The Other Dunce
I tried listening to Mitt Romney on the radio Sunday morning, but after a few minutes it just got too depressing. Here’s what I heard in that few minutes: 1) We need to maintain defense spending...
View ArticleGood News and Bad News
Good news and bad news: Romney lost; Obama won. What’s most depressing about the Obama victory is that it seems to have come largely as a reward for two things: the execrable auto bailout and a...
View ArticleThe Party’s Over
Thus the headline in today’s New York Times. Well, the Tea Party was nice while it lasted.
View ArticleLive Streaming Sex
The Future of Freedom Foundation plans to livestream my talk this afternoon, titled “More Sex is Safer Sex and Other Surprises”. I believe you’ll be able to find the stream here. Starting time (I...
View ArticleI GIve Up
These were the posted prices at my local gas station this morning: (Note the 5 cent discount for cash on regular and premium, as opposed to the 65 cent (!!!) discount on plus.) Unless this was just a...
View ArticleSomething to Celebrate
Here’s a key lesson of economics: Trade is good, but trade with people very unlike yourself is even better. I’m a teacher who eats beef, drives a car and lives in a house. I don’t need other teachers...
View ArticleThe Egomaniac in Chief
So President Obama finds it remarkable that he’s been mistaken for a valet driver and a waiter. I have some questions for my readers: Is there anyone who hasn’t been mistaken for a driver, a Home Depot...
View ArticleNature or Nurture?
My sister snapped this picture of my Dad and me sitting on a couch: No, this wasn’t posed. It’s just how we happened to be sitting. Click here to comment or read others’ comments.
View ArticleQuick Crossword Update
I realize I’m overdue to announce the winners of the crossword contest from last week. I promise to get to this before the weekend! Click here to comment or read others’ comments.
View ArticleA Modified Algorithm for Evaluating Logical Arguments
A Guest Post by Bennett Haselton In a previous guest post I had argued that we should use a random-sample-voting algorithm in any kind of system that promotes certain types of content (songs,...
View ArticleMcCloskey at Chicago, Take Two
It was a pleasure and an honor to reminisce about Dee McCloskey for the Festschrift volume just released by the University of Chicago Press. It was less of a pleasure to discover that the U of C Press...
View ArticleWinston Churchill Foresees Donald Trump
Those who are possessed of a definite body of doctrine and of deeply-rooted convictions upon it will be in a much better position to deal with the shifts and surprises of daily affairs than those who...
View ArticleMatters of Money
I have some questions about how money works. I’ll start by talking about Bitcoin, though my questions are more general than that. As you are probably aware, Bitcoin is a cryptocurrency that is...
View ArticleAlex Tabarrok!
I am delighted to announce that Alex Tabarrok, of George Mason University and marginalrevolution.com, will be speaking at the University of Rochester this Wednesday (February 21) on the topic “Is the...
View ArticleThe Case Against The Case Against Education
I am quite unqualified to review Bryan Caplan’s blockbuster The Case Against Education, by virtue of the fact that I have not (yet) found time to read all of it. But I think I have a pretty good idea...
View ArticleBob Murphy and Me
Here is a link to my appearance on the Bob Murphy show. Click here to comment or read others’ comments.
View ArticleInnumeracy at CNN
At the moment (and it’s been this way for quite a while), CNN has Amy Klobuchar 84 votes behind Pete Buttigieg, and 2.1% of the vote behind Pete Buttigieg. Which should mean that the total number of...
View ArticleAnimation
You should watch this: Click here for full-size version. Click here to comment or read others’ comments.
View ArticleWhy We Need Billionaires
The next time somebody asks me why there have to be billionaires, I will point that person to this tweet from Elon Musk: Musk went ahead and invested about $100 million in SpaceX and $6 million in...
View ArticleLead Exposure and Criminal Behavior
If you’re in the vicinity of the University of Rochester this Tuesday, please join us: Title: Lead Exposure and Crime Presenter: Kevin Schnepel on 3/19 at 5pm in Goergen 101 Description: Early-life...
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