In his “New rule” comedy-and-news/opinion segment of Real Time, Bill Maher argues that there’s been too much disapproveal of romances in the workplace. (He mentions the draconian rule proposed by AOC, which demonizes romances between people in Congress and any staffer, no matter who they work for, even though Congresspeople are already prohibited from dating…
Bill Maher promotes the resumption of workplace romances
Bill Maher promotes the resumption of workplace romances
23 Aug 2026 1 Comment
in television, TV shows
The all powerful TOP Board
23 Aug 2026 Leave a comment
in politics - New Zealand Tags: 2026 general election
Pleased to see at least one journalist asking tough questions of TOP. It is alarming that the party leader doers;t even know her own party’s rules, especially one as important as the board being able to over-rule the caucus. I guess this is what you get when a party leader is not a long-standing member,…
The all powerful TOP Board
West Point Professor Challenges Ban on “Un-American, Divisive…Radical, Extremist, and Irrational Theories.”
23 Aug 2026 Leave a comment
in economics of education, economics of regulation, law and economics, politics - USA, property rights Tags: free speech
There is an important lawsuit being litigated in the Southern District of New York over the limits of free speech…
West Point Professor Challenges Ban on “Un-American, Divisive…Radical, Extremist, and Irrational Theories.”
The Fair Share Myth and Other Socialist Fables
22 Aug 2026 Leave a comment
in liberalism, Marxist economics, politics - USA Tags: Denmark, Norway, Sweden
Below is my column in the Hill on Mamdani’s “Fair Share Myth” and other fables being spread on the left…
The Fair Share Myth and Other Socialist Fables
Fidel Castro: Human Garbage
22 Aug 2026 1 Comment
in development economics, economic history, growth disasters, liberalism, Marxist economics, politics - USA, Public Choice, rentseeking Tags: Cuba, regressive left

I’ve written many columns documenting Cuba’s economic misery. Probably the most-persuasive evidence that socialism has failed in that country is the chart showing how Cuba has fallen behind other (very similar) countries ever since Fidel Castro took over more than six decades ago. Though I’ve always thought the most-damning visual came from the Economist, which […]
Fidel Castro: Human Garbage
Judicial Power, Democratic Accountability, and the Smith Case
22 Aug 2026 1 Comment
in politics - New Zealand Tags: constitutional law
Supreme Court lacks democratic responsibility and accountability: its excesses demand clearer leadership from the legal profession.
Judicial Power, Democratic Accountability, and the Smith Case
The History and Importance of the Austrian Theory of the Market Process …
21 Aug 2026 Leave a comment
in applied price theory, Austrian economics, economic history, history of economic thought
“The Cascade of Dysfunction That Helped Doom Jason Arday”
21 Aug 2026 1 Comment
in economics of crime, economics of education, law and economics, liberalism, Marxist economics Tags: British politics, free speech, political correctness, regressive left
An excellent piece today by Jesse Singal in The Dispatch; the whole thing is worth reading, but here are some… The post “The Cascade of Dysfunction That Helped Doom Jason Arday” appeared first on Reason.com.
“The Cascade of Dysfunction That Helped Doom Jason Arday”
The Confucian fertility paradox
21 Aug 2026 Leave a comment
in development economics, econometerics, economic history, economics of love and marriage, growth miracles, labour economics, labour supply, law and economics, population economics
Total fertility rates in East Asia have fallen to levels without historical precedent, even though the region’s Confucian heritage long placed extraordinary emphasis on family continuity and large families. We argue that this “Confucian Fertility Paradox” dissolves once we separate two strands of the tradition and recognize that modernization affected them very differently. The pro-natal…
The Confucian fertility paradox
The Thing-not the movie.
21 Aug 2026 Leave a comment
in defence economics, war and peace Tags: Cold War

The Thing, also known as The Great Seal Bug, was a passive covert listening device, developed in the Soviet Union and planted in the study of the US Ambassador in Moscow, hidden inside a wooden carving of the Great Seal of the United States. It is called a passive device as it does not have its own power source. […]
The Thing-not the movie.
Dr. Israel M. Kirzner — “Economics and Entrepreneurship”
21 Aug 2026 Leave a comment
in applied price theory, Austrian economics, economic history, entrepreneurship, F.A. Hayek, history of economic thought, Israel Kirzner, market efficiency
Never was so much owed by so many to so few
21 Aug 2026 Leave a comment
in defence economics, war and peace Tags: World War II

Churchill’s speech commonly known as “The Few” was delivered in the House of Commons on 20 August 1940, during the Battle of Britain. It is formally associated with his speech on “The First Year of the War.” The famous line about “the Few” referred principally to the RAF fighter pilots, although Churchill also deliberately paid […]
Never was so much owed by so many to so few
Did UBI make people happier?
21 Aug 2026 1 Comment
in applied price theory, labour economics, labour supply, welfare reform
Eh, only in the short run: We study the causal impacts of income on a rich array of employment outcomes, leveraging an experiment in which 1,000 low-income individuals were randomized into receiving $1,000 per month unconditionally for three years, with a control group of 2,000 participants receiving $50/month. We gather detailed survey data, administrative records,…
Did UBI make people happier?
How much land tax will you pay?
20 Aug 2026 Leave a comment
in politics - New Zealand Tags: 2026 general election
TOP has proposed a 1.75% tax on the value of urban land (except Maori communal land) and 0.5% on rural land. It is worth noting that land values have been declining for the last five years, so TOP’s policy is to tax you on an asset that is declining in value! Urban Av land value…
How much land tax will you pay?
Voter Ignorance and the Problem of Confusion Caused by Candidates With Similar Names [Updated]
20 Aug 2026 1 Comment
Voter confusion caused by candidates with similar names – as in the current Alaska Senate race – is part of the much larger problem of political ignorance.
Voter Ignorance and the Problem of Confusion Caused by Candidates With Similar Names [Updated]
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