Climate Science Is Not “Settled” Despite Arrogance and Smears
Tuesday February 21, 2012 | David Theroux

The response to the January 27th article in the Wall Street Journal by sixteen leading scientists, “No Need to Panic About Global Warming,” has been nothing short of explosive both at the Journal and to my blogging on the matter, “Leading Scientists Debunk Climate Alarmism.” However, the response from the mega-funded alarmist establishment (see...
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Solutions for Europe
Tuesday February 21, 2012 | Alvaro Vargas Llosa

Some of you may recall that Lord Wolfson (of Next stores fame) launched a contest in Britain asking European economists to put forward proposals for an orderly exit of one or more members from the European Monetary Union—i.e. the euro. Now that the deadline for submissions is passed, some of the participants (620 teams...
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No Good Deed Goes Unpunished: The High Cost of Solar
Monday February 20, 2012 | Mary Theroux

Residents of Hawaii were dismayed to see this recent front-page headline: “Hawaii Solar Savings Spark Higher Electric Bills.” Since so many consumers have sought electrical savings from installing solar panels, the state-monopoly electric utility is losing revenue and now needs to make it up in higher rates. At least Hawaii’s perennially sunny weather will...
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Romney Unfairly Criticized for Saying Auto Companies Should Have Gone Bankrupt
Monday February 20, 2012 | Randall Holcombe

Back in 2008, Mitt Romney published an editorial in the New York Times saying that American auto companies should go bankrupt.  He’s received some criticism for that op-ed, but the criticism is unfair because in fact, under President Obama’s watch, they did go bankrupt.  Romney defends his 2008 opinion here, and further criticizes the...
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Private Employment Has Recouped Only Three-Eighths of Its Recent Loss
Sunday February 19, 2012 | Robert Higgs

As the most widely reported rate of unemployment (U-3) has fallen in recent months, people with a political agenda served by painting a rosy picture of the recovery have made considerable noise about this decrease. Their political opponents have responded that one reason for the decline is that the labor force has fallen as more people have...
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Gentle Ben
Tuesday February 14, 2012 | Peter Klein

I don’t think of Ben Bernanke’s approach to monetary policy as soft, passive, or restrained, but of course my optimal monetary policy is no monetary policy. Laurence Ball thinks that Bernanke’s actions after 2008 were surprisingly cautious, compared to what Bernanke advocated as an academic and Fed Governor in the early 2000s. From 2000...
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Flying the Fascist Skies
Monday February 13, 2012 | Anthony Gregory

Boy, I miss the days when the future depicted in Terminator appeared ridiculously dystopian. The Washington Times reports: The legislation would order the FAA, before the end of the year, to expedite the process through which it authorizes the use of drones by federal, state and local police and other agencies. The FAA currently issues certificates, which...
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The Growth of Government Under President Obama
Thursday February 16, 2012 | Craig Eyermann

How much has President Barack H. Obama grown the size of the U.S. government’s budget since coming into power in January 2009? If we go by President George W. Bush’s final Fiscal Year 2009 budget, in which the average amount of federal government spending for each year through Fiscal Year 2013 was projected to...
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Crony Capitalism and Phony Energy
Thursday February 16, 2012 | Emily Skarbek

A revolving door between green energy firms and the Department of Energy is a prime example of crony capitalism in full swing. As the Washington Post reports, rent-seeking businessmen like Sanjay Wagel are going where the money is. Following an enduring Washington tradition, Wagle shifted from the private sector, where his firm hoped to...
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Previewing the New Obama Budget
Saturday February 11, 2012 | Craig Eyermann

USA Today reports that the difference between what the federal government under President Obama will have spent in 2012 and how much it will collect in taxes and other revenue sources will be $1.33 trillion: The budget, an outline of which was released by the White House Friday night, will show a higher deficit...
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The Great Greek Default
Tuesday February 7, 2012 | Emily Skarbek

Just last October, Greece received a huge injection of bailout funds to help avert bankruptcy but the country remains on the brink of default. Greek Prime Minister Lucas Papademos plans to gather the nation’s political leaders in an attempt to garner consensus on the necessary budget cuts. But the party chiefs have only agreed...
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They Spent Taxpayer Money on What?!!
Monday February 6, 2012 | Stephanie Freedman

It’s easy to spend money on frivolous projects, when it’s not your money to spend. CBN News Washington Sr. Correspondent Paul Strand exposes various wasteful spending initiatives that makes one question, who even thinks of these things? Some of these projects are extremely creative, I will give Washington that much. More federal funding in the amount of...
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National Debt is Equal to $48,700 for Every American
Friday February 3, 2012 | Stephanie Freedman

Richmond Times Dispatch reported a calculation of each individual’s ”responsibility” to the debt. “The national debt is equal to $48,700 for every American or $128,300 for every U.S. household,” Forbes, R-4th, wrote in a January 24 blog post.  ”It is now equivalent to the size of our entire economy.” Those are some eye-catching numbers, so wanted to see...
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The CBO’s New Budget Projections
Tuesday January 31, 2012 | Craig Eyermann

Some headlines from Tuesday, January 31, 2012: Congressional Budget Office Reports Another $1 Trillion Deficit The government faces a fourth year of trillion-plus deficits in 2012, according to new projections released Tuesday—numbers which also show little relief in the future unless Washington comes to grips with needed changes in its tax and spending policies....
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