Bob Murphy

Author Archive

Carlin on Civil War

I would much rather listen to him than a bunch of progressives on Twitter pretending that they knew yesterday when Andrew Jackson died.

Trump on Andrew Jackson and Civil War

Here’s how CBS News reports the latest outrage: President Donald Trump appeared to misremember some history about President Andrew Jackson before implying that the Civil War may have been unnecessary. “I mean, had Andrew Jackson been a little later you wouldn’t have had the Civil War,” Mr. Trump said in an interview with journalist Salena […]

In Honor of the March for Science

I think the progressives really have no sense of self-awareness or irony. For years, a standard talking point among climate skeptics was that government funding made it very lucrative to exaggerate the possible influence of humans on global temperatures. Naturally, the “pro-science” community recoiled in horror at the very suggestion at such a crass motivation. […]

Follow-Up From Pat Michaels on Jerry Taylor’s Climate Model Argument

In a recent post, I linked to a 2015 blog post from Jerry Taylor. I was concerned that his own chart showed the opposite of what he claimed. Specifically, it seemed that the climate models that were published in the 2007 IPCC report had overpredicted actual warming from 2007 forward. And since you can calibrate […]

Potpourri

==> I have an essay in the Fraser Institute’s report on Canada’s experience with a personal income tax. ==> I point out that the pro-carbon-tax R Street Institute is advising conservatives to fold their hand…right after they pick up their flush. ==> I give a backhanded compliment to Steve Landsburg. ==> Ryan Murphy has an […]

Great Celebrity Impressions

Just came across this guy Ross Marquand and his awesome impressions. He is really good at getting facial expressions down too; after you watch the below, check out this. Careful: A naughty word in the beginning of the below.

Is Jerry Taylor Doing What I Think He’s Doing?

In researching another point, I came across an interesting argument from a 2015 blog post by Niskanen Center’s Jerry Taylor. (It summarized his contribution in a debate on carbon taxes.) It seems that JT is making a pretty bad inference from a chart, but since I’m not predisposed to agree with him, I’m seeking feedback […]

The American Public Only Thinks It Likes Motherhood and Apple Pie

After all, in a big enough apple pie, you would drown. Scott Sumner has a curious post at EconLog, titled, “The public only thinks it likes low inflation.” He says that such a view is reasoning from a price change, and that low inflation is actually really undesirable–even from the public’s own viewpoint–when it’s caused […]