Socialism’s ancient roots
This year I’ve set a goal of learning a few things about the history of China–you know, that country that’s holding a substantial portion of our national debt. So far I have listened to eight out of 30 lectures, bringing me (roughly) from pre-history up through the birth of Jesus. One thing that has struck me is that underlying today’s political debates are disagreements that […]
I thought conservatives hated it when people play the victim card
Conservatives talk a good game about personal responsibility and accepting the consequences of one’s actions, until … Newt Gingrich is a rising candidate in the Republican presidential sweepstakes. It’s primarily for his record as a conservative leader, though I do give him credit for leading the Republicans out of 40 years in the congressional wilderness as a neutered minority party. It’s also not for his […]
What Gov. Snyder should learn from a long-dead Dutch politician
I’ve always been a bit leery of the idea that what government needs is a successful business executive. Henry Payne’s recent column comparing Gov. Snyder and Gov. Daniels prompted me to wonder why. I came up with a few more ideas. He wrote, “Contrary to popular wisdom, the Daniels role model — followed to a ‘T’ by Snyder — is not conservativism; it is creating a successful […]
The pro-global warming caucus
Like Dan Calabrese, I’ve taken my bike out of the garage several times this warm winter. Since the first snowfall, I’ve been my skis once, my snowboard twice, and my bike six times. While I find the brown landscape depressing, I’m probably in the minority. After all, the warmer weather means no “winter driving,” no shoveling, no ice dams, and being able to wear shirts and […]
One-sided Economics Afflicts Politics
The warm winter, virtually without snow, provides a lesson in incomplete thinking about economics. The Star Tribune recently published a story about the economic impact of the season: “Minnesota businesses are seeing red ink in brown winter.” It then quotes, as evidence, people with businesses that clear driveways of snow, remove ice dams from buildings, and sell cross-country ski equipment. As someone who enjoys the […]
When Government Expands, Volunteerism Shrinks
Three European scholars have confirmed the obvious: Government social programs crowd out private ones. Franz Hackl, Martin Halla, and Gerald J. Pruckner, all of Austria’s University of Linz, have this to say: * “An increase of in public social expenditure by 1 percentage point of GDP decreases the individual’s probability of volunteering by 1.7 up to 2.9 percentage points.” Total volunteering declines by 5.1 to 8.7 […]
Will fires finish Finnish Fisker?
The electric car market is expanding and diversifying. It’s not just the Chevy Volt that is catching fire these days. A model produced by a company in Finland – with U.S. “stimulus” dollars – is being recalled because of a fire hazard. OK, I shouldn’t be too hard on the luxury car. Trusty old gas-powered cars can catch on fire too, and new products are prone […]