Philosophical Detection: Dissecting Slate’s Michael Kinsley
The closer a con artist gets to being exposed definitively, the more desperate he becomes. If his con relies on moral intimidation, his threats and denunciations become more and more hysterical. This is the source of Saddam Hussein’s threatening bluster in the...Dreaming of Bonds
Last year, investors pulled $25 billion out of stock mutual funds and added $125 billion to bond mutual funds. You can hardly blame them. It’s scary out there, and, as war nears, it’s getting scarier. My view, as readers of this column have heard many...America’s ‘Debt’ to the French
For the second time, the French have been instrumental in securing the independence of the United States of America. At the birth of our country, the assistance of the French monarchy was vital in our struggle against King George III. Today, the assistance of the...Mandatory Labelling Is A Bad Idea
Until mid-February 2003, the US government was readying a World Trade Organisation (WTO) challenge to the European Union (EU)’s moratorium on new GM crop approvals. The EU hasn’t approved any new GM varieties since 1998, and the two varieties that are...A Free Market Will Solve America’s Energy Problems
In recent weeks American consumers have experienced two-dollar-per-gallon gasoline prices, and predictably, many politicians and commentators blame the “greed” of U.S. oil and power companies. The truth, however, is that shortages occur when demand exceeds...Senate Poised to Vote on Huge Land Grab
Choosing a time when the attention of all Americans is on our conflict with Iraq, the Senate is poised to vote on a bill that would unleash a major attack on private property rights. It would empower environmental groups and government agencies to use taxpayer funds...Deflation Myth
U.S. Federal Reserve officials, including Fed chairman Alan Greenspan, and commentators in the financial media have been worrying about deflation (a rise in the purchasing power of a currency) in recent years and months. It’s hard to figure why. Not only is...In Defense of “Trade Deficits”
A nation isn’t harmed when it imports more than it exports, which is why the trade deficit is the most dangerous statistic collected by government.
