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Category Archives: regulation
Some Lenders Object, Why Not Others?
20 Chrysler lenders or about 30% of the debt Chrysler owes lending institutions are objecting to getting fleeced in the governments planned “surgical bankruptcy” plan. In a normal bankruptcy the senior secured creditors (the lenders) are first in line, while … Continue reading
Posted in Chris' Page, Domestic Politics, regulation
Tagged bankruptcy, banks, Chrysler, government coercion, tarp, thuggery
2 Comments
US Treasury Refusing Bank Repayments?
That’s what’s claimed in this article in the IBD. This becomes pretty thuggish when you add to the fact that these banks were (allegedly) outright threatened to take the TARP funds in the first place. The reason for all of … Continue reading
Obama Fires Izzo
…awards Michigan State 18 points.
Posted in Chris' Page, Domestic Politics, Humor, regulation, Sports
Tagged basketball championship, cato, GM, government, government motors, michigan state, NCAA, President Obama, satire
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Utter Insanity
Those are the only words I can think to describe this proposal. The Hubbard-Mayer plan calls for the government to revive the moribund housing market by providing just about everybody with access to a 30-year fixed-rate mortgage with a 4.5 … Continue reading
Posted in Chris' Page, housing, regulation
Tagged Bloomberg, business reporting, housing crisis, idiotic laws, insanity
1 Comment
In Summary
Tyler Cowen states his basic views on the crisis. My response in italics:
Risk and Reward
Many of us, when we hear the phrase “risk and reward” think of Wall Street. Or business in general. But in reality, “risk and reward” affect us throughout our lives. Our parents take a risk when they conceive us. They … Continue reading
Posted in Law, Libertarianism, Media, Peg's Page, Philosophy, regulation, Society
Tagged Center of the American Experiment, parenting, Phillip Howard, reward, risk, Safety, Society
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When Families Fail
Because of my background in working with emotionally disturbed, learning disabled, and generally abused kids, I am often to drawn to stories about the results of extreme neglect of children. I saw some awfully hard cases with some of the … Continue reading
Counterintuiting the FATA
Posted first at Registan.net, the web’s best source of news and analysis of Central Asia and the Caucasus. My friend Jeb Koogler and I co-wrote an op-ed in Thursday’s Christian Science Monitor, titled, “Myths in Al Qaeda’s ‘home’.” This matters … Continue reading
Posted in Foreign affairs, Josh's Page, Media, regulation
Tagged FATA, myths, NWFP, Pakistan, policy, US foreign policy
1 Comment
GVO Summit: The Power of Organized Utopianism
One of the subtextual themes coming out of the conference so far is what can almost be called a double-standard: the participants demand the right to unrestricted speech, but recoil in horror at the consequences such speech brings. It is … Continue reading
Posted in Foreign affairs, Media, regulation
Tagged activisim, Budapest, censorship, conference, freedom, Global Voices Online, human rights, speech
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Because Who Really Needs Evidence Anyway?
Unbelievable: The Motion Picture Association of America said Friday intellectual-property holders should have the right to collect damages, perhaps as much as $150,000 per copyright violation, without having to prove infringement. “Mandating such proof could thus have the pernicious effect … Continue reading
It’s the Pollution, Stupid
Or more specifically it’s the soot, from our tailpipes, our industries, most of our electricity generation—and also from forest fires, volcanoes, and the wind. Black carbon soot is causing most of the loss of polar ice according to this recent … Continue reading
Posted in Environment, Peter's Page, regulation, science
1 Comment
Is The Evidence In On Minimum Wage?
When the most recent unemployment numbers were released, the media bleated about the highest percentage increase in the jobless rate since 1986. For example, The New York Times lamented: The unemployment rate surged to 5.5 percent in May from 5 … Continue reading
Where Do Most of Our Problems Come From?
From Congress and the unintended consequences of their actions. Bruce over at QandO has a post discussing an excellent piece by Walter Williams. Most of the great problems we face are caused by politicians creating solutions to problems they created … Continue reading
Posted in Chris' Page, Domestic Politics, energy, Environment, regulation
Tagged alternative energy, congress, gas prices, oil, unintended consequences
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Backdoor Kyoto — The Next Chapter
The march of the watermelons towards control of US policy continues apace: Polar bears will now be listed as “threatened” under the Endangered Species Act. But in announcing the listing, Secretary of the Interior Dirk Kempthorne said the decision should … Continue reading
Posted in Domestic Politics, energy, Environment, Law, MichaelW's Page, regulation, science
Tagged capitalism, climate change, climate policy, Dirk Kempthorne, Endangered Species Act, environmentalists, ESA, global warming, globalization, greenhouse gases, polar bears, socialism, Supreme court, threatened species, watermelons
5 Comments
Hear, Hear
One of my girlfriends is smart as a whip and a talented artist to boot. Cathy is also hard of hearing. While Cathy can read lips and she also has a device that allows her to converse in very small … Continue reading
Posted in Domestic Politics, Law, Media, Peg's Page, regulation
Tagged deafness, minnesota, regulation
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Try Legal Weed
No, not that. We’re talking Weed Beer. I’m talking about a beer made in the city of Weed, California. A local brewer there has named his beer after the small town. The Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms however, wasn’t … Continue reading
Posted in Chris' Page, regulation, Society
Tagged atf, beer, California, war on drugs, weed
2 Comments
Open Minds
One of the toughest tasks to master is to keep an open mind. We work hard to discover what we ultimately believe to be the truth. After all that effort, often the last thing we wish to do is have … Continue reading
Posted in Domestic Politics, Environment, Peg's Page, regulation, science
Tagged chemicals, Environment, environmentalism, Greenpeace, Patrick Moore, Rachel Carson
1 Comment
Ripple Effects in the Food Trade
Posted first at Registan.net When last I touched on the global food crisis and how it is impacting Afghanistan and the rest of Central Asia, I noted that countries continuing to ban wheat exports would make the problem worse by … Continue reading
Posted in Developmental economics, Economics, Foreign affairs, regulation
Tagged Economics, food crisis, international finance, kazakhstan, monetary policy
1 Comment
FEC Complaint Filed Against McCain
Some people are hoping to hoist John McCain on his own campaign finance petard. As satisfying as it would be to see the Senator receive a healthy dose of his bitter medicine, however, the complaints filed against him with the … Continue reading
Posted in Domestic Politics, Election 2008, Law, MichaelW's Page, regulation
Tagged campaign finance, collateral, complaint, DNC, Election 2008, FEC, federal matching funds, Jane Hamsher, Jihn McCain, loan, security, spending caps
6 Comments
The Nationalization of the Housing Market
Regular readers know that I have been harping on the likely collapse in housing since this blog began. At this point I am hardly an outlier in being concerned, which means now the politicians and experts are ready to ride … Continue reading
Posted in Domestic Politics, Economics, Investing, Lance's Page, regulation
Tagged Domestic Politics, housing, mortgage crisis, subprime, the economy
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Tragic News for Leftists
Due to free markets, capitalism and freedom in general, the world is getting wealthier. The last quarter century has witnessed remarkable progress of mankind. The world’s per capita inflation-adjusted income rose from $5400 in 1980 to $8500 in 2005.Schooling and … Continue reading
An Argument Against Public Education
Via Glenn Reynolds, Wired posts an article describing the fight to include evolution in the science curriculum for students in Florida and Texas: Charles Darwin was born 199 years ago Tuesday, but the debate he ignited about the origins of … Continue reading
We’ll Get To That Wind Farm Application – Eventually
And by eventually, they mean decades down the road. This is a perfect example of government getting in the way of the innovation we need to dig ourselves out of our fossil fuel dependency. http://www.ecogeek.org/content/view/1362/1/ If you want to build … Continue reading
Posted in Domestic Politics, Economics, energy, Environment, Keith's Page, regulation, Technology
Tagged energy, government, innovation, MISO, regulation, stiffling, wind power
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His Own Petard?
(Cross Posted at Whatif?) When John McCain and George W. Bush were vying for their party’s nomination, I was a McCain fan. How could a person not be impressed by the man who refused to leave Vietnam’s prison camp to … Continue reading
Market failure
From Peter Gordon: This morning’s WSJ op-ed (“Gas Taxes Are High Enough”) by Mary E. Peters, Secretary of Transportation, suggests that this appointment belongs on the plus side of the ledger. She is the highest-ranking federal transportation official to openly … Continue reading
A Strange Maps Addiction
It is a very beneficial habit. Steve Newton has really gotten the bug, and has a startling one showing the difference between North and South Korea. Looking at it reminded me of one I posted about a long time ago. … Continue reading
Posted in Economics, Lance's Page, Libertarianism, regulation
Tagged air traffic, Hayek, Maps, North Korea, Russell Roberts, South Korea, spontaneous order
1 Comment
Clinton Proposes Perhaps the “dumbest solution to the current mortgage mess”
Jon Birger at CNN Money writes about a proposal Hillary Clinton floated at the Democratic Debates a few days ago. The plan was to have a “moratorium on foreclosures for 90 days [and] freezing interest rates for five years”. Birger … Continue reading
Posted in Chris' Page, Domestic Politics, Economics, Election 2008, regulation
Tagged Hillary Clinton, interest rates, jon birger, mortgage, stupid ideas
3 Comments
Free Shipping Illegal in France
I’m a big Amazon user. I think it’s a lazy guy thing. I know what I want, I don’t want to window shop at the mall or go to the hassle of actually driving and parking and wandering around in … Continue reading
Posted in Chris' Page, Economics, regulation
Tagged amazon, Books, capitalism, France, protectionism, regulation
5 Comments
Labour regulations in China and India: Economic Freedom in Relief
This is a stunning statistic: …the annual expansion in China’s trade has been larger than India’s total annual trade during last several years. Tyler Cowen hones in on this point, amongst a bounty of good points: The most important factor … Continue reading
Today’s links: Washington tries to step up
(cross posted at Risk and Return) Ben Bernanke gives Congress and the President the green light to take steps to stimulate the economy along with a warning:
ChrisB and the Federal Reserve
Chris asked what he thought the Federal Reserve could have done differently. I gave him an answer, but there was more to be said. My full answer is here. Scroll around, there is a lot more on the what could … Continue reading
Bloomberg Busted
From the “Holier Than Thou” department comes this interesting photo taken by Larry Fink for Wired Magazine. (link to larger photo) What’s that he’s reaching for with his right hand? Why, it’s a Cheez-ItTM! After gaining national media attention for … Continue reading
Bad Santa
Thaddeus Tremayne sees potential legal troubles for St. Nick in the UK: A frosty reception awaits Santa Claus in Britain this year. It seems that the much-loved benefactor of children everywhere is, in fact, suspected of being guilty of a … Continue reading
Posted in Foreign affairs, Humor, Libertarianism, MichaelW's Page, regulation
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Germany Warned About Minimum Wage Laws
Jean-Claude Trichet, the president of the European Central Bank, called them a “brake on employment”: The warning came after several competitors to Deutsche Post, the former state monopoly, announced redundancies and the cancellation of investments in response to Berlin’s decision … Continue reading
Posted in Economics, Foreign affairs, MichaelW's Page, regulation
1 Comment
Whither The Middle Class?
Hillary and Obama agree on taxing Americans more, they just can’t agree on whether it’s the “middle” or “upper” class that they’re prepared to squeeze for votes (HT: Paul Caron): Class, always an awkward topic in the United States, made … Continue reading
Time to praise something admirable in politics and media
It is not often that we hear people willing to face the wrongheaded aspects of a view they hold. Jack Shafer is no friend of Rupert Murdoch, but it is refreshing to hear him take apart some of the main … Continue reading
Posted in Lance's Page, Libertarianism, Media, regulation
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Housing and the Red State-Blue State Divide
Virginia Postrel makes a point I will be exploring in more detail over the next few months in her latest essay at The Atlantic, the reasons behind the vast disparities in housing prices in our country. More interestingly she … Continue reading
Enough Already
A couple of days ago I linked to McQ and Mark Steyn on the state of knowledge about the “poor family” whose child was used by Senate Democrats in their push to expand the SCHIP program. Here is why: The … Continue reading
Posted in Domestic Politics, Health Care, Lance's Page, Libertarianism, Media, regulation
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News Brief, À Cause Des Garçons Edition
Cross-posted on The Conjecturer. Defense & The War Dear God. The USAF thinks it will win counterinsurgencies by copying the Viet Cong? These guys are almost as bad as the PMFs. In a must-read analysis, Abu Muqawama concludes, “This, America, … Continue reading
Left Wing Attacks on Right Wing Punditry
So, how low can they go? http://www.politico.com/blogs/bensmith/1007/Elizabeth_Takes_on_Limbaugh.html An Air America producer just sent over some transcript from an interview their Richard Greene (not our Richard Greene) conducted with Elizabeth Edwards, in which she questioned Rush Limbaugh’s Vietnam exemption: ” My … Continue reading
Posted in Culture, Domestic Politics, Keith's Page, regulation
3 Comments
News Brief, Capture/release Edition
Repeated at The Conjecturer. Defense & the War P.W. Singer on how no one is really asking the right questions about Blackwater and PMCs in general. Contrary to other arguments, it is a question of legality and accountability, since even … Continue reading
Cities of Men
I have not touched on the subject of the often hostile turn our culture has taken towards men, especially when it comes to their relationships with children. It is not that I don’t agree that that is a concern, in … Continue reading
Urban Policy
I recently did an interview, about an hour and a half long, on the ongoing, and fruitful, efforts to revitalize downtown Baton Rouge. We discussed a wide variety of related topics to development; economics, regulatory barriers, the work of the … Continue reading
Trying to find common cause on the size of the state
One of Matthew Yglesias’ salient virtues as a man of the left is that he is economically literate. I realize that his audience on the left would be much smaller if he spent more time on things like this, but … Continue reading
The Ever Expanding Reach of the State
Radley nails this: So I guess once you’re elected to Congress, you’re immune from drunk driving laws; you can stash the evidence that you’ve committed a crime in your office, because investigators aren’t allowed to search it; if you kill … Continue reading
Posted in Domestic Politics, Lance's Page, Law, regulation
2 Comments
Regulation and disclosure often destroys information
From Robert Lawson: I hopped on the Chipotle website the other day looking for nutritional information on my favorite meal (carnitas burrito, rice, black beans, mild, hot, and green salsa, lettuce). But thanks to the nanny state, THEY CAN’T TELL … Continue reading
Posted in Economics, Investing, Lance's Page, regulation
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