The A’s Skip “The Town”: What Cities Can Learn from Oakland and LA
Tuesday October 1, 2024 | Jonathan Hofer

The Athletics’ time in Oakland has come to a close. After several attempts to relocate the A’s since 2006, the team will finally depart from the city they called home for 57 years.  (more…)

Is Las Vegas Rethinking the Oakland A’s Gamble?
Tuesday October 1, 2024 | Craig Eyermann

There are some big signs that the people of Las Vegas and the state of Nevada are getting genuine buyer’s remorse over the Oakland Athletics. Last summer, Nevada’s state legislature approved a $380 million bill toward funding a proposed $1.5 billion new stadium for the A’s in Las Vegas. In November 2023, the A’s secured the unanimous approval of Major League Baseball owners to relocate from Oakland, California, to Las Vegas, Nevada, where the team would begin playing at its new stadium in 2028. (more…)

MLB in Oakland Dies as Billionaire Owner Cashes in on Vegas Taxpayers
Friday September 27, 2024 | Craig Eyermann

Thursday, September 26, 2024, marked the end of a 56-year-long era for fans of the Oakland A’s. The Major League Baseball team played their last game at the Oakland Coliseum. (more…)

Energy and Economic Progress: Why Hydrocarbons Still Matter
Wednesday September 25, 2024 | Scott Semet

We evolved with the Earth to our current advanced technological state thanks to our ability to find and utilize new sources of energy for productive work. A million years ago, proto humans began burning wood for warmth, cooking, and safety. Homo Sapiens adopted and improved consumption of that hydrocarbon before advancing to coal, which drove machines to replace manual labor, to oil and gas, whose superior energy density allowed planes, ships, and trucks to move people and cargo quickly around the world.  (more…)

Pandemic Unemployment Fraud to Cost American Taxpayers More
Monday September 23, 2024 | Craig Eyermann

It’s a mistake to think the unemployment insurance fraud permitted during 2020’s pandemic has stopped imposing costs on its victims: American taxpayers. A new majority report by the US House of Representatives Committee on Oversight and Accountability highlights the official estimates of the magnitude of the fraud: (more…)

Speak up for Free Speech
Thursday September 19, 2024 | Francis Crescia

In many Western countries, governments are enacting draconian speech laws. Politicians argue that these measures are necessary to combat misinformation and hate speech spread through social media. Nowadays, even mild insults are often labeled as “hate speech.” Illiberal politicians, government officials, and special interest groups frequently use this term to silence anyone who criticizes them. Those who dare to question their politics risk destroying their reputation and being “canceled.” (more…)

Economic Illiteracy: Did Educators or Politicians Fail?
Thursday September 19, 2024 | Scott Niederjohn and Mark Schug

As economic educators, we wonder if we have let our students down. Our nation is in the middle of a presidential campaign featuring campaign proposals that would be laughed out of the public square if we had an economically aware electorate. Had economic educators succeeded over the years, we would not have seen so many discredited policies from the past. (more…)