Cleveland Plain Dealer, May 2, 2013 For over three hours on Monday night, more than 80 neighbors from a Flash Cashers cash mob handed Shaker Heights Hardware store thousands of dollars in extra business. Summoned by social media and word of mouth, participants who had pledged at least $20 each ended up spending several times… Continue reading

Foreign Policy, April 29, 2013 After the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991, Americans were quick to give much of the credit to the economic system of the West. The centralization and monopolization of the Soviet regime, so the thinking went, had stifled enterprise, choked creativity, and stripped wealth from vital systems. The magic formula? Democracy… Continue reading

The Tennessean, April 28, 2013 In the Internet stone-age, the mid-1990s, Congress acted to encourage innovation and foster the development of the World Wide Web with policies designed to ease the regulatory burden on what is essentially a borderless business. One of the most effective policies in that encouragement was a moratorium on the requirement… Continue reading

The New York Times, April 27, 2013 Anita Demetropoulos, a Maine shopkeeper, figured she would never see the day when her most relentless competitor, Amazon, would be forced to collect sales tax. Now that Congress seems ready to do that, she is no longer sure it matters. Even in losing, the e-commerce powerhouse is triumphant…. Continue reading

Alamosa Valley Courier, April 4, 2013 The Boston Tea Party is an iconic event in American History. Unlike today, the citizens of Boston had few options but to express in action their frustration with British Parliament policy. Today, the bulk of “actions” taken in opposition to something are done with a keyboard or touchscreen. This… Continue reading

FOX Business, April 2, 2013 Whether they’re shopping at local retailers on Small Business Saturday or feasting on locally sourced pork chops at independent restaurants, American consumers’ interest in supporting local, independent businesses is on the rise. In a 2012 survey by the Institute for Local Self-Reliance (ILSR), 75 percent of business owners surveyed believed… Continue reading

The Daily Barometer, April 1, 2013 The new Wal-Mart Neighborhood Market had its grand opening on March 29. That’s right, Corvallis, we have a Wal-Mart. Despite the known opposition some Corvallis residents have toward the world’s largest retailer, there weren’t any protesters reported at the grand opening. This might have been because campus was soaking… Continue reading