Reason.com of August 16, 2015 has a very interesting article on occupational licensing by J. D. Tuccille. Occupational licensing is the requirement that individuals desiring to enter certain lines of work or service first obtain extensive and expensive training and also pay a licensing fee, sometimes quite high, in order to legally enter. Failure to […]
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In one of the rare triumphs (likely fleeting–see below), the Republicans actually let the Import-Export Bank die a most well-deserved death by refusing to renew its charter which expired at the end of June. For those that don’t know, this government program is known as “Boeing’s bank,” since it subsidizes loans to foreigners who are […]
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This is Part Two of my long blog concerning Pope Francis’s global climate change (and generally environmental and poverty focused) encyclical Laudato Si, issued last Thursday. I am a little to sorry to say this part will be at least as long as the first, but look at this way: You could read the full […]
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TPP. TPA. I’m Confused–and Still Skeptical
12 Jun 2015
Andrew MCarthy has an interesting post in the National Review Online, in which he says opponents of the TPA (Trade Promotion Authority), which gives the president the authority to ask for an “up-or-down” vote on the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), the real legislation, are off base for their opposition. His argument is technically true. What is […]
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Big Sports and Big Money: At Your Expense
28 May 2015
Sports fans and Stadium Projects Sports fans, listen up. I am a very big fan of many sports, including that all-time draw, cross country and track (OK, maybe not). But here is something I cannot abide, because it is simply unfair and inefficient to boot. I am talking about the rash of new or proposed […]
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More Power and Corruption: Inseparable Twins
27 May 2015
Another potential scandal has erupted (it was already boiling beneath the surface) in the soccer world. At first glance you would think this has nothing to do with politics. And you would be wrong. It appears that for many years now—no surprise—the FIFA, Fédération Internationale de Football Association, the world governing body for soccer—has been […]
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There is another new book out on the alleged problem of inequality. This one is by Anthony Atkinson, a British scholar who wrote Inequality: What Can Be Done? The book was just released so I haven’t had the chance to read it yet, but Richard Epstein, a legal and economic scholar with New York University […]
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It is probably part of my flesh that still needs serious work (Prov 24:17), but I have to publicly confess I get a thrill of “Justice!” when I see those that are profiting from political power get their comeuppance. Crony capitalism is perhaps, like beauty, in the eye of the beholder. But at its simplest, […]
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Running Off the Rails
14 May 2015
First let me say that I am saddened by the Amtrak tragedy in Pennsylvania recently. Second, I admit I love trains—riding in them and watching them. So I am not longing for railroads to disappear. What I am disturbed about is the immediate use of this accident by Democrats (and I am sure a few […]
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Labels are both handy and hated. In economics, we teach that branding and labels are ways to economize on the costs of information search. So, for example, I go into the voting booth and on many lower-level candidates, I may not have much, if any, information on their positions. But if I see a “D” […]
Bert Wheeler
Jeff Haymond
Marc Clauson
Mark Caleb Smith
Tom Mach