Recently Paul Krugman wrote the following defense of unbridled Keynesian "stimulus" spending: [I]f you believe that a surge in private spending would raise employment — and even the critics agree on that — it's very hard to explain why a surge of public spending wouldn't have the same effect. Elsewhere, he dismissed these critics, butchering [...]
Filed under: Capitalism, Taxation & Fiscal Policy | 1 Comment »
Thomas Friedman: Landing at Kennedy Airport from Hong Kong was, as I've argued before, like going from the Jetsons to the Flintstones. The ugly, low-ceilinged arrival hall was cramped, and using a luggage cart cost $3. (Couldn't we at least supply foreign visitors with a free luggage cart, like other major airports in the world?) [...]
Filed under: Capitalism, Kip's Law, Taxation & Fiscal Policy | 2 Comments »
I realize that the El Coyote incident was a few gay insults ago and not exactly new news, but fellow gay blogger Tom Chatt of UpWord weighed in recently: I can sympathize with those who are angry at El Coyote, and can understand why this particular donation incurred such wrath. A friend recently noted that [...]
Filed under: Capitalism, Gay Rights and Issues, Society, Religion, Culture Wars | 3 Comments »
To review: The "bankruptcy" mentioned as the alternative faced by the Big Three automakers, should they not receive a taxpayer bailout, is a Chapter 11 reorganization, not a Chapter 7 liquidation. Some have argued that a long-term reorganization is simply not possible (i.e., because no one would buy a car from a company in Chapter [...]
Filed under: Activist Legislators & Nanny Statists, Capitalism, Property Rights, Taxation & Fiscal Policy | 2 Comments »
It's quite simple really: You're in blue, Paulson's in white, and your tax dollars are inside the soccer ball: (Incidentally, the ambulance that you're driven away in will be made in Detroit.) (Via FAILblog and Crossed Pond.) — A tweet of mine from this morning: The New York Times asks, "What's Plan B?" (http://snipr.com/7tpef) Isn't [...]
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New York Times columnist Adam Cohen: Mass layoffs produce big winners and losers. Most workers who remain are financially unscathed, even though their employer is struggling. Wages are actually expected to increase 3.5 percent in 2009. Those laid off are left with no salary and, because the job market is so brutal, risk losing their [...]
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Part of the problem — most of the problem — with the Big Three automakers is that they have been and continue to be manufacturing vehicles that people don't especially want to buy. Too big, too expensive, too fuel-inefficient, etc. But GM, Ford and Chrysler do have one unswervingly loyal customer, one that has helped [...]
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What do they have in common? That's right — Both are scarce goods and must therefore be rationed: With about 55,000 requests for fewer than 400 tickets to Barack Obama's inauguration, Sen. Benjamin L. Cardin's staff says he has no choice but to dispense them in a random drawing. Sen. Barbara A. Mikulski, a fellow [...]
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Anyone still pretending that China's authoritarians are committed to free-market principles? Companies in two Chinese provinces, Shandong and Hubei, have been told they must seek official consent if they want to lay off more than 40 people. The order highlights the Chinese authorities' concern over mounting job losses. … The Chinese authorities are keen to [...]
Filed under: Capitalism, Foreign Affairs, Freedom of Contract | Comments Off
Another oblivious contribution from the increasingly silly New York Times "Ethicist" column. The question put to him: I own a busy cafe-delicatessen with 25 employees. All the workers except two enjoy listening to background music from the radio while they work, as do I; those two say it irritates them, gives them headaches and makes [...]
Filed under: Capitalism, Freedom of Contract, Property Rights | 4 Comments »