Good Riddance, Joe Biden

This is the last full day of Joe Biden’s dismal presidency, so let’s do what we did with Justin Trudeau and reflect on his pathetic legacy. I’ve already provided my own economic assessment of Biden’s record, so now let’s review how he is seen by others. We’ll start with the American people. According to a […]

Good Riddance, Joe Biden

Bill Maher’s latest monologue: the L.A. fires and progressive politics

After a vacation hiatus, Bill Maher is back with a monologue called, “New rules: political firestorm.”  Here he parses blame for the L.A. fires between unavoidable causes (no rain, lots of brush) and avoidable ones (blockheaded politicians).  The latter, he says, involves cuts in the firse-department budget, stolen or nonfunctional hydrants, empty reservoirs, exposed power […]

Bill Maher’s latest monologue: the L.A. fires and progressive politics

Further proof the Council just made things worse

Stuff reports: Reading Cinemas is set to return to Wellington after it was revealed on Tuesday night that the cinema chain’s owner, Reading International, intends to undertake a redevelopment of the old building. The company has entered into a Sale and Purchase Agreement with Prime Property Group, with part of the deal including a seismic upgrade […]

Further proof the Council just made things worse

Margaret Thatcher, Michael Curley, and the 19th Theorem of Government

In this 12-second video, Margaret Thatcher is talking about the Labour Party in the United Kingdom, but her warning has universal application. And when I say her warning has universal application, I’m not joking. Politicians generally can’t resist the temptation to buy votes. And I fear that this can and will happen at all levels […]

Margaret Thatcher, Michael Curley, and the 19th Theorem of Government

Winston Peters: “Principles of the Treaty of Waitangi – Deletion” Bill…

The New Zealand Centre for Political Research dipped into the Parliamentary archives and retrieved Winston Peters’ speech on the first reading of New Zealand First’s “Principles of the Treaty of Waitangi – Deletion” Bill on 8 June 2005   Rt Hon WINSTON PETERS (Leader—NZ First) : I move, That the Principles of the Treaty […]

Winston Peters: “Principles of the Treaty of Waitangi – Deletion” Bill…

Not a useful question

Radio NZ report: A new poll has found close to half of New Zealanders want the new Interislander ferries to be rail-enabled. The government is still considering replacement options after ditching Labour’s iRex project citing a large cost blowout, in particular from upgrading port infrastructure, taking the pricetag upwards of $3 billion. Horizon Research has found 48 […]

Not a useful question

Noah Smith on L.A: fire lessons

The best piece I have seen so far, here is one bit: Basically, the lessons I take away from the horrific L.A. fires are: The insurance industry as we know it is in big trouble. Climate change is making wildfires worse, but there’s not much we can do about that right now. Forest management needs […]

Noah Smith on L.A: fire lessons

‘A Huge Win’: Woke ‘Cartel’ Of Financial Giants Dealt Death Blow 11 Days Before Trump Takes Office

“The news of BlackRock’s departure from NZAM should be music to the ears of every American consumer,” Will Hild, executive director of conservative nonprofit Consumers’ Research, told the Daily Caller News Foundation. “NZAM is an illegitimate cartel of asset managers pushing harmful and costly net zero policies across the entire economy. The activities of NZAM and its members raise prices on Americans everywhere from the gas pump to the grocery store.”

‘A Huge Win’: Woke ‘Cartel’ Of Financial Giants Dealt Death Blow 11 Days Before Trump Takes Office

Some Links

TweetGMU Econ alum Holly Jean Soto busts the myth of “greedflation.” Scott Lincicome identifies an interesting contrast between the facts and opinion about China. George Will decries the spinelessness of the modern U.S. Congress. A slice: The incoming president will be able, on a whim, to unilaterally discombobulate international commerce — and the domestic economy…

Some Links

Price controls destroy wealth: California Fire Insurance

Noah Smith via Marginal Revolution, and Kim Mai Cutler.  The CA insurance regulator is elected, and is reluctant to allow higher rates for fire insurance, despite the big risks, lest she be voted out of office.  As a consequence, expected profits are low, so a majority of top insurers have stopped issuing fire insurance in CA.…

Price controls destroy wealth: California Fire Insurance

Smart Growth Burns Thousands of Homes

Los Angeles city and regional planners are just as responsible for the Palisades, Eaton, and other fires that have burned in the past few days as if they had poured gasoline on the homes and lit the matches. The destruction of these homes, including, for what it is worth, homes … Continue reading →

Smart Growth Burns Thousands of Homes

Left-Wing Economists Were Wildly Wrong about Javier Milei and his Libertarian Agenda for Argentina

It’s easy to mock economists. Consider the supposedly prestigious left-leaning academics who asserted in 2021 that Biden’s agenda was not inflationary. At the risk of understatement, they wound up with egg on their faces.* Today, we’re going to look at another example of leftist economists making fools of themselves. It involves Argentina, where President Javier […]

Left-Wing Economists Were Wildly Wrong about Javier Milei and his Libertarian Agenda for Argentina

Claims about fires?

From Isaiah Taylor: In 2007 the Sierra Club successfully sued the Forest Service to prevent them from creating a Categorical Exclusion (CE) to NEPA for controlled burns (the technical term is “fuel reduction”). The CE would have allowed the forest service to conduct burns without having to perform a full EIS (the median time for […]

Claims about fires?

Austria 2024–2025: Will FPÖ form government or will there be an early election?

The President of Austria,  Alexander Van der Bellen, has called upon Freedom Party (FPÖ) leader Herbert Kickl to attempt to form a government. This development comes after the incumbent Chancellor (PM) Karl Nehammer of the Austrian People’s Party (ÖVP) resigned upon failing to assemble a coalition. The ÖVP is the mainstream conservative party, whereas the […]

Austria 2024–2025: Will FPÖ form government or will there be an early election?

Meta dismantles misinformation industry

Mark Zuckerberg announced: In recent years we’ve developed increasingly complex systems to manage content across our platforms, partly in response to societal and political pressure to moderate content. This approach has gone too far. As well-intentioned as many of these efforts have been, they have expanded over time to the point where we are making […]

Meta dismantles misinformation industry

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