We’ve posted earlier on some of the perverse results and unintended consequences of Mr. Trump’s trade policies, but today’s WSJ highlights yet more. First, aluminum producers are finding their profits down even while aluminum prices are up, because the integrated global economy and the current division of labor have critical inputs whose prices are driven […]
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As suggested in last week’s post, acrimony and ugliness continue to be the norm as the week progressed, unfortunately to include some comments in this blog. Predictably, those with preconceived biases in favor of or against Mr. Kavanaugh generally weighed in with moral cases that buttressed their positions. For those generally in favor of Mr. […]
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“I Believe You Christine Ford”
17 Sep 2018
So rings the many voices on the many media platforms of our age. Consider this one: Christine Blasey Ford, I believe you. I believed you before I knew who you were, before you revealed your name. I believed you before the details of sexual assault allegations against Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh were revealed. Goldie Taylor […]
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Reagan Vs. Trump on Trade
10 Sep 2018
Not much analysis needed here: HT to Greg Mankiw. Mr. Reagan had his own flaws, even on trade. Yet his convictions were always in the right direction, as this piece clearly articulates. All we know for sure is that aside from their difference in morals, Mr. Trump is no Reaganite. Mr. Sasse, are you ready […]
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Kavanaugh nomination illustrates the bankruptcy of the Public Interest model of Politics
05 Sep 2018
The theater of Supreme Court judicial nominations became even more than ever an exercise of partisan political purposes yesterday and undoubtedly continues today. But I want to point out the obvious in this: that these individuals are not acting in the best interest of the country per se, and certainly not according to their constituents’ […]
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Much of Mr. Trump’s economic success has been challenging the way things have been done under the Obama administration, and charting a decidedly different course. Tax cuts instead of tax hikes, deregulation instead of regulation. And it’s working; yesterday’s revision of 2nd qtr GDP was positive, and the composition was even better–consumer spending was down […]
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In a recent post on the “S” word, some of the commenters suggested that universal health care is not all that bad, so what’s to be afraid of? Now I am not in favor of universal health care as defined by most young progressives, i.e., government provided health care for all, and I am somewhat […]
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What to do with Elon, SEC style
15 Aug 2018
The WSJ’s Holman Jenkin’s reviewed the SEC’s tough problem with Elon Musk and Tesla in last night’s edition. The problem is that Elon has a pretty ugly relationship with the stock market, since while he has cultivated quite a passionate following for his own activities and dreams (leading to high stock prices), there are many […]
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Short musings on today’s politics–conservatives lose Ohio, Trumpian trade travails, and the “S” word
08 Aug 2018
As wake this morning, the bellwether Ohio special election is too close to call, with Republican Troy Balderson a mere 1500 votes up with 3000 provisional votes and other absentee votes yet uncounted. I suspect he’ll hold on given the red nature of that seat. But conservatives have already lost as he is a panderer […]
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I’ve been criticizing Mr. Trump for trade for some time now, and unfortunately I don’t think that’s going to let up anytime soon. However, I want to continue to give him credit in this limited sense: Presidents (and politicians generally) don’t make the economy grow faster, but what they can do is take away the […]
Bert Wheeler
Jeff Haymond
Marc Clauson
Mark Caleb Smith
Tom Mach