Bob Murphy

Author Archive

Depreciation Rules and Investment Swings

And now for something, completely different. Since there aren’t too many people willing to pay me to spin out the implications of a private legal system, I have been focusing more on research for investors. (In all seriousness, if you are curious about such individualized consultting work, drop me an email.) Tom Landstreet and I […]

Peter, the Rock

One of the most interesting characters in the Bible is Simon Peter, whom Jesus made the rock of the new Church. (Catholics consider Peter to be the first Pope.) Peter is interesting because he had a “great attitude” and wanted to do the right thing. However, he was, after all, just a man, and would […]

When a Referendum Is Seen as Cheating

This FreedomWatch interview of Gerald O’Driscoll hit on something I’d been thinking too: Watch the latest video at video.foxbusiness.com Near the end of the above clip, Napolitano and O’Driscoll discuss the irony that when it comes to the crisis in Greece–the birthplace of democracy–the one group who will not be consulted is the Greek people […]

The Most Ironic Statement I’ve Heard All Week

“Theoretical macroeconomists love to play with their little toy models, but unfortunately these models don’t actually describe the world we live in.” If you’ve been reading this blog for at least two months, you know who said it.

Vote for the Most Astounding Statement I Heard This Week

Once again, it’s time for one of the more popular features on Free Advice, where you the reader get to vote on The Most Astounding Statement I Heard This Week. Our first contestant is documentary maker Ken Burns, who said the following in a Reason interview with libertarian bad boy Nick Gillespie: [M]y politics are […]

Sumner Needs to Watch Some Film and Hit the Gym

I used to say that Scott Sumner would be a far more formidable debating opponent than Paul Krugman, but lately I’m not so sure. I think for our debate, I just may print out 5 of Scott’s posts and ask the judge if I can submit them as exhibits. For example, here’s Scott’s latest post […]