The NYT Gets It Right on Outsourcing
On several occasions, I have posted entries criticizing editorials from the New York Times. To be fair, I suppose I should praise the Times when it gets things right — as it does with today’s editorial on the outsourcing of computing work. My only quibble is that the editorial fails to mention the fact that ... The NYT Gets It Right on Outsourcing
The Wisdom of Selling Off Isolated Public Forest Land
An article in the current issue of the Economist contends that “American environmentalists could be forgiven for throwing up their hands and heading north” (to Canada). Why? Because “the Bush administration wants to sell some 300,000 acres of national forest land in 35 states, mostly out west.” I’m afraid the normally sensible Economist (see, e.g., ... The Wisdom of Selling Off Isolated Public Forest Land
ABA: You MUST follow the law. (Unless we don’t like it.)
WARNING: This post is off-topic for this blog (it doesn’t relate to markets). If that bothers you, don’t read any further. Moroever, I do not purport to speak for my co-bloggers. Their opinions of the issue discussed below may differ from my own. Having issued those caveats, I cannot resist making one more comment (my ... ABA: You MUST follow the law. (Unless we don’t like it.)
The ABA, the AALS, and the Rule of Law
In an op-ed published in Saturday’s W$J (slightly updated version available here for free), Prof. David Bernstein drew attention to the American Bar Association’s proposed revision to its law school accreditation standards concerning student and faculty racial diversity. Bernstein criticized the ABA proposal for, in essence, calling on law schools to ignore constitutional and statutory ... The ABA, the AALS, and the Rule of Law
Oakland’s Fast-Food Tax — Madness or Genius?
From the good folks who brought us Ebonics as a second language (wait, make that first language) comes another creative policy proposal. On Tuesday night, the Oakland City Council decided to deal with its local trash problem by taxing fast-food restaurants up to $3,815 per year to pay for street clean-up. (Reports here and here.) ... Oakland’s Fast-Food Tax — Madness or Genius?
Accurately Disclosing Oil Reserves
Yesterday’s W$J reported on an effort by oil companies to change the way reserves are reported in securities filings. SEC rules, it seems, mandate that reserves be measured in a manner that understates the actual amount of available oil. For example, the rules (available here) require that only proven reserves (those for which there is ... Accurately Disclosing Oil Reserves
What’s "Courageous" When It Comes to Taxing Investment Income?
Today’s New York Times accuses President Bush of getting things “exactly backwards” by exhorting Congress to demonstrate political courage by resisting the urge to raise taxes. The politically courageous move, the Times says, would be to raise taxes (i.e., to refuse to extend the 2003 cuts beyond their expiration date). In particular, the Times calls ... What’s "Courageous" When It Comes to Taxing Investment Income?
A Better Way to Save Magnificent Trees
Yesterday’s New York Times reported on “a growing movement, from suburban Washington to Los Angeles, to protect mature urban trees — and in some communities, make it a crime to chop them down.” Washington Redskins owner Daniel Snyder, for example, was recently fined $37,000 for removing 130 view-obstructing trees on his riverfront estate, and the ... A Better Way to Save Magnificent Trees
The Perils(?) of Educating Judges on Economics
Yesterday’s New York Times editorialized on my favorite recent non-story — the one about Justice Scalia’s failure to attend the swearing-in ceremony of Chief Justice Roberts. C’mon guys. As lesser newspapers have already reported, Justice Scalia was in Colorado to teach a previously scheduled ten-hour seminar over two days. He received no honorarium for his ... The Perils(?) of Educating Judges on Economics
Blogs Providing Truth on the Market
My initial post on this blog hailed the power of the blogosphere to correct half-truths asserted by professional journalists. From Russ Roberts (via Cafe Hayek), a case in point.
Nacchio’s Puzzling (Innovative?) Defense
An article in today’s W$J reports on former Qwest CEO Joseph Nacchio’s planned defense in a criminal insider trading action brought by the SEC. The defense is perplexing. The SEC has accused Nacchio of selling $101 million of Qwest stock while in possession of inside information that the firm wasn’t doing as well as its ... Nacchio’s Puzzling (Innovative?) Defense
Correcting "The Ethicist" on Insider Trading
In yesterday’s New York Times Magazine, an anonymous reader posed the following question to The Ethicist: I am a subspecialty physician without primary responsibility for patients. I consulted on the care of the C.E.O. of a major company, the seriousness of whose illness was not being fully disclosed to shareholders. I own stock in this ... Correcting "The Ethicist" on Insider Trading
