What is money, and from where does it draw its value? This is a question Greece is facing as its people stare into the abyss. Our turn will come. read »
Although some of the nation's health care issues are complex and seem insoluble, others are relatively approachable. Many in this latter category fall within the province of the U.S. Surgeon General. But the incumbent is nowhere to be found. read »
It's not the most in-depth analysis of Russian drinking patterns I've ever seen, but I did want to briefly flag this post from the Financial Times' always excellent Beyond BRICS because it shows that Russian alcohol consumption is not some mythical entity that is totally immune to amelioration or modification. The government is raising taxes on beer and making efforts to limit where and when it can be sold and the effect is...a rise in prices and a mild decrease in sales, or exactly what you would[...] read »
President Obama should know better. Our constitutional-law-professor-in-chief has, once again, taken the government to unprecedented levels of secrecy while institutionalizing the perversions of our seemingly never-ending war-on-terror. On October 30th, the administration, without seeking Congressional authorization, proposed an executive rule that will license governmental agencies to issue bald-faced lies to the citizenry, making a mockery not only of the Freedom of Information Act, but of the[...] read »
The banks are going to find a way to take our money. I'd rather be able to see what I am spending than hunt for the pony. read »
America is an ownership culture. We don’t rent appliances like the Europeans. We have a national policy pushing home ownership – which many believe led to the 2008 financial crisis. We prefer the suburbs to the city, where we need cars and other luxuries of life that can only be owned. read »
Google’s open philosophical contempt for most property rights online has led Google to accumulate substantial piracy liabilities over the last decade. This helps explain why Google is the ringleader of the opposition to the pending anti-piracy legislation (Senate: PROTECT IP & House: SOPA), which is very likely to become law in 2012. Google recently threatened to leave the U.S. Chamber of Commerce because of its strong support for anti-piracy legislation. Greeting introduction of the Senate[...] read »