Red Tape and Unintended Consequences

I’ve written endlessly about the negative effect of high tax rates on productive behavior, as well as some quirky examples of how taxes lead to some unintended consequences. Today, let’s consider how government regulations distort behavior. We’ll start with a video from Reason about government policies that backfire. In this case, note the second example. […]

Red Tape and Unintended Consequences

The Criminalization of Conscience

What Happens When You Have an Unjust Law A Halfling writes –  This article focusses on the way that terrorism legislation and the designation of entities as terrorist organisations can have a chilling effect upon other civil liberties. I should make it clear that because the article concentrates on the group Palestine Action does not […]

The Criminalization of Conscience

Clarke and Dawe – The US Oil Spill

Outstanding questions

A couple of nights ago, shortly after the Minister and Treasury finally released the suite of texts between Willis and Rennie, ZB featured interviewer Heather du Plessis-Allan talking to Herald journalist Jenee Tibshraeny (who has been over the Orr/Quigley/Willis saga issue from day one). There wasn’t anything concrete that was new in the conversation but […]

Outstanding questions

BBC report on ‘pro-Palestine activists’ omits link to proscribed group

A report published on the BBC News website’s ‘England’ and ‘Bradford’ pages on September 6th purports to inform readers about a legal case. Titled “Pro-Palestine activists sentenced over protest”, that uncredited article tells BBC audiences that: [emphasis added] “A group of pro-Palestine activists who staged a seven-hour protest on the roof of an aerospace and […]

BBC report on ‘pro-Palestine activists’ omits link to proscribed group

Could China Have Gone Christian?

The Taiping Rebellion is arguably the most important event in modern history that even educated Westerners know very little about. It’s also known as the Taiping Civil War and it was one of the largest conflicts in human history (1850–1864), with death toll estimates ranging from 20 to 30 million, far exceeding deaths in the […]

Could China Have Gone Christian?

Why Fossil Fuels Still Rule

Kite & Key explain in their video, transcript in italics with my bolds and added images. Tech executives.  Heads of state.  Brilliant scientists and engineers. They’re some of the most talented and respected individuals in the world — and, in recent years, they’ve all come together behind a common purpose. They’ve marshaled their talents — […]

Why Fossil Fuels Still Rule

Why did Te Pati Maori sack their whip?

David Farrar writes –  The Herald reports: Mariameno Kapa-Kingi says Te Pāti Māori’s leadership has removed her from the role of party whip despite her enjoying the work. 

Why did Te Pati Maori sack their whip?

Mises, Bastiat, Public Opinion, and Public Choice

20th anniversary of my prize-winning paper with Ed Stringham

Mises, Bastiat, Public Opinion, and Public Choice

💰 Inflation, Debt & The Future of the Economy | A Conversation with John Cochrane

Coleman Hughes interviews Ben Shapiro

This is a new video interview from the “Conversations with Coleman” series at the Free Press, but I found it posted just this morning on YouTube. Before you go running to the hills when you hear and see “Ben Shapiro”, let me remind you of the salubrious effect of listening to those whose views differ […]

Coleman Hughes interviews Ben Shapiro

Vernon Smith on Donald Trump’s Protectionism

TweetMy emeritus Nobel-laureate colleague, Vernon Smith, sent the following email to me in response to this post. I share Vernon’s note with his kind permission. Don, Trump, like all businesspersons turned political, wants government favors, that is Mercantilism which is as bad today as when Adam Smith railed against such cozy relationships. Same for labor…

Vernon Smith on Donald Trump’s Protectionism

270 Deception and Psychopathy Robert Trivers EP 270

Greens say taxing supermarkets more will lower food prices!

Radio NZ reports: But the Greens’ commerce and consumer affairs spokesperson Ricardo Menéndez March told RNZ that was only “one part of the puzzle” and the government needed to explore all its options – including breaking up the supermarket duopoly. “While we support having new players in the market, Nicola Willis is banking on big […]

Greens say taxing supermarkets more will lower food prices!

10 great questions the Royal Commission should ask

Two professors of economics have 10 questions they would have out to former Ministers about Covid-19. Hopefully these have been put by the Royal Commission. They are: I will be very disappointed if questions like these were not put to the former Ministers.

10 great questions the Royal Commission should ask

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