Article Archive
‘Investment’ Means Defense Spending
Our politicians seem more focused on winning the next election or reducing the budget deficit than on preventing the next war. The result may be a disinvestment in defense that ends up costing more than it saved.
The Unnaturals
What to think when a player looks like a rocker, a Fiat mechanic, a cable guy, a terrorist — anything but the very competitive athlete he is.
Memories of Peak Oil
Is it too much to hope that even some catastrophists and peak-oil cultists will find it impossible to ignore the latest numbers?
Enlightened Conservatism
A cause is to politics what fanaticism is to religion — a plague to be avoided at all costs.
Was Mancur Olson Wrong?
The great economist turned political science on its head. But a new book says Olson was off base.
Cutting the Iran-China Connection
Time for meaningful non-military pressure against Iran is quickly running out. U.S. policy needs to inflict more economic pain now.
A Business Perspective on the Federal Debt
A proper analysis of the debt burden tells a much different story than the debt level by itself.
The ‘Scrooge’ Who Begat Plenty
Civility to one’s opponents, certainty, restraint, federalism, economy, thrift, and respect for faith: these and other Coolidge ideals are needed today.
The Biggest Loser: Europe and the Global Currency War
One can only hope global policymakers wake up to the risks of a strengthening euro before it is too late.
Congratulations! You Have Arrived at the Greatest City on Earth
I have never failed to be moved by Grand Central’s incomparable (and irreplaceable) architectural grandeur.
A Winning Strategy on the Debt Ceiling (Courtesy of Warren Buffett)
Gauge our ‘ability to handle’ the debt by considering it in relation to the size of the economy.
Reform Government Pay with Step Decreases
Longevity is the wrong characteristic to reward in the case of government workers.
Entrepreneurs, Risk Managers, and Uncertainty
Hyman Minsky offered profound thoughts about the economic dialectic between, as he characterized it, ‘entrepreneurs and bankers.’
The Personal Income Tax at 100
Few areas of American public life are more in need of thorough reform — and, alas, more difficult to change — than the tax system.
Calling the Keynesians’ Bluff
It’s time to enter the inner sanctum of Keynesian theory and see what (little) it’s worth.
Just How Polluted Is China Anyway?
Decades ago, I wrote the first comprehensive books on China’s energy and environment. I have not been surprised by the country’s continuing environmental degradation; even so, I could not have predicted such a deterioration of air quality.
China’s Sick Yellow River
China’s water pollution is even worse than its better-known air pollution. As long as the Chinese people have few private rights, government-backed pollution will continue.
Can the GOP Be Saved? The Myth of the Demographic Fix
Conventional wisdom holds that as African Americans, Asians, Hispanics, and gays increase their political clout, Republicans must devise a way of reaching out to these critical demographic groups. Is this wisdom correct?