The curious task of economics is to demonstrate to men how little they really know about what they imagine they can design. – F.A. Hayek
Posted in Socialism on Dec 24th, 2008
… and all through the land consumption is slowing, and investors are scared. The stockings were hung by the chimney with care. In hopes that St. Government soon would be there. The unions were nestled all snug in their beds, Knowing that Congress was firm in their stead. And governors in their pockets, and school [...]
Posted in Socialism on Dec 21st, 2008
I assign a group research project in my principles courses and I ask each group member to evaluate their overall effort on the project and their impressions about the overall contribution to the quality of the project.
Posted in Flotsam and Jetsam on Dec 20th, 2008
Those people that work in a building, but choose to go #2 in a “foreign” bathroom. The political science department is upstairs from us on the 3rd floor and the econ department is here in the second. Every once in a while I notice a stranger coming out of a stall as I am brushing [...]
Posted in Classical Liberalism on Dec 19th, 2008
Wow. This piece really sums up why I am losing my mind these days. I’m one of the idiots who played by the rules, and am taking an absolute beating for doing it.
Posted in Environment on Dec 18th, 2008
Bryan Caplan suggests that the world could support a trillion people. I don’t disagree.
Posted in Environment on Dec 17th, 2008
A popular argument in the “environmentalist” community is that pollution is a moral wrong. By extension this belief holds that using market instruments such as taxes and tradable permits to control pollution are no different than allowing burglars to pay for the privilege of burgling houses. What is wrong with this analogy?
Posted in Paternalism, Welfare State on Dec 17th, 2008
I told you so. Welcome to George Orwell’s world. When will it be enough?
Posted in Education, Macroeconomics on Dec 16th, 2008
The City of Pittsfield has been losing population for over a half-century. From its peak of over 60,000 people in the middle of the 20th century (paper mills, GE Plastics, and several other manufacturers used to be there), the population shrank to 45,000 or so by 2000. Since 2000, the city has lost an additional [...]
Posted in Economic Illiteracy, Price System, You Can't Have it Both Ways on Dec 15th, 2008
The Fair Trade coffee movement ought to be renamed the “Failed” Trade coffee movement.
Posted in Taxation on Dec 12th, 2008
Like those in political control in this country. It is often decried that the U.S. tax system encourages U.S. corporations to structure their operations so that profits are “shifted” to low-tax foreign locales such as Ireland, the Cayman Islands, etc.
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