Jeff Bezos writes: In the annual public surveys about trust and reputation, journalists and the media have regularly fallen near the very bottom, often just above Congress. But in this year’s Gallup poll, we have managed to fall below Congress. Our profession is now the least trusted of all. Something we are doing is clearly not […]
Bezos on endorsements
Bezos on endorsements
01 Nov 2024 Leave a comment
in industrial organisation, law and economics, liberalism, Marxist economics, politics - USA, property rights, survivor principle Tags: 2024 presidential election, free speech, Freedom of the press, political correctness, regressive left
“Why We Influenced the 2020 Elections”: Facebook Files Reveal the Coordinated Effort to Bury the Laptop Story
01 Nov 2024 Leave a comment
in politics - USA Tags: 2020 presidential election, 2024 presidential election, free speech, political correctness, regressive left

Recently, I spoke at an event about my book, “The Indispensable Right,” at the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia. Appearing on the panel with me was a New York University professor and one of the Facebook board members directing “content moderation.” We had a sharp disagreement over the record of Meta/Facebook on censorship, which I […]
“Why We Influenced the 2020 Elections”: Facebook Files Reveal the Coordinated Effort to Bury the Laptop Story
Biden-Harris policies and their consequences were no surprise to those paying attention
30 Oct 2024 Leave a comment
in applied price theory, applied welfare economics, budget deficits, business cycles, econometerics, economic growth, economic history, economics of bureaucracy, economics of regulation, energy economics, entrepreneurship, environmental economics, financial economics, fiscal policy, global warming, health economics, income redistribution, industrial organisation, law and economics, macroeconomics, monetary economics, politics - USA, property rights, Public Choice, public economics, rentseeking Tags: 2024 presidential election, drug lags, taxation and entrepreneurship, taxation and investment
Milton Friedman used to advise researchers to focus on large policy changes rather than attempting to separate a small change’s signal from the noise. In this sense, the “ambitious” policy agenda of the Biden-Harris administration was expected to be a gift to the research community. Accepting this gift, since 2020 I have been making forecasts…
Biden-Harris policies and their consequences were no surprise to those paying attention
33 + 24 = Trump Win?
30 Oct 2024 Leave a comment
in politics - USA Tags: 2024 presidential election
First up is yet another billionaire supporting Trump, Bill Ackman and he lists 33 reasons for doing so on his X-account, with this intro: A number of my good friends and family have been surprised about my decision to support Donald Trump for president. They have been surprised because my political giving history has been […]
33 + 24 = Trump Win?
Trans is Now An Issue in the US Election
29 Oct 2024 Leave a comment
in discrimination, gender, law and economics, politics - USA Tags: 2024 presidential election, free speech, political correctness, regressive left

We must not publish a study that says we’re harming children because people who say we’re harming children will use the study as evidence that we’re harming children, which might make it difficult for us to continue harming children. I did not think that would be the case because it’s a Culture War issue and […]
Trans is Now An Issue in the US Election
US presidential election forecast E-15
22 Oct 2024 Leave a comment
in politics - USA Tags: 2024 presidential election

Trump is now favoured to win by four of the six prediction sites. It remains a remarkably close race with none of the seven swing states having a lead of more than 2%. As the average polling error in US presidential elections is 4%, it will come down to who does better than their polls. […]
US presidential election forecast E-15
Abolish the Electoral College
22 Oct 2024 Leave a comment
in politics - USA Tags: 2024 presidential election, constitution law
Since it appears increasingly likely that the winner of the popular vote for president will not win the election, we are already seeing calls to “dump the electoral college.” Predictably, since the Democrat is the candidate who is likely to win the vote but lose the election, these calls are … Continue reading →
Abolish the Electoral College
Bill Maher on the unlikelihood of an ”October Surprise”
22 Oct 2024 Leave a comment
in politics - USA Tags: 2024 presidential election
Here’s Bill Maher’s monologue from his most recent Real Time show, arguing that voters should not expect an “October surprise”. He argues that because Trump has been so persistently awful in familiar ways, that there will be no change in his character before the election (remember that it’s just about two weeks away). He’s in five […]
Bill Maher on the unlikelihood of an ”October Surprise”
WSJ Video on Trump-Biden-Trump Tariffs
22 Oct 2024 Leave a comment
in applied price theory, applied welfare economics, economic history, industrial organisation, international economics, politics - USA, survivor principle Tags: 2024 presidential election, tarrifs
TweetI can pick a few nits with this eight-minute-long video from the Wall Street Journal on tariffs – for example, for all of their many problems, tariffs do not (contrary to what’s reported in the video) cause any net, economy-wide loss of jobs. Nevertheless, this video is quite good, not least because it features the…
WSJ Video on Trump-Biden-Trump Tariffs
Why I wouldn’t vote for Trump
19 Oct 2024 Leave a comment
in economics of crime, law and economics, politics - USA Tags: 2024 presidential election
Nate Silver has a good way of explaining why he will vote for Kamala Harris. Before he looks at anything else, he asks is there anything that is disqualifying about a candidate. His answer is Trump’s support of January 6 disqualifies him, and there is nothing Harris has done that is disqualifying, so he will […]
Why I wouldn’t vote for Trump
Liz Cheney Under Fire for Allegedly Improper Contacts with Cassidy Hutchinson
16 Oct 2024 Leave a comment
in economics of bureaucracy, economics of crime, law and economics, politics - USA, Public Choice Tags: 2020 presidential election, 2024 presidential election

Former J6 Committee Co-Chair and Rep. Liz Cheney has long been criticized for her role in creating a one-sided and at times erroneous record of what occurred on January 6th. That includes editing out Trump’s call for supporters to protest “peacefully,” burying evidence on Trump’s offer to supply National Guard support for that day, and […]
Liz Cheney Under Fire for Allegedly Improper Contacts with Cassidy Hutchinson
“No Kidding! No Joke!” Liberals Call on Biden to Commit Unconstitutional Acts in his Final Days
14 Oct 2024 Leave a comment
in law and economics, politics - USA Tags: 2024 presidential election, constitutional law

With the end of the Biden Administration in sight, liberal pundits seem to be striving to prove that the only difference between a law-breaker and a law-abiding citizen is the ability to get away with the crime. Popular figures on the left from Michael Moore to Keith Olbermann are calling on President Joe Biden to […]
“No Kidding! No Joke!” Liberals Call on Biden to Commit Unconstitutional Acts in his Final Days
What’s going on with Biden and Israel? (and a coda about Trump’s possible mental problems)
06 Oct 2024 Leave a comment
in defence economics, politics - USA, war and peace Tags: 2024 presidential election, Gaza Strip, Middle-East politics, regressive left, war against terror

Although Biden (and now Harris) have proclaimed an ironclad commitment to Israel’s well-being, they’re acting very wonky about Israel’s behavior. First they withheld 2000-pound bombs from Israel (you know, the kind that were used on the targeted strike that killed the leader of Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of Hezbollah), though the U.S. rations some of […]
What’s going on with Biden and Israel? (and a coda about Trump’s possible mental problems)
“Schencking” Free Speech: Walz Makes the Case for the Most Anti-Free Speech Ticket in History
06 Oct 2024 Leave a comment
in law and economics, liberalism, Marxist economics, politics - USA Tags: 2024 presidential election, Age of Enlightenment, free speech, political correctness, regressive left

Below is my column in USA Today on the most chilling moment from the Vance-Walz debate when the Democratic nominee showed why he is part of the dream ticket for the anti-free speech movement. Here is the column: In the vice presidential debate Tuesday, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz pulled the fire alarm. His opponent, Sen.…
“Schencking” Free Speech: Walz Makes the Case for the Most Anti-Free Speech Ticket in History
“Curbing” Free Speech: John Kerry Denounces the First Amendment as “a Major Block” for Censorship
04 Oct 2024 Leave a comment
in constitutional political economy, law and economics, politics - USA Tags: 2024 presidential election, Age of Enlightenment, free speech, political correctness, regressive left

Below is my column in the New York Post on the recent remarks of former Secretary of State John Kerry to the World Economic Forum, the latest in an array of powerful American politicians warning about the dangers of free speech and calling for government controls. He joins his fellow former Democratic Presidential Nominee Hillary…
“Curbing” Free Speech: John Kerry Denounces the First Amendment as “a Major Block” for Censorship
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