TweetBob Graboyes masterfully exposes many of the fallacies that fuel Trump’s destructive trade ‘policy.’ Three slices: In 2016, Donald Trump promised, “We’re gonna win so much that you may get tired of winning.” His advisors must have reached that point, as evidenced by the bizarre, incoherent “Liberation Day” tariff policy they helped craft. Trump supporters have…
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Some Links
14 Apr 2025 1 Comment
in applied price theory, history of economic thought, industrial organisation, international economics, politics - USA Tags: 2024 presidential election, free trade, tarrifs
Your Latte and Lesson is Ready: Starbucks Employees Pause Service to Protest Immigration Policies
14 Apr 2025 Leave a comment
in law and economics, politics - New Zealand Tags: 2024 presidential election, economics of immigration

We previously discussed how companies were barring political protests or paraphernalia at the workplace and how such rules are entirely enforceable. That made a recent story interesting when Starbucks workers across the country stopped working for a silent protest over the deportation of unlawful immigrants. Starbucks does not appear to be moving to stop such […]
Your Latte and Lesson is Ready: Starbucks Employees Pause Service to Protest Immigration Policies
Nobuo Fujita-the only Japanese pilot to bomb mainland America, 1942
14 Apr 2025 Leave a comment
in defence economics, war and peace Tags: Japan, World War II

Nobuo Fujita was a Japanese naval officer and aviator who holds a unique place in World War II history—as the only person to conduct an aerial bombing of the continental United States. His story, however, goes far beyond this singular event, evolving into a remarkable tale of reconciliation, peace, and personal transformation. The War Years […]
Nobuo Fujita-the only Japanese pilot to bomb mainland America, 1942
WHOOP WHOOP — DEFUND DA POLICE
13 Apr 2025 Leave a comment
in economics of crime, law and economics, Marxist economics, politics - New Zealand Tags: crime and punishment, regressive left
The Sensible Sentencing Trust announced: ‘Whoop Whoop — Defund Da Police’: Sensible Sentencing Trust Drops Satirical Hip Hop Song Targeting Green Party’s Anti-Police AgendaThe Sensible Sentencing Trust has today released a satirical hip hop song and music video parodying the Green Party’s radical stance on law and order, including calls by its electorate MPs to defund the…
WHOOP WHOOP — DEFUND DA POLICE
Catholics in the Commons after emancipation
13 Apr 2025 Leave a comment
in discrimination, economic history, economics of religion Tags: British constitutional law, British politics

Today (13 April) marks the anniversary of the Roman Catholic Relief Act gaining royal assent in 1829, which removed many of the barriers restricting Roman Catholics from sitting in Parliament. However, as Dr Philip Salmon of the Victorian Commons explores, hostility to Catholics continued despite their emancipation … It may seem surprising to some that […]
Catholics in the Commons after emancipation
There’s little evidence that subsidies and protections have substantially raised the number of children women have over their lifetime
13 Apr 2025 Leave a comment
in economics of love and marriage, labour economics, labour supply, law and economics, population economics Tags: economics of fertility
See They Want More Babies: Now They Have Friends in the White House by Lydia DePillis of The NY Times. Excerpts: “In designing policy requests for federal legislators, however, pronatalists run into a problem: There’s little evidence that subsidies and protections have substantially raised the number of children women have over their lifetime. It’s not for…
There’s little evidence that subsidies and protections have substantially raised the number of children women have over their lifetime
Strange alliances on alcohol vote
13 Apr 2025 Leave a comment
in economics of regulation, health economics, politics - New Zealand Tags: economics of prohibition
The House voted on the first reading of the bill by Kieran McAnulty’s bill to allow businesses that are allowed to open on public holidays to have normal alcohol sale conditions apply. It is a very common sense bill and passed 67 to 54. It is a personal vote, but it was interesting where the […]
Strange alliances on alcohol vote
Winston Peters at 80: the populist’s populist clocks up 50 years of political comebacks
13 Apr 2025 Leave a comment
Grant Duncan writes – Winston Peters turned a venerable 80 on April 11, but he showed no sign of retiring as New Zealand’s archetypal populist during his recent state of the nation speech. He especially enjoyed the hecklers, gleefully telling them one by one to get out. As ever, his detractors became extras in the […]
Winston Peters at 80: the populist’s populist clocks up 50 years of political comebacks
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13 Apr 2025 Leave a comment
in applied price theory, industrial organisation, international economics Tags: 2024 presidential election, free trade, tarrifs
TweetTunku Varadarajan’s “Weekend Interview” in the Wall Street Journal is with the great Dartmouth trade economist and economic historian Doug Irwin. Three slices: In effect, Mr. Trump also slapped tariffs on 10005, Wall Street’s ZIP Code, for America’s markets cowered in horror. Dollar assets experienced such a rout that Mr. Trump himself took notice of…
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NZ workplace safety experiment a breath of fresh air
12 Apr 2025 Leave a comment
in economics of regulation, health and safety, labour economics, law and economics, politics - New Zealand, property rights
Oliver Hartwich writes – One of the pleasures of my job as Executive Director of The New Zealand Initiative is hosting events with Ministers explaining their new policies to our members. Last week, we hosted Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Brooke van Velden at our annual retreat. I was impressed by the range of policies […]
NZ workplace safety experiment a breath of fresh air
The Battle of La Lys – Operation Georgette I THE GREAT WAR Week 194
12 Apr 2025 Leave a comment
in defence economics, war and peace Tags: World War I
DON BRASH: NZME can get stuffed – the ad they rejected
12 Apr 2025 Leave a comment
in discrimination, entrepreneurship, law and economics, liberalism, Marxist economics, politics - New Zealand, property rights Tags: affirmative action, free speech, political correctness, racial discrimination, regressive left
Written by Don Brash in his capacity as Hobson’s Pledge trustee This morning, you were meant to open the New Zealand Herald and see a…
DON BRASH: NZME can get stuffed – the ad they rejected
Putting children first
12 Apr 2025 Leave a comment
in law and economics, liberalism, Marxist economics, politics - New Zealand Tags: child welfare
Karen Chhour announced: Children’s Minister Karen Chhour has welcomed the passing of legislation to repeal section 7AA of the Oranga Tamariki Act by Parliament. The Bill’s passing will enable Oranga Tamariki—Ministry for Children and its frontline staff to focus first and foremost on the safety and wellbeing of children when creating care arrangements, says Minister […]
Putting children first
Climate Change Weekly # 540 — ‘Cheap’ Wind and Solar Raise Electricity Prices
12 Apr 2025 Leave a comment
in economics of climate change, economics of regulation, energy economics, environmental economics, environmentalism, global warming Tags: solar power, wind power
Multiple studies have demonstrated wind and solar power remain more expensive than historically traditional sources of electricity, such as coal, natural gas, nuclear, and hydropower, and Energy Information Administration data back that up—disproving claims by renewable energy profiteers and their lobbying groups. As coal plants have been prematurely retired and replaced by wind and solar, prices have risen and reliability has declined. The greater the forced (through renewable mandates) or incentivized (through subsidies, tax breaks, and tax credits) incursion of wind and solar into a state’s electric power supply, the higher and faster the costs rise.
Climate Change Weekly # 540 — ‘Cheap’ Wind and Solar Raise Electricity Prices
Finally common sense for drug approvals
12 Apr 2025 Leave a comment
in economics of bureaucracy, economics of regulation, health economics, politics - New Zealand, Public Choice
David Seymour announced: Associate Health Minister David Seymour is welcoming Cabinet’s decision to enable medicines to be approved in less than 30 days if the product has approval from two recognised overseas jurisdictions. This change is included in the Medicines Amendment Bill (the Bill), which amends the Medicines Act 1981. The pathway will be in […]
Finally common sense for drug approvals
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