Bob Murphy

Author Archive

Does Austrian Economics Just Need a Name Change?

For a while I’ve thought Austrian economics just needs a new name. Arnold Kling got way more thoughtful reaction to his “recalculation argument” against stimulus spending, even though (as he himself acknowledged when he first unveiled it) his story and Austrian business cycle theory are almost identical once the bust ensues. So it seemed that […]

Federal Government Overrides Executive Compensation Packages

CNBC reprints a NYT article: Responding to the growing furor over the paychecks of executives at companies that received billions of dollars in the government’s financial rescue, the Obama administration will order the companies that received the most aid to deeply slash the compensation to their highest paid executives, an official involved in the decision […]

Those Dirty Rotten Taxes

It’s funny how tax codes explain a lot. I’m doing this state tax policy analysis for PRI. On the Tax Foundation’s list of state corporate income tax rates, they have notes about Miscellaneous stuff. Here’s the extra info on Michigan, besides its 4.95% corporate income tax: There is an additional modified gross receipts tax (sales […]

Wall Street Journal Defends the Predator State

I explain here. The intro: In my last article on these pages, I offered criticism of a New York Times article that had praised the Lincoln administration’s property violations in pursuit of military objectives. Today I want to focus on a regular Wall Street Journal columnist who praises the Obama administration’s plans to violate property […]

I Stand Corrected: Tyler Cowen Does Support the Warfare State

A while back I had a tantrum because there were back-to-back posts in which both contributors to the ostensibly libertarian, free market blog “Marginal Revolution” supported the bank bailout and government health care. (Of course Tyler and Alex’s posts were nuanced; I’m not saying they quoted Chairman Mao. But follow the links if you don’t […]

Scott Sumner on Climate: So Close, Yet So Far Away

Scott you’re killing me, man. Folks, I was so thrilled that I could unambiguously endorse Scott Sumner’s latest blog post, where he talks about climate change rather than printing money. (In fact I was working on a joke in which the Fed creates trillions of carbon-eating dollar bills in order to simultaneously fix the economy […]

Potpourri

* A blog touting capitalism that was (according to an email I got from the author) inspired by my book. * David Frum is astounded: “People think of gold not as a metal, but as an alternative form of money.” (HT2 Bob Roddis) * As if in response, EPJ reports with delight: “I never thought […]

Charlie Rose Interviews Charlie Rose

I was hoping for one more trick, but even so the below is pretty funny. (HT2 Gene Callahan.) I just love what these crazy kids can do nowadays with the intertubes.