August 2009
1 post
Organic Health Care Reform
Whole Foods Co-Founder and CEO John Mackey has this thoughtful take on health care reform in today’s WSJ. I agreed with nearly every word, though I have some reservations with regard to tort reform.
The benefits of organic food may be in question (here and here), but Mr. Mackey ably defends the advantages of Adams Smith’s “Natural System of Liberty” (free market...
July 2009
1 post
Thoughts on Henry Louis Gates and Post-Racial...
While Jonathan Capehart at the Washington Post seems genuinely surprised by the recasting of Henry Louis Gates’ arrest, I was always suspicious of the “bigoted cop” angle. Not because racial discrimination is extinct, but because, for all the hand wringing, no one—even Mr. Gates—sought to substantiate the accusation of racism. What’s to explain, right? White cop, black man, case closed. Despite...
June 2009
2 posts
"Change You Can Xerox" - After All
Upon reading Dana Milbank piece in the Washington Post, I was reminded of this infamous exchange between candidates Obama and Clinton. At the time, Senator Clinton received smattering of boos for her “change you can Xerox” quip - but recent events may just vindicate her.
At Democratic National Committee headquarters yesterday morning, party workers were loading minivans with Xerox...
March 2009
5 posts
Stem Cells and Public Funding
http://www.americasfuture.org/doublethink/2009/03/27/the-folly-of-stem-cell-subsidies/
I’m certainly in full agreement with this.
-k
AIG Executive Resigns - Populists Cheer?
I’m not at all happy about the the federal governments takeover of AIG. But my initial discontent has intensified since the outbreak of Bonus Mania on Capitol Hill.
This letter in the NY Times touches on many of the reasons why (http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/25/opinion/25desantis.html?_r=3&pagewanted=1&th&emc=th).
I am proud of everything I have done for the commodity and...
Despite the “profound” impact of the economics stimlulus package highlighted here, it’s important not to overlook Doug Bandow’s insightful post on Cato@Liberty this morning.
A Brief Message to a Detractor
A note to repeat commenter Bill:
My ideological bent, while not comprehensively laid out here - is clearly out of step with yours.
This site is not the endorsement of class-based cannibalism that it may initially appear; it’s also not an ode to Aerosmith or Motorhead tunes. Instead it’s written in the same spirit as P. J. O’Rourke’s book of the same title. Stated plainly, my aim is...
January 2009
3 posts
Matthew Yglesias - Worse Than Yellow
Matthew Yglesias here confuses cowardice with pragmatism. In response to a question about controversial Danish cartoons, he suggests that free speech is “a matter of principle… tied to practicalities.” He’s entitled to his perspective, but its impossible to reconcile such nonsense with the Declaration of Independence or the Constitution. Taken together, they clearly...
Too Black to Fail?
I wasn’t at all surprised when I saw the following headline at WSJ.com: “Political Interference Seen in Bank Bailout Decisions”.
The story reads much as you might expect. Congressman lobby hard to ensure that money from the hastily implemented TARP program is routed to favorite banks. While precise economic criteria for government handouts might be lacking, and the worthiness...
Defending Sweatshops
Nicholas Kristof had this excellent op-ed in the New York Times last week. In it Kristof warns the incoming administration against pressing for labor standards reforms in developing countries. In short: sweatshops may not be ideal places to work, but they’re often far better than the relevant employment alternatives.
Assuming reform minded politicians mean well (its possible that many...
December 2008
3 posts
Firefox Goes Black- and Its Ridiculous
http://www.blackbirdhome.com - The encumbrance of black skin has apparently grown so great - that one can no longer use a racially agnostic version of FireFox.
I’ll pass.
-k
Why Stop at 2.5 Million Jobs?
On Saturday Decider-Elect Obama shared some of the details of his economic recovery plan. Predictably, it was filled with promises of infrastructure investment, school improvement, green initiatives and even a promises of broadband Internet access for all (apparently to promote access to PornTube - stimulus).
Obama assured viewers that he would avoid the old Washington pitfall of “throwing...
November 2008
2 posts
Bon Appetit
One establishes a blog for a multitude of reasons. If you’re sufficiently narcissistic, its not at all difficult to convince yourself that such an enterprise is worthwhile. With blogging, the barriers to entry are low enough that any chump with thumbs and a dial up connection can participate.
Whether or not anyone visits, I’ll behave as if everyone on the planet is paying close...