigger all manner of self-identified free market types, but here we go: neither Milton Friedman nor Walter Bagehot were truly for free markets....

It was sometime in 2004 that Cato Institute senior fellow Tom Palmer returned from a visit to Iraq. He was speaking at a Cato donor retreat, and as readers can likely remember, the...

It was sometime in 2004 that Cato Institute senior fellow Tom Palmer returned from a visit to Iraq. He was speaking at a Cato donor retreat, and as readers can likely remember, the...

“The only insecurity which is altogether paralyzing to the active energies of producers, is that arising from the government, or from persons vested with its authority. Against...

"The only insecurity which is altogether paralyzing to the active energies of producers, is that arising from the government, or from persons vested with its authority. Against all...

“Capitals are increased by parsimony, and diminished by prodigality and misconduct.” – Adam Smith, The Wealth of Nations, p. 367 “Raising money is hard. Over...

"Capitals are increased by parsimony, and diminished by prodigality and misconduct." - Adam Smith, The Wealth of Nations, p. 367 "Raising money is hard. Over my career of...

Investment powers economic growth. Period. If this statement of the obvious triggers certain readers, it’s probably best for the sensitive to stop reading now. For those not...

Investment powers economic growth. Period. If this statement of the obvious triggers certain readers, it's probably best for the sensitive to stop reading now. For those not offended...

By now most readers are at least vaguely familiar with what the headline to this opinion piece references. While the video has long since been taken down from TikTok, news accounts...

By now most readers are at least vaguely familiar with what the headline to this opinion piece references. While the video has long since been taken down from TikTok, news accounts...

It's been said that former LSU quarterback Joe Burrow has misgivings about tying his football career to the Cincinnati Bengals. With good reason. He should stand his ground. ...

It's been said that former LSU quarterback Joe Burrow has misgivings about tying his football career to the Cincinnati Bengals. With good reason. He should stand his ground. Here's...

It’s hard to imagine now, but there was a time when Robert Downey Jr. couldn’t get a movie made. Though now the highest paid actor in the world, past substance abuse...

It's hard to imagine now, but there was a time when Robert Downey Jr. couldn't get a movie made. Though now the highest paid actor in the world, past substance abuse problems made...

The great Ken Fisher routinely makes a crucial point in speeches that investors would be wise to heed: your information is already priced. Whatever you think you know, or whatever...

The great Ken Fisher routinely makes a crucial point in speeches that investors would be wise to heed: your information is already priced. Whatever you think you know, or whatever...

“Money does not pay for anything, never has, never will. It is an economic axiom as old as the hills that goods and services can be paid for only with good and...

"Money does not pay for anything, never has, never will. It is an economic axiom as old as the hills that goods and services can be paid for only with good and services." -...

Economic discourse would be a great deal more informative if it were broadly understood that no one borrows money. What they borrow is what money can be exchanged for....

It was sometime in December of 1984, and memory says it was a Friday night. The show was Nightline. Memory also says that on the aformementioned show legendary film producer...

Readers of this column are familiar with this historical truth, but it’s worth repeating in light of the ongoing conservative crack-up over Chinese communications giant Huawei....

In The Great Successor, Washington Post reporter Anna Fifield’s very uneven and very poorly edited book about North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un, she indicated that among other...

A good friend who is one of the founders of an enormously successful global investment company once explained to me one of the secrets to the success of the business: “we have...

Several weeks ago Wall Street Journal columnist Greg Ip got it half right. In an article with the subhead of “The Federal Reserve and other central banks for years had the...

It’s been said by those who know Fred Smith well that when the visionary FedEx founder is asked about the U.S. Post Office, he’s known to say that in a competitive market...

In the years after World War II, Korea’s economy was in tragic shape. In 1948, the country’s per capita income of $86 put it on par with Sudan. Disastrous policies led to...

“I was wounded in war. This is the way I manage to drive.” Those are the words of Mirza Hussain Haidiri, resident of the Afghan city Bamian. As New York Times reporters...

“There’s nobody left to impress.” Those are the words of actor Peter Gallagher. He was describing how he felt when legendary director Mike Nichols died in 2014....

A former Goldman Sachs employee, one who was Managing Director level in the investment bank's London office, once explained to me what it's like to be a GS partner. He spoke with...

“If you have a good idea, you can bet someone else doesn’t think it’s good.” Those are the words of the late Gary Starkweather, who died on December...

“If you ever do that to me again, I’m going to kill you.” The late Pete Peterson uttered those somewhat tongue-in-cheek words to Stephen Schwarzman in 1985, not...

“If you ever do that to me again, I'm going to kill you.” The late Pete Peterson uttered those somewhat tongue-in-cheek words to Stephen Schwarzman in 1985, not long...

In August of 2008 Jimmy Lee, J.P. Morgan’s legendary financier, quietly let Blackstone CEO Stephen Schwarzman in on a harrowing truth: for three days the bluest of blue chip...

In August of 2008 Jimmy Lee, J.P. Morgan's legendary financier, quietly let Blackstone CEO Stephen Schwarzman in on a harrowing truth: for three days the bluest of blue chip banks...

Economics is truly a 3rd grade subject, and it would be more broadly viewed as a 3rd grade subject if people broke it down to the individual. Looked at through the prism of the...

Economics is truly a 3rd grade subject, and it would be more broadly viewed as a 3rd grade subject if people broke it down to the individual. Looked at through the prism of the...

“Through these initiatives, Taco Bell aims to enhance restaurant performance, employee satisfaction and support recruitment and retention.” Those are the words from a...

“Through these initiatives, Taco Bell aims to enhance restaurant performance, employee satisfaction and support recruitment and retention.” Those are the words from a...

On Thanksgiving Day in 2016 ESPN scrolled news of the “Breaking” variety about LSU’s soon-to-be head football coach. The school was said to be completing an...

On Thanksgiving Day in 2016 ESPN scrolled news of the “Breaking” variety about LSU's soon-to-be head football coach. The school was said to be completing an...

“If you are not prepared to live frugally, do not become an owner of a startup business. You will squeeze yourself from too many directions.” Those are the words of the...

“If you are not prepared to live frugally, do not become an owner of a startup business. You will squeeze yourself from too many directions.” Those are the words of the...

In a piece published toward the end of last year, Wall Street Journal columnist Joseph Sternberg oddly contended that the ‘most important economic story of our day is that...

In a piece published toward the end of last year, Wall Street Journal columnist Joseph Sternberg oddly contended that the ‘most important economic story of our...

If sports talk shows are to be believed, Mondays are brutal for professional and college football players. Particularly those who play for teams that lost the Saturday or Sunday...

If sports talk shows are to be believed, Mondays are brutal for professional and college football players. Particularly those who play for teams that lost the Saturday or Sunday...

It’s regularly pointed out that a very small, single digit percentage of applicants to schools like Harvard, Yale, Princeton and Stanford is actually admitted to those schools....

It's regularly pointed out that a very small, single digit percentage of applicants to schools like Harvard, Yale, Princeton and Stanford is actually admitted to those schools....

In his Wall Street Journal column from Monday, Andy Kessler helpfully reminded readers that we were still hailing cabs when the 2010s began. It should be added that the act of...

In his Wall Street Journal column from Monday, Andy Kessler helpfully reminded readers that we were still hailing cabs when the 2010s began. It should be added that the act...