The Red White and Blue Pill
Pirate Democracy? – Why Nations Fail
In his fascinating book The Invisible Hook, Peter Leeson shows that such democracy was the norm amongst pirate crews who ravaged the Caribbean and other parts of the world in the 18th century. Pirate crews not only elected their captains on the basis of universal pirate suffrage, but they also regularly deposed them by democratic elections if they were not satisfied with their performance.
And all them who agree say Arrrghhhh!
CISPA Vote Results, GOP for, Dems against.
The GOP voted for Big Gubmit and private industry to spy on you without consent. The Dems voted against.
When interest rates are close to the rate of economic growth, Gagnon continues, you can run a budget deficit forever as long as the primary deficit is balanced. The debt load as a share of the economy won’t increase over time. And if interest rates are lower than the pace of growth — as they… Continue reading Untitled
Rortybomb: What Does the Leaked Brown-Vitter Bill on Too Big To Fail Do?
It gets very technical, but the 1st third of the article is an easy read and worth reading. Explains what is and what is not in Brown-Vitter and has an easy to understand chart.
Russell Brand: Remembering Margaret Thatcher, Britain’s Unmaternal National Matriarch
Normally I can’t stand Russell Brand. But this is well written. Warm and witty. Maybe he should talk less and write more.
it’s hard to think of a proposition that has been more thoroughly refuted by history than the notion that social insurance undermines a free society. Almost 70 years have passed since Friedrich Hayek predicted (or at any rate was understood by his admirers to predict) that Britain’s welfare state would put the nation on the… Continue reading Untitled
STUDY: States With Loose Gun Laws Have Higher Rates Of Gun Violence
Want more violence? Loose gun laws, poor education and a failed social safety net. Get those in place and you’ll have lots more violence.
Yglesias: Obama’s Five Percent Pay Cut Is Absurd
This business of President Obama giving himself a five percent pay cut in solidarity with sequester-ravaged federal agencies seems totally absurd to me. Who is better off thanks to this? It doesn’t seem to free up any budgetary funds for anything.
I usually refrain form calling out politicians for grand standing. It’s part of the job. As long as it isn’t too bad, you have to let it slide. But this is such silly grandstanding that it needs to be mocked. How exactly will Obama’s life be different after this 5% cut? Will he have to bring a brown bag lunch on Air Force one?
with Hayek, as with Reagan, the truly amazing thing is that we have people citing as a source of wisdom someone who has been as thoroughly refuted by history as anyone can be. Three generations into the modern welfare state, and western democracies look less Stalinist than ever. Jack-booted Insurance-bringing Thugs