If a tax hike increases the price of some sector’s products, politicians and journalists air the issue. But when some other economic factor does the same, the response may be oblivious neglect. That seems to be the case with a…
Stiffer penalties would deter white-collar crime
If there are no penalties for actions that harm society, you will have more such damage than if such damaging acts are punished. We have come to a pass in our nation where we punish small-scale acts of obvious fraud,…
U.S. aid is all about influence globally
U.S. foreign aid is not well understood, to put it mildly. It is an important tool in achieving our objectives in our relations with other nations. Any benevolent or altruistic motives are secondary. But the public highly overestimates its costs…
Canadian train wreck raises economic questions
External costs of transportation are making news. The first is tragic, the train derailment and fire in Lac-Megantic, Quebec, that has killed at least 15 people. The second, buried in the back pages, is the ongoing controversy about more restrictive…