Adam Smith, the first great economist, would not have been surprised that the electricians union wants Minnesota’s technical college system to train fewer students for this trade. Smith gave many examples of how different groups feather their nests by restricting…
States can’t alter slowdowns
Do Keynesian or supply-side theories apply at the state level? That’s relevant right now. The national economy is slowing just as state legislatures are setting tax and spending levels. Should legislators consider how such decisions might alter total output, inflation…
Want to help environment? Shut up and do something
Rhetorical bluster and empty goals don’t substitute for concrete action. That is a lesson from the fall of communism that we need to remember as we formulate environmental policies. In the Soviet Union, leaders routinely announced dramatic goals. But their…
Fantasies won’t clean up the junk
Indulging romantic fantasies is a human inclination, but when legislators do so while shaping public policies, it can harm society. As the Minnesota Legislature tackles the problem of junked electronic equipment, both parties risk letting their particular fantasies about how…