TweetFareed Zakaria, writing in the Washington Post, eloquently corrects many of the fallacies believed by MAGA-types (and also by many – most? – progressives’) about the American economy. Two slices: The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development’s measure of median disposable household income in America was higher than in all but one advanced industrial economy…
Some Links
Some Links
11 Aug 2025 1 Comment
in applied price theory, economic history, history of economic thought, international economics, politics - USA Tags: tarrifs
Politics Without Shame: Gerrymandering Makes Hypocrisy a Political Punch Line
11 Aug 2025 Leave a comment
Below is my column in The Hill on open hypocrisy of many denouncing the Texas redistricting effort. While I have been a critic of gerrymandering for decades, the faux outrage of Democrats in heavily gerrymandered states would make Captain Louis Renault blush. Here is the column:
Politics Without Shame: Gerrymandering Makes Hypocrisy a Political Punch Line
Chlöe Swarbrick’s homelessness hyperbole
11 Aug 2025 Leave a comment
in applied price theory, economic history, economics of regulation, human capital, labour economics, law and economics, liberalism, Marxist economics, politics - New Zealand, poverty and inequality, property rights, Public Choice, rentseeking, transport economics, urban economics Tags: family poverty, homelessness, regressive left
Ani O’Brien writes – Chlöe Swarbrick wants you to believe the Government is intentionally increasing homelessness. She told RNZ’s Mata with Mihingarangi Forbes: “The only conclusion that I can really come to is that this Government has intentionally increased homelessness…” It’s the kind of soundbite that plays well on social media. Outrage travels faster than nuance, and a […]
Chlöe Swarbrick’s homelessness hyperbole
Carney Limits Canadians’ Access to News
10 Aug 2025 1 Comment
in economics of regulation, politics Tags: Canada, free speech, media bias, political correctness, regressive left
Another blow against free speech in Canada reported in rightforcanada article Carney defends internet censorship bill, tells Canadians to rely on CBC for news. Excerpts in italics with my bolds and added images. PM Mark Carney dismissed concerns over Bill C-18’s restrictions on sharing news on social media, promoting the Liberal-funded CBC as the primary […]
Carney Limits Canadians’ Access to News
The Press found to have breached Media Council rules with its school lunches article
10 Aug 2025 Leave a comment
in economics of education, politics - New Zealand Tags: media bias
The Media Council has upheld a complaint by David Seymour’s office against this article on school lunches. It was found to have breached both the fairness and conflict of interest principles. The first issue was that they ran the article, and didn’t even ask the Minister for comment. They only quoted opponents of the new […]
The Press found to have breached Media Council rules with its school lunches article
A new left UK party
09 Aug 2025 Leave a comment
in Marxist economics, politics Tags: British politics
The Guardian reports: Jeremy Corbyn and Zarah Sultana have reached agreement over the launch of a new leftwing party after weeks of discussions, sending out a joint statement encouraging would-be supporters to register their interest. The new movement has yet to be named but has an interim website under the moniker of Your party. In a statement on X, the two […]
A new left UK party
The Lancet publishes a glowing but deeply misguided review of a book that denies the sex binary, yet the author of the review had previously TOUTED the sex binary
09 Aug 2025 1 Comment
in discrimination, economics of education, gender, liberalism, Marxist economics, politics - USA Tags: evolutionary biology, free speech, political correctness, regressive left, sex discrimination
We’ve all learned that The Lancet, once a respectable journal, has gone full-on “progressive,” denying the sex binary, adopting a comprehensive Left progressive position, blaming rich white countries for all the health problems of poorer countries, and advocating gender-activist language, as it did in its widely-criticized cover below. Much of this was done under the […]
The Lancet publishes a glowing but deeply misguided review of a book that denies the sex binary, yet the author of the review had previously TOUTED the sex binary
Inciting abuse
08 Aug 2025 Leave a comment
in economics of crime, law and economics, politics - New Zealand, property rights
An email from Don Brash of Hobson’s Pledge explains the plan for its campaign against Māori wards on councils ran into trouble when they used a stock photo of a woman who supports the wards and was very upset when her image was used on billboards. When they learned of her distress they instructed the […]
Inciting abuse
Did the Minnesota housing reform lower housing costs?
07 Aug 2025 1 Comment
in applied price theory, law and economics, politics - USA, property rights, Public Choice, rentseeking, urban economics Tags: housing affordability, land supply, zoning
Yes: In December 2018, Minneapolis became the first U.S. city to eliminate single-family zoning through the Minneapolis 2040 Plan, a landmark reform with a central focus on improving housing affordability. This paper estimates the effect of the Minneapolis 2040 Plan on home values and rental prices. Using a synthetic control approach we find that the […]
Did the Minnesota housing reform lower housing costs?
GUEST POST: On the long-term costs of New Zealand Superannuation: more affordable now?
07 Aug 2025 Leave a comment
in income redistribution, labour economics, politics - New Zealand, Public Choice, public economics Tags: ageing society
A guest post by Michael Littlewood: As New Zealand’s population ages and, in particular, as the proportion of over-65s increases, the cost of New Zealand Superannuation (NZS) is rising. We know that and it doesn’t help us understand the issues to create headlines that catastrophise the expected costs. The pensions payable in the future, public […]
GUEST POST: On the long-term costs of New Zealand Superannuation: more affordable now?
Peters and Seymour tussle over ‘Maorification’
07 Aug 2025 Leave a comment
in constitutional political economy, economics of regulation, law and economics, politics - New Zealand, property rights, Public Choice Tags: constitutional law
Graham Adams writes – After NZ First leapfrogged Act last month in a Taxpayers’ Union-Curia poll — which led to much media excitement about the party’s rising fortunes — it seemed odd for Winston Peters to be quite so tetchy with journalists seeking his opinion on David Seymour’s views on karakia, traditional Māori prayers or incantations […]
Peters and Seymour tussle over ‘Maorification’
A great take on the passport issue
06 Aug 2025 Leave a comment
in liberalism, Marxist economics, politics - New Zealand
It has been unbelievable that so many people have gone insane over the entirely sensible and trivial change to NZ passports where the language used by 99% of New Zealanders appears first and the language used by 4% appears second. Both languages are still on the NZ passport. All that has changed is the order. […]
A great take on the passport issue
Why the tariffs are bad
05 Aug 2025 1 Comment
in applied price theory, international economics, politics - USA Tags: tarrifs
I am delighted to see this excellent analysis in the NYT: Mr. Tedeschi said that future leaders in Washington, whether Republican or Democrat, may be hesitant to roll back the tariffs if that would mean a further addition to the federal debt load, which is already raising alarms on Wall Street. And replacing the tariff […]
Why the tariffs are bad
A Critical Review of Impacts of Greenhouse Gas Emissions on the U.S. Climate
05 Aug 2025 Leave a comment
in applied welfare economics, economics of climate change, energy economics, environmental economics, environmentalism, global warming, politics - USA
By Paul Homewood Climate sceptics have long called for a genuinely independent review of climate science – a Blue v Red Team, as it were. Thanks to the US Energy Secretary, here it is: https://www.energy.gov/sites/default/files/2025-07/DOE_Critical_Review_of_Impacts_of_GHG_Emissions_on_the_US_Climate_July_2025.pdf The authors make it clear they only undertook the task on the guarantee there would be no editorial oversight […]
A Critical Review of Impacts of Greenhouse Gas Emissions on the U.S. Climate
A Small But Important Victory for Taxpayers
05 Aug 2025 1 Comment
in economics of bureaucracy, fiscal policy, politics - USA, Public Choice
Regular readers know I’m not a Trumpie. Some of his policies are terrible (protectionism), while others are irresponsible (punting on entitlements) or misguided (new tax loopholes). But I have to give credit where credit is due. Unlike every other Republican president over the past six decades – including the great Ronald Reagan – Donald Trump […]
A Small But Important Victory for Taxpayers
Utopia, you are standing in it! 
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