There are few things more fun than sitting back and watching economists fight. My good colleagues Drs. Wheeler and Haymond are in the midst of a tussle over the differences, or lack of differences, between our political parties. Their back and forth is worth a read. In some ways, this is the argument between those […]
Archives
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Coke vs. Pepsi IV
07 Nov 2014
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Mandate for Republicans?
05 Nov 2014
The Grand Old Party had an excellent night. As of now, Republicans have tightened their grip on the U.S. House, 246-181 with 8 races undetermined, and stormed the gates of the U.S. Senate, picking up at least seven seats with a good possibility of two still pending in Alaska and Louisiana (which will go to […]
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Mid-Term Elections
03 Nov 2014
Let’s run through the basics. As of now, the Republicans control the House (233-199) and the Democrats control the Senate (55-45). There is little doubt the GOP will hang onto the House (most people think they will pick up some seats there), but the Senate could go either direction. There are 36 Senate seats being […]
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Probably not the smartest idea to blog on the subject of race in a way that plays off Star Trek; after all, its a very serious issue and worthy of substantive discussion and debate. Unfortunately you won’t be getting any of that in the next few days in the media, and you certainly haven’t in the […]
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Weight and See Who Runs for President
28 Oct 2014
As one who tries to keep up with events, but still seeks perspective, I feel tugged between extremes. An overdose of current affairs leads to despair because the fog of news hides the sunshine of hope. Living in the clouds, however, detached from what is actually happening, is a path to obsolescence. So, I too […]
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A Time for Choosing
27 Oct 2014
Fifty years ago today, Ronald Reagan delivered one of his most memorable speeches, “A Time for Choosing.” In the speech, Reagan is stumping for beleaguered Republican presidential candidate Barry Goldwater, who was about to undergo a thorough beating at the hands of Democrat Lyndon Johnson and his Great Society. Steve Hayward, currently the Reagan Professor […]
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Now this is obvious pandering to the hard left of the Democratic Party–surely Mrs. Clinton knows better, doesn’t she? Hillary says that businesses don’t create jobs, and worse yet, this is somehow a version of “trickle down” economics that’s been tried again and again and failed. Oh, where to begin–as one of my colleagues at […]
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I listened yesterday to an EconTalk episode on my computer in which the host Russ Roberts interviewed Martha Nussbaum on the program. But if you haven’t listened to EconTalk interviews, you are missing a treat. And if you haven’t heard of Martha Nussbaum, you are forgiven. Her name is not a household word, thought her […]
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The Fed giveth, and the Fed taketh away? Is a bursting stock market bubble going to be the October Surprise?
11 Oct 2014
The stock market swung wildly this past week, with the final result the S&P 500 down 3.1%, and the Nasdaq 100 down 3.9%. Everybody knows a major reason why: The Federal Reserve is winding down its aggressive monetary stimulus, and now the question is will they increase interest rates, and if so, how soon? QE3 is […]
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There is an old saying which I think is largely true: He who lives by the crystal ball eats lots of broken glass. Certainly predicting the future is difficult for those without the divine revelatory skills of Joseph or Daniel in the Bible. Yet, there is another saying which also has a lot of truth […]
Bert Wheeler
Jeff Haymond
Marc Clauson
Mark Caleb Smith
Tom Mach