Free Market Forum via Hillsdale College
All those interested in all things free will be delighted by a series of events this week hosted by Hillsdale College. The information is as follows: Free Market Forum “Markets,…
Does forgiving debt reduce economic stress?
(Christian Science Monitor) President Obama on Wednesday is launching a new plan to lower the cost of paying back student loans for millions of borrowers – the latest installment in…
Films of note in theaters
Margin Call: A thriller that revolves around the key people at a investment bank over a 24-hour period during the early stages of the financial crisis. Ides of March: A…
The Juggernaut in a nutshell
Before talking about economics, I want to say something about democracy. In July, I was in Spain, talking to the “indignados” there, the protesters. There, I could use a bullhorn….
Propaganda: repetition and fear
A propaganda film about propaganda. Learn how the powers that be use argumentum ad metum (the appeal to fear) and constant repetition to subtly manipulate your emotions. Be sure to…
A theory about the poor’s aversion to welfare
(The Economist) Instead of opposing redistribution because people expect to make it to the top of the economic ladder, the authors of the new paper argue that people don’t like…
Solving the problem by adding to it and making it worse
(The New York Times) There is something you should know about the deal to cut federal spending that President Obama signed into law on Tuesday: It does not actually reduce federal…
The debt debate goes back long before Nov. 2010
(Reuters) – White House and congressional negotiators are racing against the clock to forge a deficit reduction deal that would clear the way for Congress to raise the $14.3 trillion…
The debt ceiling as a perpetual soufflé
As Veronique de Rugy explains, the debt ceiling was initiated in the U.S. in 1917 as a way to ensure responsibility in congress. Since then, government has raised it nearly…
An ethical case for ‘Loser Pays’
In a recent article, Gozmodo reports of an independent artist that was charged with copyright infringement, and was forced to settle for tens of thousands of dollars, even though he…