Lee on Nov 05 2008 | Filed under: Economics, Foreign affairs
South Korea is getting jittery about prospects for its long sought Free Trade Agreement with the United States, which is still yet to be approved by both countries, and is now under threat from a potentially protectionist Obama administration.
In the past Obama has criticized the agreement as deeply flawed, but has proven somewhat idiosyncratic about [...]
Lee on Aug 02 2008 | Filed under: Economics, Foreign affairs, Lee's Page
Colombian flower farms (photo: Mike Freedman-Schnapp)
Colombia’s flower farm workers have for some time been benefiting mightily from industrial support communities, which practice heavy nongovernmental social investment in workforce collectives. Many of the workers in these communities outside Bogota and Medellin are essentially resettled refugees from the war in the countryside. The community support in the [...]
Lee on Jul 30 2008 | Filed under: Foreign affairs, Lee's Page, Uncategorized
(photo: Charles Roffey - Charles & Fred)
Someone once said that in Damascus you truly can get a little bit pregnant. It’s a good aphorism, because if you asked the foreign minister of almost any state in the Middle East or the Mediterranean what his government’s policy relationship was with Syria, he would automatically furrow his [...]
Peg on Apr 23 2008 | Filed under: Developmental economics, Economics, Peg's Page
As an update to this previous post, be sure to read this from The Economist.
Governments ought to liberalise markets, not intervene in them further. Food is riddled with state intervention at every turn, from subsidies to millers for cheap bread to bribes for farmers to leave land fallow. The upshot of such quotas, subsidies and [...]
Lance on Apr 12 2008 | Filed under: Domestic Politics, Economics, Election 2008, Firearms, Lance's Page
Given the discussion at this post about Obama’s condescension, I suggest Tom Maguire’s roundup of the coverage of Obama making the mistake of speaking his mind about the rubes who he needs to vote for him:
I can’t believe that in all those Harvard classes they never emphasize that you can’t tell the rubes what you [...]
Keith_Indy on Mar 21 2008 | Filed under: Domestic Politics, Economics, Election 2008, Keith's Page
Some interesting parallels with our current situation and the period before the Great Depression. Interestingly, it seems the Democrats are intent on not learning from history, at least not about what led us to the Depression. Or maybe they want a replay of the policies that helped drag us out of the Depression.
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601039&refer=columnist_shlaes&sid=alBsmRS72DyM
Schumer [...]
Peg on Feb 29 2008 | Filed under: Domestic Politics, Education, Peg's Page
Competition plays a large role in much of my life. As a tournament bridge player, competition is the name of the game. The better you do, the more you rate to win. The more you do to learn, improve your game and secure superior partners and teammates, the higher you climb.
As a [...]
Peg on Feb 23 2008 | Filed under: Developmental economics, Domestic Politics, Education, Libertarianism, Milton Friedman Memorial Page, Peg's Page, regulation
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 life expectancy grew rapidly, while infant mortality and poverty fell just asfast. [...]
Lance on Feb 06 2008 | Filed under: Developmental economics, Domestic Politics, Economics, Election 2008, Lance's Page
In electing a President we are rarely presented with candidates who represent our views, so in the end it really comes down to prioritizing. Frankly I may yet again not vote for a major party candidate, but if I do one issue of great importance to me, though not mentioned nearly often enough, is a [...]
Lance on Jan 22 2008 | Filed under: Domestic Politics, Economics, Lance's Page
Megan McCardle looks at some silly arguments at Max Sawickey’s old place on trade. Read the whole thing, but she hits the nail on the head here:
There are three possibilities for what will happen if we liberalize trade:
1) We will sell more stuff to foreigners than they sell to us. Since we can’t use all [...]
Lance on Jan 21 2008 | Filed under: Around the Web
If you didn’t read this when you saw it on Instapundit, please do. And then follow the link as well, and the link there too. It is important.
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addthis_title = ‘Dear+Third+World+Farmer’;
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