“What is better for the environment, selling a few cars that are 100% emission free, or selling a lot of cars that are 95% emission free? Governments are generally not very good at making this sort of calculation; hence ‘command and control’ regulations often end up being relatively inefficient. In contrast, a carbon tax encourages consumers to make the decision that is best for the economy, including the external costs of emissions.” (09/12/24)
“Yesterday, I returned from a one-week visit to Shanghai, where I spoke at an academic conference at Fudan University and gave a public lecture about the U.S. elections. I came away with a lot of thoughts and observations — and a keen awareness that I know the country far too little to sculpt them into a coherent whole. So instead of pretending to a wisdom I do not possess, I thought I would share with you the different ideas swirling around in my head. In that spirit, here are 21 observations about China based on my recent visit.” (09/12/24)
“If nothing else, former U.S. President Donald Trump is forcing mainstream America out of its jail cell of clichés and political correctness, even though his apparent ‘vision’ for America is primarily a dark comedy of lies. Yeah, I watched the debate. Was the Trump character played by Rodney Dangerfield? Maybe Don Rickles? He could have been. The problem, however, is that there’s nothing funny about racism, which seemed to be the primary core of Trump’s blather. Did Vice President Kamala Harris ‘win’ the debate? Uh … this wasn’t a ping-pong game, much as ‘Who won?’ seems to be the media focal point. My question is: Did anybody win? Did the whole country lose?” [editor’s note: The answer to that is yes, as well as that the “three against one” nature of the “event” rendered it useless to any sense of journalism, objectivity or fairness – SAT] (09/12/24)
“Social media poses problems far more serious than misinformation campaigns, but solutions consistent with the First Amendment are not clear.” (09/12/24)
Source: Ludwig von Mises Institute
by Jane L Johnson
“In 2014, California — with Senate Bill SB 270 — was the first US state to implement a statewide ban on single-use plastic bags distributed at point of sale in grocery and other stores, and a requirement that stores sell more substantial reusable plastic bags made of recycled content or recycled paper bags, for which customers are charged ten cents each. … as so often occurs when a governmental policy produces an outcome at odds with the original intention — it is now apparent that consumers have not reused the sturdier reusable plastic bags, and the bags continue to constitute a large part of the waste stream. … the California Legislature is attempting to pass additional legislation … to expand the state’s plastic bag ban to prohibit the reusable recycled-content bags that were first mandated in the original 2014 legislation and upheld by a public referendum, to replace the single-use plastic version.” (09/12/24)
Source: American Institute for Economic Research
by Thomas Savidge
“A recent Wall Street Journal article quoted former New England Patriots Head Coach Bill Belichick commenting on the team’s struggles to recruit talent, especially free agents. The main problem is taxes. ‘That’s Taxachusetts,’ Belichick lamented, ‘Virtually every player, even the practice squad, even the minimum players are pretty close to $1 million. Once you hit the $1 million threshold, you pay more state tax in Massachusetts.’ It’s difficult to compete with teams in states that have flat income taxes. It’s not just the New England Patriots that are struggling to get talent. The Commonwealth of Massachusetts had a net outflow of over 26,000 taxpayers, costing the state $3.87 billion in 2022 alone. Research from Boston University shows that the number one reason taxpayers are fleeing is healthcare costs. The good news is that it does not have to be this way.” (09/12/24)
“Debates about immigration, assimilation, and the way American communities are changed by foreign-born newcomers are fair. What happened over the past few days, however, was not. Earlier this week, [JD] Vance and other leading Republicans escalated their panic. They were no longer telling a story of a small town grappling with social and demographic change. Rather, they turned up the rhetoric, depicting a place where vicious invaders were destroying the American way of life, one animal at a time. … I know that when it’s campaign time, partisans on both sides are often overcome with a sense that anything is justified because you sincerely believe your party is better suited for governing than the other one. The ends justify the means. But consider this: Millions of people now believe that immigrants are butchering their beloved cats and dogs. How will those people approach immigrants — or people they think are immigrants — if that’s what they believe?” (09/12/24)
“The smart analysis of the first — and maybe only — debate of the Trump-Harris presidential cycle is that Donald Trump blew it. The former president, winging it as usual, missed numerous ‘kill shots,’ was frustratingly imprecise and allowed himself to be baited by Kamala Harris. But on the optics, Harris committed far worse self-harm. If you switched off the sound for the ABC debate Tuesday night and just watched the images, you would come away feeling deep distaste for the haughty flibbertigibbet who kept making faces while Trump was speaking. Harris’[s] split-screen pantomime made her seem unserious and unlikable and was clearly designed for the sort of viral ‘Brat Girl’ moments on social media her juvenile campaign staff imagines are vote winners. Kween! In reality, the novelty value is short-lived and even the Taylor Swift demographic will come to see it as unbecoming.” (09/11/24)
“The first presidential debate between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump presented a bleak picture of the future of U.S. foreign policy no matter who wins in November. On the most urgent and important foreign policy issue of the year, the war and genocide in Gaza, Harris repeated empty platitudes about a ‘two-state solution’ and Trump fell back on tired ‘pro-Israel’ rhetoric. Neither candidate offered voters any hope that there would be a meaningful change from Biden’s policy of unconditional support for the slaughter and starvation of Palestinians.” (09/12/24)
“In the department of non-news, the recent revelation that Bruce Springsteen has moved from E Street to Easy Street and joined the billionaire ranks of Taylor Swift, Rihanna, and Paul McCartney deserves a tick. Yes, the working-class hero from New Jersey may now have the disposable cash to buy a highway fit for broken heroes, but his reviews have long been worth a billion bucks as well. This year marks the anniversary of the first and most influential of those notices. It’s the one that would ‘refocus and alter the course of my life,’ as Springsteen later remarked. It also, at least for a short period, refocused and altered the art of rock criticism.” (09/12/24)
