Lots of interesting writing this weekend, which I didn’t get to notice until today.
John Stossel takes on populist economic myths, and name-drops Don Bourdreaux on Free Trade.
On a similar note, Ezra Klein nails another fallacy, although I disagree with his pessimism.
Most lobbying is pro-business, in the sense that it promotes the interests of existing businesses; not pro-market, in the sense of fostering free and open competition.
Great interview with former Dead Kennedys front-man and professional crazy person Jello Biafra. He’s very anti-Obama-supporters, and calls for a more insurrectionist/populist leftist movement. His newest album is titled “The Audacity of Hype”, a slam on the Obama-as-messiah hysteria that gripped the left during the election cycle. I agree with many of the problems he cites, but disagree with his ‘solutions’. Fascinating, in a ‘scientists discovering a new life form’ kind of way. Money quote:
Well, let’s connect [the title] up with the last song on the album, “I Won’t Give Up,” which is dealing with the aftermath of people realizing, you know, when they get that feeling like what Johnny Rotten said at the last Sex Pistols show, “Did you ever get the feeling you’ve been cheated?” Keep in mind the Obama campaign won all kinds of advertising awards for marketing hope and change and for that “O” logo. It’s the most brilliant piece of propaganda art I’ve seen since the swastika.
Will Wilkinson destroys both the “Earth Hour” and “Human Achievement Hour” conceits. Nifty animated graph correlating CO2 emissions (a proxy for economic growth) and life expectancy is excellent, especially when you consider new evidence that air quality in the U.S. is improving. Typically, the EPA and the media are over-emphasizing the influence of government and under-selling ‘voluntary actions’ that led to this result, but still, results are results.
We Love DC has great shots from the beautiful spring weekend in DC, including the coolest kite I’ve ever seen.
Via Reason Magazine, thanks to a leak, you can download a draft of the secret Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement.
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