Yesterday the U.S. Court of International Trade issued a unanimous three judge* ruling against Mr. Trump’s ambitious claims to virtually unlimited power to enact his “Liberation Day” tariffs on the world, as well as his tariffs against Canada, Mexico and China over fentanyl. Mr. Trump will no doubt appeal, but markets already celebrated in the […]
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Short note on Trump’s mandate for Tariffs
10 May 2025
Some of Mr. Trump’s more ardent supporters say that because he won the election, and in the campaign regularly brought up his intent to have more tariffs, this gives him a mandate for his trade war. As I’ve said repeatedly, his mandate–such as it was–was to 1) stop the open borders, 2) get prices down, […]
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Why we don’t want to be like Europe
26 Dec 2024
A few posts back I critiqued Fox News Laura Ingraham’s comment that basically said (my paraphrase) “Europe pursues a Europe-first policy in managing their economy and so we should be be pursuing an America-First policy with our economy” (embracing Trump’s tariffs). My retort was do we really want to be like Europe, when for multiple […]
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One of my principle objections to the whole Trump movement is its ill deserved label of conservative. Mr. Trump is the same 1990s big government Democrat he always has been, with the exception of his conversion on pro-life issues during his first term, where he can legitimately be described as the most pro-life president we’ve […]
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Home (Not) Alone: New York’s Airbnb Crackdown
18 Sep 2023
On September 5, New York City implemented a handful of new regulations targeting short term rentals. Most notably, those hoping to rent out their property must register with the city and be present on the premises during the rental period. This kills many Airbnbs and Vrbos where the owners are not always on the property […]
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Have you ever noticed how every consumer group and politician always claims to be acting on behalf of the consumer? And yet every action either reduces consumer choice or leads to higher prices (and usually both)? As just one recent example, there is a big push amongst progressives to ban gas stoves in homes for […]
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In the case of the Hollywood writers’ strike, who has the moral high ground? Many have seen the consistent refrain that Hollywood executives are taking advantage of poor, overworked writers via streaming culture changes and AI’s rise.* Hollywood studio executives are trying to cut costs to preserve profits in a new and changing environment for […]
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The Allure of Extraction
10 Jul 2023
From a legal and economic standpoint, I’m relieved the Supreme Court stood firm on executive power. However, a part of me is a bit disappointed that I won’t be receiving “free” money. I want to point out one of the economic problems with a large portion of government: extraction. Many policies are written to take […]
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Goodbye, Farewell, and Amen
23 May 2023
I love watching a good movie or TV show. While not overly creative myself, I thoroughly enjoy taking in someone else’s work of art to gain a greater understanding of his or her perspective, and these two mediums are amongst my favorite. My wife would readily tell you that I often think deeply about the […]
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Whither conservatism?
17 Nov 2022
We’ve had an election, with conservatives disappointed at the lack of a wave, and are now in the middle of recriminations. Did the establishment Republicans spend too much money in Alaska and fail to pick up winnable seats? Did Mr. Trump selfishly hold on to funds he raised rather than help the outside candidates he […]
Bert Wheeler
Jeff Haymond
Marc Clauson
Mark Caleb Smith
Tom Mach