Review: "Why Marx Was Right"

"Marx and Lenin imagined a scientific system oriented toward the common good but created a system in which less knowledge is available to economic decision-makers and the narrow self-interest of the ruling class is elevated to commanding heights. And so, the “scientific system” will always lose."

Why Eagleton Is Wrong « Commentary Magazine

Why Don't We Love Our Intellectuals?

"To the man-in-the-street, who, I'm sorry to say,
Is a keen observer of life,
The word 'Intellectual' suggests right away
A man who's untrue to his wife.'"

Why don't we love our intellectuals? | Books | The Observer

Botox and Beancounting

"COSMETIC surgery is more popular in America than in Europe. Statistics, too, may be making things there look less saggy."

Economics focus: Botox and beancounting | The Economist

Is Inflation Making a Comeback?

"The claim has a surface plausibility. If the money supply is growing and prices are rising, what more evidence do we need? But first impressions, in this case, are badly misleading."

Is Inflation Making a Comeback? - Reason Magazine

The Secrets of Job Creation

"Andy Puzder knows a thing or two about job creation. As the chief executive of CKE Restaurants, he’s at the helm of 3,150 Carl’s Jr. and Hardee’s restaurants across the country and around the world."

In The Green Room: Carl’s Jr., Hardee’s CEO Shares the Secrets of Job Creation | The Foundry

Let the Housing Bubble Burst

"If governments were removed – most importantly, the planning system that depresses supply and the artificially cheap credit that inflates demand – the supply of houses that people want to live in would rise and house prices would fall. Homeowners should not be able to use government to protect their investments at everybody else’s expense. With a looming housing crisis and house prices at an all-time high, it's time to let the bubble burst."

Time to let the housing bubble burst

Zimbabwe's 100-Trillion-Dollar Bill

"The notes are a hot commodity among currency collectors and novelty buyers, fetching 15 times what they were officially worth in circulation."

Zimbabwe's 100-Trillion-Dollar Bill Is a Hot Collectible - WSJ.com

Ideological Underpinnings of the "Great Society"

By: Robert Higgs
From: Mises Daily

The surge of federal economic interventions that occurred during Lyndon B. Johnson's presidency — the much-ballyhooed Great Society, whose centerpiece was the War on Poverty — differed from the four preceding surges, each of which had been sparked by war or economic depression. No national emergency prevailed when Johnson took office following John F. Kennedy's assassination on November 22, 1963. The nation was not engaged in a major shooting war, and the economy was on the mend after the mild recession of 1960-61. For the most part, the Great Society represented simply the culmination of economic, political, and intellectual developments stretching back as far as the 19th century.

Read the entire article HERE.

When Capital Is Nowhere in View

By: Jeffrey A. Tucker
From: Mises Daily

A Travel Channel episode of No Reservations, a cooking-focused show narrated by Anthony Bourdain, took viewers to Port-au-Prince, Haiti. I had heard that the show offered unique insight into the country and its troubles. I couldn't imagine how. But it turns out to be true. Through the lens of food, we can gain an insight into culture, and from culture to economy, and from economy to politics and finally to what's wrong in this country and what can be done about it.

Read the entire article HERE.

"Selfish Reasons to Have More Kids"

"Bryan Caplan of George Mason University and EconLog talks with EconTalk host Russ Roberts about the ideas in Caplan's new book, Selfish Reasons to Have More Kids. Caplan argues that parents spend too much time trying to influence how their kids will turn out as adults. Using research on twins and adopted children, Caplan argues that nature dominates nurture and that parents have little lasting influence on many aspects of their children's lives. He concludes that parents should spend less time and energy trying to influence their children. If parenting takes less time, then have more kids, says Caplan. The conversation concludes with a discussion of whether a larger population is bad for the planet."

EconTalk | Library of Economics and Liberty

“No Nation Was Ever Ruined By Trade”

"Our politicians get it backwards: Trade creates jobs for Americans and everyone else."

“No Nation Was Ever Ruined By Trade” - Reason Magazine

Fiscal Fight

"In 1850, French economist Frederic Bastiat defined legalized plunder as forcibly taking the property of another through legislation so beneficiaries could live at the expense of others. Since mans nature is to avoid pain - and it is in the nature of some men to avoid labor by resorting to plunder - government should use its collective force to stop this fatal tendency. But Bastiat failed to see that it is man who runs government and it is mans nature to want to expand his power."

Fiscal fight could change Beltway culture - Washington Times

Wealth Creation Explained in 32 Seconds

Mission Accomplished! Right?

Now that Osama Bin Laden is dead, can we please bring our troops home?

Not so fast! Bin Laden's body had yet to sink to the bottom of the sea before our 'leaders' began re-justifying their "War on Terror."

The "War on Terror," the "War on Drugs," and the "War on Poverty" are all un-winnable wars with unclear objectives. However, they do allow the Federal government to destroy personal liberty, ignore habeas corpus, torture, invade foreign countries, increase taxes, and pit one class against the other. Instead of "Just say no to drugs", let's "Just say no to unconstitutional wars."

Photo Credit: here

Bad Education

"The nearly axiomatic good of a university degree in American society has allowed a higher education bubble to expand to the point of bursting."

n+1: Bad Education

Climate Science Kit

Via Bishop Hill.

The Destruction of Economic Facts

"Renowned Peruvian economist Hernando de Soto argues that the financial crisis wasn't just about finance—it was about a staggering lack of knowledge."

The Destruction of Economic Facts - BusinessWeek:

Victims of Communism Day

"Today is May Day. For the past several years, I have advocated that this date be transformed into Victims of Communism Day."

The Volokh Conspiracy » Victims of Communism Day

Fight of the Century: Keynes vs Hayek Round Two

Who Was Really at Fault for the Toyota Recalls?

"Did corporate hubris, an overzealous media or vindictive regulators turn a small safety problem into a massive scandal for the automaker?"


Who Was Really at Fault for the Toyota Recalls? - Robert E. Cole - Business - The Atlantic