Bill Maher’s 8½-minute monologue, largely about the advanced age of Joe Biden, aired on Real Time last night. His point: don’t let the opposition define you, and be who you really are. In Biden’s case, that’s being old, and Biden should, says Maher, “own it.” I’m not sure that would really work, though. Americans watch Biden, […]
Bill Maher’s weekly monologue
Bill Maher’s weekly monologue
03 Mar 2024 Leave a comment
in politics - USA, television, TV shows Tags: 2024 presidential election
Did Bush Lie About Iraq?
02 Mar 2024 Leave a comment
in defence economics, politics - USA, war and peace Tags: Atomic weapons, Iraq
A Moment of Truth: Five Questions for Hunter Biden
01 Mar 2024 Leave a comment
in economics of crime, law and economics, politics - USA Tags: 2024 presidential election

Below is my column in the New York Post on the closed door deposition of Hunter Biden. After years of conflicting and evasive responses on these corruption allegations, Hunter Biden is now faced with a moment of truth.
A Moment of Truth: Five Questions for Hunter Biden
“Craven” and “Insurrectionists”: MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow and Other Denounce the Supreme Court for Granting Review of Presidential Immunity
29 Feb 2024 Leave a comment
in economics of crime, law and economics, politics - USA Tags: 2024 presidential election

Yesterday, the Supreme Court granted review of the presidential immunity question, but set an expedited schedule for the review of the question with oral argument scheduled for April. Former president Donald Trump wrote on Truth Social that “Legal Scholars are extremely thankful for the Supreme Court’s Decision today to take up Presidential Immunity.” As I […]
“Craven” and “Insurrectionists”: MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow and Other Denounce the Supreme Court for Granting Review of Presidential Immunity
“We Don’t Do That Here.”: Former NY Times Editor Blasts the “Gray Lady” for Bias and Activism
28 Feb 2024 Leave a comment
in economics of information, economics of media and culture, entrepreneurship, industrial organisation, liberalism, Marxist economics, politics - USA, survivor principle Tags: free speech, media bias, political correctness, regressive left

Former New York Times editor Adam Rubenstein has a lengthy essay at The Atlantic that pulls back the curtain on the newspaper and its alleged bias in its coverage. The essay follows similar pieces from former editors and writers that range from Bari Weiss to Rubenstein’s former colleague James Bennet. The essay describes a similar […]
“We Don’t Do That Here.”: Former NY Times Editor Blasts the “Gray Lady” for Bias and Activism
The US Housing Market Is Very Quickly Becoming Unaffordable
27 Feb 2024 Leave a comment
in applied price theory, economic history, economics of regulation, politics - USA, urban economics Tags: land supply, zoning

In a post from July 2021, I discussed housing affordability and “zoning taxes” — in other words, how land use restrictions such as zoning were driving up the cost of housing in some US cities. San Francisco, Los Angeles, Seattle, and New York stood out as the clear outliers, with “zoning taxes” adding several multiples […]
The US Housing Market Is Very Quickly Becoming Unaffordable
Statewide Rent Control Being Considered in Washington
27 Feb 2024 Leave a comment
in applied price theory, applied welfare economics, economics of regulation, politics - USA, urban economics Tags: rent control
Five things to know about WA proposal to limit rent hikes | The Seattle Times Isn’t rent control one of the most studied economic experiments? And hasn’t it been shown to be, over the long term, a disaster for everyone involved? What does economic evidence tell us about the effects of rent control? | Brookings […]
Statewide Rent Control Being Considered in Washington
Hunter Blows Away His Own Counsel’s Sobriety Defense
27 Feb 2024 Leave a comment
in economics of crime, law and economics, politics - USA Tags: 2024 presidential election

There is a lot of chatter this morning about the interview of Hunter Biden with Axios before his appearance in Congress for testimony on the alleged corrupt activities of his family. The interview has powerful moments as Hunter describes his struggle with addiction and the pressure that he feels to stay sober in light of […]
Hunter Blows Away His Own Counsel’s Sobriety Defense
Friends with Benefits? Telephone Records Raise New Challenge to the Willis/Wade Testimony
26 Feb 2024 Leave a comment
in economics of crime, law and economics, politics - USA Tags: 2024 presidential election, crime and punishment, free speech law and order, regressive left

In the movie Friends with Benefits, the character Jamie asks Dylan “why do I get the feeling this is the first real commitment you’ve ever made?” Dylan responds “It’s not. T-Mobile. Two years. And f*** do I regret that one!” The ongoing proceedings involving Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis and lead prosecutor Nathan Wade […]
Friends with Benefits? Telephone Records Raise New Challenge to the Willis/Wade Testimony
Friends with Benefits? Telephone Records Raise New Challenge to the Willis/Wade Testimony
26 Feb 2024 Leave a comment
in economics of crime, law and economics, politics - USA Tags: 2004 presidential election

In the movie Friends with Benefits, the character Jamie asks Dylan “why do I get the feeling this is the first real commitment you’ve ever made?” Dylan responds “It’s not. T-Mobile. Two years. And f*** do I regret that one!” The ongoing proceedings involving Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis and lead prosecutor Nathan Wade […]
Friends with Benefits? Telephone Records Raise New Challenge to the Willis/Wade Testimony
“Nothing Succeeds Like Excess”: New York’s Perverse Incentive in Pricing Trump Out of an Appeal
25 Feb 2024 Leave a comment
in economics of crime, financial economics, law and economics, politics - USA, property rights Tags: 2024 presidential election, regressive left

Below is my column in the New York Post on the confiscatory fines imposed on former president Donald Trump and his family and corporation. Democrats are thrilled by the over the $450 million bill facing Trump and the possibility that he could be forced to sell off property just to seek an appeal. On ABC, […]
“Nothing Succeeds Like Excess”: New York’s Perverse Incentive in Pricing Trump Out of an Appeal
The Harvard Crimson tells us that there are more than two sexes in humans
25 Feb 2024 Leave a comment
in economics of education, liberalism, Marxist economics, politics - USA Tags: free speech, political correctness, regressive left, sex discrimination

It’s been hard times for my alma mater in the past year. Harvard’s President was excoriated and then removed, there were protests and illegal sit-ins over the war, a Supreme Court decision came down ruling that Harvard’s admissions policies were racist, and now Jewish students have brought a Title VI lawsuit brought against the school […]
The Harvard Crimson tells us that there are more than two sexes in humans
Arrant misconceptions about the war and Israel
24 Feb 2024 Leave a comment
in defence economics, economic history, International law, law and economics, liberalism, politics - USA, property rights Tags: free speech, Gaza Strip, Israel, Middle-East politics, political correctness, regressive left, war against terror
One thing that bothers me about the war between Hamas and Israel is the large number of manifestly dumb beliefs that pervade the discourse. This is also true about Israel itself. Here’s a list of a few, all them wrong and all of them easily refuted. A two-state “solution” will end Palestinian terrorism towards Israel […]
Arrant misconceptions about the war and Israel
Hunter Biden Goes Full Trump in a Flurry of Court Filings
24 Feb 2024 Leave a comment
in economics of crime, law and economics, politics - USA Tags: 2024 presidential election

Below is my column in Fox.com on the flurry of recent filings by Hunter Biden who appears to be channeling Donald Trump in his attacks on prosecutors, whistleblowers and the media. Here is the column:
Hunter Biden Goes Full Trump in a Flurry of Court Filings
“That Didn’t Stop Me”: President Biden Brags that the Supreme Court Cannot Stop Him from Canceling Student Debt
23 Feb 2024 Leave a comment
in law and economics, politics - USA, property rights Tags: 2024 presidential election, rule of law, student debt

President Joe Biden held a press event to brag about a major accomplishment this week. That itself is hardly surprising in an election year, but the boast itself was rather curious. In announcing the writing off of another $1.2 billion owed to the government in student loans, Biden gloated that the Supreme Court could not […]
“That Didn’t Stop Me”: President Biden Brags that the Supreme Court Cannot Stop Him from Canceling Student Debt
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