Bob Murphy

Author Archive

Lew Rockwell Interview With Naomi Wolf

I am not exaggerating, this is quite possibly the best interview I have ever heard in my life. (Just click on the link and then play it from within your browser.) During the show itself, Naomi Wolf comes to see why libertarians are so opposed to the IRS and the Department of Education. She (at […]

Paulson’s Plan Making Things Worse

So I argue in a Sacramento Union piece. A sample: When the House of Representatives failed to pass the original request for $700 billion from Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson on Sept. 29, the Standard & Poors 500 (S&P) fell about 8.8 percent. This supposedly proved how vital the rescue plan was for the health and […]

Nouriel Roubini Pics: Dr. Doom or Dr. Dionysus?

I will do a more serious post later, but first thing’s first: Let’s bump up the Free Advice traffic with some silly pictures! Here is Nouriel Roubini when he is discussing “stag-deflation”: And here’s Roubini when he is just kickin it at his Manhattan pad with some NYU grad students: BTW I learned of the […]

Should We Fear Inflation?

In addition to arguing over the existence of a “credit crunch,” we libertarian economists can’t even decide on the sign of price changes over the next six months. (Really, I feel I should go apply at the IPCC.) For example, I’m currently throwing down with Mike Rozeff on the Mises blog about gold prices. Robert […]

IER Commercial

Ah, it brings a tear to my eye every time I watch it. (BTW, they don’t feature me because we don’t want Greenpeace knowing what I look like.) It’s actually Silas’ birthday today! This one’s for you. Joking aside, here is the “Help Us Fight Back” page where I got this, and here is IER’s […]

Is Gold Going Up or Down?

Michael Rozeff goes into the pit of lions to argue that gold is overvalued. (Really, look at how defensively written his article is. I bet he gets at least 25 LRC readers emailing him in outrage.) Rozeff is a sharp guy, and (like him) I was surprised that the CPI figures apparently aren’t too bad […]

The Best Comment So Far at Free Advice

Coming from Joe, a former student: I always thought you were a really good teacher and I’m still kicking myself for not taking your Game Theory class. I still remember you coming into the Austrian class with absolutely no notes or outline and still delivering a structured, organized lecture without forgetting anything. What Joe doesn’t […]

Why "APR" on Small, Short Loans Can Be Misleading

On a recent MR thread, Tyler Cowen was pointing to ridiculously high APRs on certain consumer loans, and speculating on the reason for their existence. My good friend Silas (aka Person) was the first to provide the solution, namely that people were paying 35 pounds for convenience; they weren’t taking out a loan with 222% […]