Here’s an article from the Cato Institute on the economic dangers of overreacting to the Wuhan Flu. Important bit: In a Washington Post piece, a small‐business owner with 75 employees expressed her fear at the impossible situation she is in. Cathy Merrill argues that even a two‐month closure would be a death sentence to businesses … Read more
I’m a big fan of the idea that there is no separation between the physical world and the spiritual world. They aren’t two different things; they’re two parts of the same thing, both equally real. Physical events affect the spiritual world and spiritual events affect the physical world. Anyways, you see what I’m driving at. … Read more
Feeling poor? Well, cheer up! Economics professor Don Boudreaux explains how, compared to most of the rest of human history, we are crazy, filthy, first-round-draft-pick rich today, and he explains how we got that way. We are so prosperous today, that we have studies to figure out the cause of poverty, rather than the cause … Read more
The Values & Capitalism blog shines new light on a famous C.S. Lewis quote, namely, this one: In a sort of ghastly simplicity we remove the organ and demand the function. We make men without chests and expect of them virtue and enterprise. We laugh at honour and are shocked to find traitors in our … Read more
I’ve mentioned a couple of times before that I think referring to charitable activity as “giving back” is both insidious and stupid. Since I like to think I’m smart and smart people agree with me, I’m always happy to post a quote from a smart person who agrees with me. So, here’s William Yavelak in The American Thinker, totally … Read more
Absolutely not, which is why I’d like you to insert two dollars into the CD slot of your computer before reading on. Yes, that is too how it works. Barnabas Piper has further thoughts: The belief often seems to be that since these are Christian organizations producing Christian content they ought to give it away, … Read more
A lot of political hay is being made lately on the subject of economic inequality, but Andrew Lilico says that it’s not all bad: Others will start telling you of the terrible social problems associated with inequality – the depression, violence, low life expectancy and so on. Well, insofar as these arise from poverty, we … Read more
Allan Meltzer explains why the Obama economic plan — stick it to the rich and give their stuff away to everybody else — doesn’t help anybody: During the early twentieth century, the United States absorbed millions of immigrants, many unskilled. Many began employment at low wage jobs. Minimum wage laws did not come until the 1930s. … Read more
Pascal-Emmanuel Gobry has some interesting comments on mistakes that religious types make when they let their pronouncements wander into the field of economics: Now, it’s fine to make non-scientific claims when you are not making science. But when we mistake science for theology—and vice versa—we make mistakes. When some clerics disputed the heliocentric model of … Read more
In my single days, I streamlined my morning routine so I could stay in bed as long as possible. When I started losing my hair, there was a part of me that was kind of glad about it, because not having it to wash or comb meant that I could slap the snooze button one … Read more
I subscribe to a survivalist/prepper blog called ITS Tactical (because I’m planning on becoming an unstoppable special forces commando as soon as I finish this bag of Doritos). They recently published a post on surviving cold weather conditions. As the post described symptoms associated with the onset of hypothermia, it struck me that the descriptions … Read more
Batten down the hatches and lash yourself to the mizzen mast: I may be having my opinion changed about something. Jeff Carter makes the case for guaranteeing a minimum income: From the classical liberal/libertarian perspective, a basic income guarantee is far better than the current welfare system we have in place now. If you are a classical … Read more
For as long as there have been people, people have been fighting over resources. Land, water, gold, oil; whatever. But in spite of all this fighting, as time goes on you see it proven over and over again that the only resource that matters is human ingenuity. If you’re sitting on top of a big … Read more
Well, Pope Francis recently made some comments about capitalism that most observers are interpreting as anti-capitalist. And, with good reason: “Some people continue to defend trickle-down theories which assume that economic growth, encouraged by a free market, will inevitably succeed in bringing about greater justice and inclusiveness in the world,” Francis wrote in the papal … Read more
In case you haven’t heard, an SEIU front-group with connections to the President is planning strikes of fast-food workers in 100 cities today. Fast-food workers in about 100 US cities will walk off the job this Thursday, organizers say, which would mark the largest effort yet in a push for higher pay. The actions would … Read more
Have you noticed all the horrible economic damage that Walmart has done to the lower- and middle-classes? You know who hasn’t noticed? All the millions and millions of lower- and middle-class Americans who work and shop there: Washington, DC is two weeks away from ribbon-cutting ceremonies for its first two Walmarts. For the stores’ 600 … Read more
On the Corner, Kevin D. Williamson lays out some principles of free markets and some arguments against smothering them under a welfare state: For instance, one may believe that drugs should be legal, and that people should not use them. One may believe that pornography should be legal, and that it is morally repugnant. Likewise, … Read more
If you think the website is the only thing wrong with Obamacare, you got another think coming. There’s no “tech surge” that can beat the laws of economics. Points and Figures outlines Obamacare’s violation of those laws in excruciating detail: While it is true that health care costs are sky-rocketing, millions of Americans are uninsured … Read more
From Veronique de Rugy on the Corner, a little perspective on the prosperity we enjoy here in the US as compared to the rest of the world. Even our have-nots are haves: “…even the poorest 5 percent of Americans are among the richest people in the world — richer than nearly 68 percent of the world’s … Read more
John Fund covers my soul brother on The Corner: The British Observer newspaper interviewed the singer while on a trip to West Africa last week and grilled him on his tax decisions: “Was it not hypocrisy for you to try to hold the Irish government to account for its spending while going through fairly exhaustive … Read more