Showing archive for: “News & Social Media”
Some Good Reading in the Weekend Papers
1. The New York Times’ Gretchen Morgenson gets it right (seriously!) on this shameful GM ad. The ad is misleading and, given that many folks are refusing to buy a car from a company on government life-support, materially so. My bet is that if GM weren’t a government-controlled company, and if the Treasury hadn’t aided ... Some Good Reading in the Weekend Papers
Some Warnings for Modern Pigovians (from Pigou Himself)
We live in a time of optimism about government’s ability to improve upon the unregulated state of affairs. From health insurance to financial markets to the types of fats we eat, cars we drive, and sources of energy we consume, there is a sense among our political, media, and academic elites that our privately ordered ... Some Warnings for Modern Pigovians (from Pigou Himself)
Maybe We’ll Get Us a Calorie Czar!
Yesterday, Todd predicted that Obamacare will result in greater government involvement in heretofore private decisions that impact health. Since the government is now going to pay (via insurance subsidies) for many more Americans’ health care, it has a much stronger interest in how they live. So do we taxpayers who must pay for the government’s ... Maybe We’ll Get Us a Calorie Czar!
Should schools teach Hayek?
The Texas Board of Education recently decided to add F.A. Hayek to the high school economics curriculum. The New York Times reports: In economics, the revisions add Milton Friedman and Friedrich von Hayek, two champions of free-market economic theory, among the usual list of economists to be studied, like Adam Smith, Karl Marx and John ... Should schools teach Hayek?
An Honest Question for Obamacare Supporters
A number of opponents of Obamacare, such as Wall Street Journal columnist William McGurn, have criticized the President and his people for referring to pending proposals as “health insurance reform” rather than “health care reform.” I suppose these critics think the President is engaging in a sleight of hand in an effort to minimize the ... An Honest Question for Obamacare Supporters
Why Citizens United was right
Let me say at the outset, some of my prior beliefs. First, I believe in the marketplace of ideas and think that more speech is generally better than less speech. I believe the Founders shared this belief and enshrined it in the “no law” component of the First Amendment. I believe this is especially true ... Why Citizens United was right
Credit derivatives don’t kill countries, politicians do
Looking for something to blame for the Greek debt crisis, some observers are pointing their fingers at credit derivatives. An article in yesterday’s New York Times makes the case that credit default swaps (CDS), and specifically their sale by Goldman Sachs, are somewhat to blame in part for Greece’s problems. As I explain in this ... Credit derivatives don’t kill countries, politicians do
Morons of the world, unite!
My wife makes me subscribe to the New York Times, and occasionally it is worth it. Take this recent essay by Roger Cohen. It is difficult to get past the faux-intellectual babble — “As it is, everyone’s shrieking their lonesome anger, burrowing deeper into stress, gazing at their own images” — but if you can ... Morons of the world, unite!
Regulating Local Food Out of the Market
The Nanny Brigade has once again descended on the Windy City. It previously sought to protect us from unhealthy trans fats, smoking in private establishments that we voluntarily patronize, and those oh-so-offensive theatrical depictions of smoking. The Nannies are now working to protect Chicago’s well-heeled from risks associated with the locally produced, artisanal sausages sold ... Regulating Local Food Out of the Market
It's a Section 5!
The FTC brought its long-awaited case against Intel today. New York Times report here. Of course we’ve covered the various antitrust claims against Intel at great length on this blog, and have found all of the theories wanting. Chairman Leibowitz’ statement is here. Most notable at first glance is that this is being brought primarily ... It's a Section 5!
Climate Change and the Non-Sensical Precautionary Principle
In his New York Times column, Thomas Friedman advocates “doing the Cheney-thing on climate — preparing for 1%.” He’s referring to Vice-President Cheney’s reported remark: “If there’s a 1% chance that Pakistani scientists are helping Al Qaeda build or develop a nuclear weapon, we have to treat it as a certainty in terms of our ... Climate Change and the Non-Sensical Precautionary Principle
Informational Cascades, Reputational Cascades, Group Polarization, and the Climate Emails
It’s been interesting to observe the responses to the hacked emails from the Climate Research Unit at the University of East Anglia. The emails seem to show leading global warming scientists massaging data to generate the result they prefer (i.e., “I’ve just completed Mike’s Nature trick of adding in the real temps to each series ... Informational Cascades, Reputational Cascades, Group Polarization, and the Climate Emails
