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Imagine if you had to rely on Paul Krugman to filter your information…

Hey kids, pop quiz time! (1) Using this Paul Krugman NYT column from September 24, tell us how costly the CBO says Waxman-Markey’s cap-and-trade plan will be, in the year 2050. (2) Using this Paul Krugman blog post from September 27, tell us how costly the CBO says Waxman-Markey’s cap-and-trade plan will be, in the […]

Fed Bailouts Don’t Simply Threaten "Taxpayers"

Tom Woods makes a point that I keep forgetting to make myself, in his LRC post-game show from his Congressional testimony: Michele Bachmann (R-MN) graciously held up a copy of my book Meltdown, which she said she was reading and enjoying very much. She was likewise concerned about the extent of the Fed’s discretionary powers, […]

Thomas Sowell Also Using the "But Loans Are Down!!" Argument

Bill R. sends along this interview with Thomas Sowell. Start it at the 5:00 mark, and you’ll see that Sowell makes the same point regarding the alleged “rescue” of the credit markets as I did on Kudlow. From the timing, I’m guessing it was an independent discovery. I’m surprised more people aren’t using this argument.

Bernanke Considers the Biddle Option?

In a fascinating article, Lilburne explained that Nicholas Biddle did what he could to wreck the US economy to prevent Andrew Jackson from de-chartering the Second Bank of the United States. Is Bernanke thinking of something similar? From Bloomberg (HT2LRC): Federal Reserve General Counsel Scott Alvarez said audits of monetary policy by the U.S. Congress […]

"My God, It’s Full of Stars!"

Putting this down into words will not do it justice, but I wanted to share my experience late Friday night. While walking home from the open bar on Mackinac Island, I was struck by how many stars I could see. If you’ve lived in a big city your whole life, you might be amazed at […]

Reflections On Mackinac Island

I participated on an energy panel at the Republican Leadership Conference at Mackinac Island on Friday. (I was there in my capacity as an economist with IER. I’m pretty sure they would have me talk at the UAW convention if we were welcome, which we’re not.) Some highlights: * I met Jay Riemersma who is […]

Ron Paul Shock Troops Storm Congress

But we’re intellectual geeks so no tear gas was involved. I’m in a hotel right now in Mackinac Island, so I haven’t had time to watch this stuff. But here’s Tom Woods wielding a fiery sword of truth, and below is the only video I’ve found so far. When I get back to the room […]

Bush’s Third Term

We need to update that old joke: “People warned me that if I voted for McCain, we’d get another four years of Bush policies. They were right!” Glenn Greenwald explains: [W]hen it comes to uprooting (“changing”) the Bush/Cheney approach to Terrorism and civil liberties…the Obama administration has proven rather conclusively that tiny and cosmetic adjustments […]