Archive for “April of 2006”

Trade Deficits and Fiscal Responsibility

April 28, 2006

Don Boudreaux comments on the impact and causes of the “trade deficit” again today.

Why do foreigners willingly ship more goods and services to the United States than they demand in return? The answer is that foreigners find America to be an astonishingly attractive place to invest. … Some critics respond by pointing out […]

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What about oil prices?

April 27, 2006

First, the Good News: The recently (by which I mean: occurring over the last 2 years) rising gas prices have yet to show any significant impact on the auto-industry.
“So far, the perceived gas price increases have not had any discernable impact on new-vehicle buying patterns, at least with regard to the size of the […]

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Refuting Ethanol: Part I

April 26, 2006

President Bush has vilified our “addiction to oil,” in his February State of the Union address and has called for more research into alternative fuels - suggesting such pie-in-the-sky alternatives as hydrogen, which would require a total infrastructure overhaul, nationwide.
But what of Ethanol? Bush’s energy bill last year, put into effect this […]

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This Kicks Ass!

April 25, 2006

…Is what you’re going to say this afternoon when I’m finished putting together my piece about the lunacy of Ethanol as a viable gasoline-alternative.
here’s a preview:

Hope you have a passion for financially supporting Midwest Special Interest groups.

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Inconsistencies Cannot Exist

April 24, 2006

When one appears to exist, check your premises. You’ll find that one or the other is incorrect.
I don’t recall why, but this recent post over at TheAgitator made me think about a gross inconsistency in our criminal justice system that I find curious.
Police officers and other government drug-warriors routinely use the testimony of known […]

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They’ll Tax Us So We Can Retire Earlier

April 24, 2006

Retirement is now a public good. Accordingly, the market will not co-ordinate to produce enough of it. Therefore, taxation is justified to bring about an optimal amount of retirement.
Or so the story goes. According to a study by University of Michigan professor of business economics, Joel Slemrod,
“[W]orkaholics misjudge the benefits and costs […]

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Kip’s Law Sighting , Michigan Education Edition

April 21, 2006

I previously blogged about the proposal for tougher graduation requirements for Michigan High Schoolers. I was less than pleased. Anyways, the Free Press is reporting that it’s now a done deal. I think it qualifies as a potential “Kip’s Law Sighting.”
FYI, Kip’s Law is: Every advocate of central planning always — always […]

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