Free Markets Archives - Granite Grok

MACDONALD: Majority of 40 and Unders Think Income Should be Capped

September 15, 2025September 14, 2025 Steve MacDonald

Numerous polls and studies and research and you know the deal, have come out over the past fifteen years, telling us “college students” oppose free speech. Many still do, and often believe violence is a suitable means for silencing opposing political speech. It’s not very American of them. The founding fathers would likely have them … Read more

MacDonald: DC Dem Discovers Inconvenient Truth About the Minimum Wage

May 21, 2025May 21, 2025 Steve MacDonald

Don’t expect them to admit that you were right. About what? Raising the minimum wage for tipped employees would result in lost hours, fewer jobs, higher prices, and restaurant closings. If you are reading this, assuming you are not some progressive troll, you knew that. The real minimum wage is zero, which is where more … Read more

New Hampshire Takes a Step Toward Health Care Competition

March 8, 2025March 8, 2025 Steve MacDonald

The New Hampshire House voted this week to make health care more accessible. The Lower chamber of the state legislature passed HB223, which would exempt certain facilities from restriction in existing state law. In the Granite State, a “medical facility” within 15 miles of a critical care hospital needs the permission of that hospital to … Read more

American Flag original image by by Dave Sherrill on Unsplash

Freedom Is the Only Way to Beat Authoritarianism

December 30, 2024 John Tamny

Andy Kessler writes in his latest Wall Street Journal column that the U.S. “is strong precisely because we don’t all think the same way. New ideas come from new ways of thinking.” Kessler puts it so well. We individuals generally see the present and future very differently, and it’s this very division praised by Kessler that powers so … Read more

My Nation is 35 Trillion In Debt And All I Got Was…

December 3, 2024 Steve MacDonald

I’m not sure when the trend started, but at some point in the arc of pop culture, T-shirts began to emerge with the message: “I went to [insert name of place], and all I got was this stupid T-shirt.” This sprung a number of variations on the theme: “I went there, did that, but all … Read more

Bill Gates Likes Free Speech (If It Makes Him Money …)

September 25, 2024 Steve MacDonald

Bill Gates probably recognizes that productive expressions, whether physical, intellectual, or verbal, are the vehicles by which acquiring property is possible. And Bill would undoubtedly argue that he is entitled to that property. But he has a weird (dare I say, global) view of the benefits of free speech – which is essential to that … Read more

Cortez Said No To Amazon, Yes To “Market Of The Sweethearts”

May 15, 2024May 13, 2024 Ray Cardello

Most American cities and towns are proud of their Open-Air or Farmer’s Markets. They block off city blocks, bring in local vendors and food tents with ethnic offerings and music, and organize these events as community gatherings and social events.

Freebie Markets

November 9, 2023October 7, 2023 Ian Underwood

There are people (including readers of GraniteGrok) who claim that a school choice program that is funded by taxes is a ‘free market solution’ to the problem of educating children.

Government Imposed “Competition” Harms Competition

August 27, 2023 Op-Ed

“A fair, open, and competitive marketplace has long been a cornerstone of the American economy, while excessive market concentration threatens basic economic liberties, democratic accountability, and the welfare of workers, farmers, small businesses, startups, and consumers.”

Another Anti-Capitalist Communitarian Cafe Goes Out of Business

July 11, 2023May 17, 2023 Steve MacDonald

If you didn’t know, I have extensive experience with how razor-thin the margins are in the restaurant business. While the closure of this communitarian cafe is unfortunate, it serves as a reminder of the business risks involved in running a café.

Freedom and the New Hampshire Advantage

July 12, 2021 Op-Ed

New Hampshire’s six-year run of business tax cuts should have made the state’s corporate income tax rate the second-lowest in New England. But a funny thing happened along the way. New Hampshire was joined by an unexpected rival.

Notable Quote – May I Serve You?

May 29, 2021 Skip

Capitalism cannot just be summed up as voluntary acts of transaction in which both sides believe they have received the greater value.

Mike Lindell Announces eCommerce Competitor to Amazon – MyStore.com

April 14, 2021 Steve MacDonald

When Davey Hogg announced that he would challenge Mike Lindell to a pillow fight, we said good for you, more or less. Competition benefits consumers. His tagline could be Make Pillows Cheap Again.

An Equal Piece of a Smaller Pie or More Pie for Everyone?

January 3, 2021January 3, 2021
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Life is a bowl of cherries and if we make bad choices we are going to get only the pits. So follow me here. We are going to explain why more pie is better for everyone than less pie.

Defense of Free Markets

December 16, 2020

There has been way too little defense of free markets. There are many ways in which business elevates humanity. Capitalism is based on doing things for others, things others find value in. Innovation and value creation are inherent in free-market capitalism.

Democracy is Tyranny

July 17, 2020

Democracy is tyranny. It was true in ancient Greece and it is true today. America was designed to foster a spirit of freedom. The nation, through the Constitution, as written, promotes enterprise among its people. The U.S. Constitution intends to thwart tyranny from majority rule. America is a free-market society.

The Global Warming “More Snow” or “Less Snow” Paradox

April 10, 2023April 19, 2020 Steve MacDonald

A few decades back, we were told by ‘experts’ that not long from then (meaning before now), our children would not know snow. Yet another emotional plea to convince us to embrace massive tax hikes and the minimization of our lifestyles.

Democrat Socialism is Greed at the End of a Gun

January 14, 2020January 14, 2020 Steve MacDonald

No human being is immune to greed. Avarice. Lust (for power). Nor are they immune to what we sometimes refer to as the Seven Deadly sins. It is human nature. The best we can do is find ways to limit it. The founders thought this critical to the matter of government.

Dems Run on Absurd Economic Ideas … Part 3 of 3

August 15, 2019

Leftists fall short in many areas. They are full of big, bold ideas. Ideas, most of which were on display during the last two Democratic 2020 presidential hopeful debates. It’s one thing to have an idea, but another to be able to transform it into reality. Economic reality Most of the big, bold ideas leftists … Read more

Tales from the BudComm – Righting a Wrong on Food Truck Licensure

July 10, 2023June 27, 2019 Skip

“The people who pay taxes here.”

Or better, Tales from the Selectmen, as last night was a Public Hearing about Chapter 27, “An ordinance regulating outdoor vendors and transient sales,” which covers licensing/permitting fees for food trucks working in Gilford. I originally wrote: