Bob Murphy

Author Archive

Free Advice for Will Wilkinson and Arnold Kling

Guys, you’re both right–Will is right that Arnold’s definition of freedom leads you into contradictions, and Arnold is right that Will’s definition leads you into contradictions. Try defining freedom as a situation in which everyone’s property rights are respected. Discuss.

A Review of Jon Scieszka’s Smash! Crash!

In an outcome that was unexpected though not altogether surprising, I have read Jon Scieszka’s Smash! Crash! for (if I’m not mistaken) at least the last four nights, generally in the 7:45pm – 8:15pm window. Each session consisted of an honest cover-to-cover reading; in fact, at times I felt almost compelled to turn to a […]

Rothbard Anagram Time!

Jesse Johnson emails me the following puzzles: * Which Rothbard book title can be rearranged as, “Hot Celebrity Fetish”? * Which Rothbard book title can be rearranged as, “Bitchiest Elf Theory”? The first to answer correctly will receive satisfaction.

Clash of the Think Tank Titans

The National Association of Manufacturers puts out an estimate of the economic impacts of Waxman-Markey (cap & trade)… The “Wonk Room” at ThinkProgress (Yglesias’ stomping ground) puts a rosy spin on it… The wonks at IER put a dandelion spin on it… Excerpt from the IER rebuttal: Because of this natural trend for secular growth, […]

Strong Demand for Treasurys? Or Is This Another Lesson in Fungibility?

CNBC announces the strong demand in the 30-year Treasury auction today. I bet I can guess what Chris Martenson’s going to be working on next week…

Dear Prudence

Buckling to pressure from a certain critic–who was concerned more for more consistency rather than blogosphere modesty, I believe–I believe I have filtered out the absurd Evony ads. It actually is a lot easier to filter Google ads than I thought. What clinched it for me was the realization that if I’m going to write […]

Oh Wait, Maybe the Recession Isn’t Over After All

CNBC reports with apparent surprise: Sales at U.S. retailers unexpectedly fell in July and the number of workers filing new claims for jobless benefits rose last week, indicating the recession-hit economy faced a bumpy recovery. A Commerce Department report Thursday showed total retail sales edged down 0.1 percent after increasing 0.8 percent in June, compared […]

What Letter Will the Recovery Look Like? U-Shaped?

Someone please make it stop. People have been arguing for months over a V-shaped versus a U-shaped recovery–as if there were some scientific propositions behind each theory. And now, CNBC runs an article talking about a W-shaped recovery and a triple-U-shaped recovery. My guess? A lowercase z–in cursive.