Imagine that you are a pioneer of the old west. Over many years you have worked hard to establish a home and a farm. Now imagine that a marauding gang of thieves has begun to harass you. They destroy your crops. They threaten your safety in order to extort money from you. When you are [...]
Category: Unintended consequences
April 09 / 2012
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All the world is a game…
Perhaps one of the best metaphors for the free-market and good governance is that of team sports. I recently came upon this revelation as I was watching my eldest son’s soccer team playing. Two teams on the pitch are a microcosm for society. Markets are represented by the presence of both competition (between teams) and [...]
March 06 / 2012
Bubbles…
The higher education bubble will soon burst. Like the popped housing bubble, higher education prices are being distorted by massive government subsidization. Subsidization causes prices to increase at a rate dramatically above what they would have otherwise increased absent subsidization. It is true that bubbles can occur “naturally”, but these are called “crazes” or “manias.” The [...]
February 06 / 2012
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Do carts push the horse?
President Obama remarked in the recent state of the union address that he is “proposing that every state require that all students stay in high school until they graduate or turn 18.” A laudable goal (for students to finish school) however the idea that this goal must be forced upon the student by the state [...]
February 02 / 2012
The War on…Happy Meals?
The city of San Francisco enacted a law that went into effect on November 30, 2011. It bans any chain restaurant (i.e McDonalds) from providing a toy with a meal that the overlords of that city decree does not meet an arbitrary nutrition standard. Clearly McDonalds is attempting to ensnare unsuspecting children with toys that [...]
December 15 / 2011
Be thankful for…Capitalism
In May 1607 the first American settlers from England arrived in North America and established a colony at Jamestown, Virginia. It was a veritable Eden: rich, fertile soil, abundant fish, game (deer and turkey),fruits, and nuts. By November 1607, 66 of the 104 colonists were dead (due mostly to starvation). In 1609 the Virginia Company [...]
December 01 / 2011
A Wasted Protest
The “Occupy <insert city name here>” protestors are certainly an eclectic bunch. From what I can gather they blame “the wealthy” and “corporate greed” (whatever that means) for a myriad of the problems this country faces, not the least of which is that they don’t have a job. Give me a break. If they have [...]
October 21 / 2011
Decriminalize Immigration
The idea of “illegal” immigration is a silly notion. It’s akin to an “illegal” vacation. Immigration is simply the act of moving from Location A to Location B. Why should permission be required to exercise this right? Up until 1882 (with passage of the non-euphemistically named “Chinese Exclusion Act”) anyone was permitted entry. Immigration laws [...]
October 15 / 2011
