Once Upon a Car
The HPR reviews "Once Upon a Car: The Fall and Resurrection of America’s Big Three Auto Makers" by Bill Vlasic.
On the Newsstand:government intervention
Rand Paul a Racist? I Think Not.
Sam Barr’s most recent post makes the rather shocking claim that Rand Paul, the Republican nominee for the U.S. Senate seat in Kentucky being vacated by the retiring Jim Bunning, is a racist, or at least that he is not a non-racist. Sam deduces this from the fact that Mr. Paul is not a “consistent libertarian,” that he “picks and ... Read More
A Follow-Up to the Calorie Cop Post
This is a response to Max and Cathy, which got a little long for the comments section in the original post. Max, I agree with you that government subsidies for corn and sugar are bad. However, whereas you say that “the food industry” is “majorly dysfunctional,” I would argue that federal food policy is majorly dysfunctional. Moreover, I can agree ... Read More
The Problem with Bankers’ Pay
Exorbitant compensation threatens the stability of the banking system
Re: Liberal Realism
So I happened to notice the Debbie Downer note of Elise’s last post, and I wanted to focus specifically on the question of whether “it jibes with even his progressive values to stand for one set of rights at home and another one abroad.” That’s actually not a helpful way to phrase the question, for it elides the disconnect between ... Read More
Wrong Argument
If Sam really wants to bleed the rich, he’s absolutely fighting the wrong fight. He couches his argument in empirical terms, while everyone knows that any given belief can be illustrated with appropriately chosen figures. Those in favor of lightening the tax load on the rich have their own figures as well. Those of us who aren’t advanced economics specialists ... Read More
Selling the American Dream
Reconciling perceptions and realities of economic mobility in America
Elitism
Here referring not to disdain of the volk, but rather to rule by elites. Obama’s presidency is going to confront a number of entrenched, very powerful elites who will clash in very significant ways, so I thought I’d take a stab at a quick rundown. Educated Elite: Easily the largest group here, but the least institutionally entrenched. Their sole institutional ... Read More
