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...