Commentators and pundits, some of whom ought to know better, continue to harp on the idea that the recession persists because consumers are not spending. Every Keynesian seems to believe that because consumers are in a dreadful funk, only government stimulus spending can rescue the moribund economy, given (to them, at least) that investors...
Read More »

An Air Force sergeant has been discharged for being a vocal “birther,” someone denying that the president was born in the United States. Meanwhile, three ATF agents involved in “Operation Fast and Furious,” a highly controversial plan to permit illegal gun sales that end up in the hands of Mexican drug cartels, have new...
Read More »

In response to my recent essay “Obama and Hoover: Two ‘Smart’ (Stupid) Presidents”, one commenter did me the service of rehashing the old myths about the 1920s and the causes of the depression and how Herbert Hoover did little, FDR did a lot and Hoover has nothing in common with “Wonder Boy” Obama. (Coolidge...
Read More »

The humor columnist for the New York Times, Paul Krugman, has recently taken to defending his vulgar Keynesianism against its critics by accusing them of making arguments that rely on the existence of a “confidence fairy.” By this mockery, Krugman seeks to dismiss the critics as unscientific blockheads, in contrast to his own supreme status...
Read More »

Get ready for life in ultra small cars, shorn of spare tires and other unnecessary weight. The Obama administration has set the Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards to 54.5 mpg! There will be fines (read: added costs) if you choose the wrong kind of vehicle or buy from an auto company that fails...
Read More »

In a shockingly unusual turn of events, a federal court in Louisiana has reached a just decision. This man-bites-dog decision involves my neighbors, the Benedictine brothers of St. Joseph Abbey and Seminary, about whose difficulties I wrote recently. The Louisiana funeral directors’ cartel was attempting to shut down the monks’ sale of the simple...
Read More »

I cannot vouch for this chart, which is described as showing the findings of a survey of investors by Citi, but if it is even in the neighborhood of the truth, it would appear to be additional evidence of regime uncertainty–major-policy uncertainty, fear of significant government foul-ups, call it whatever suits you best. I have not...
Read More »

If we credit the reports coming to us from the mainstream news media–and I am certainly not suggesting that we should–the Democrats and the Republicans are locked in a fierce struggle over whether to increase the government’s statutory debt limit. The administration and its supporters in Congress insist that taxes be increased as part of...
Read More »

John Pistole, head of the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), thinks flying is a privilege, and therefore, apparently, those of us “privileged” to be doing it ought to be subjected to whatever humiliations his agents can dish out. Sen. Rand Paul, during his questioning of Pistole in Senate hearings this week, quoted the Supreme Court’s...
Read More »

President Obama’s Jobs and Competitiveness Council released five “fast-action” recommendations for things the government can do that will result in 1 million jobs on a near-term basis. Among the ideas was: Boost jobs in travel and tourism. This industry is one of America’s largest employers, but the United States has lost significant market share....
Read More »