Category Archives: Economics

Business, Economics, Media Criticism, Political Commentary, Popular Culture

The Politics Of Star Trek

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Thoughts from Ilya Somin:

Instead, it is the Federation that turns out to be a sort of kinder, gentler Soviet Union. Both are multicultural, federal, socialist states with an official ideology of egalitarianism. But the Federation lacks the Gulags, secret police, and mass murder (or at least we never see them on-screen!). Meanwhile, the Romulans represent several of the negative qualities that many leftists associate with the present-day West: elitism, arrogance, and intolerance for other cultures. The same can be said of many other Star Trek villains, such as the Ferengi, who represent the supposed evils of capitalism. At some level, of course, Star Trek is a projection of Western values. After all, egalitarian socialism is a Western ideology. However, Trek is far more hostile to the present-day West than Nussbaum and some other left of center critics recognize.

Some say Roddenberry was a dreamer. But (sadly) he’s not the only one. Imagine.

Business, Economics, Political Commentary, Science And Society

The Climate Coverup Continues

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Also, there’s a double standard in Virginia when it comes to releasing emails:

UVA and the interest groups have been in Mann’s corner, fighting Ken Cuccinelli’s request for documents for months. But it was that Greenpeace request of UVA for Pat Michaels’ work product that has legs. The environmental group filed similar requests with other institutions seeking the records of climate skeptics, and in a couple of cases, mounted campaigns to have those skeptics fired from their positions. Where were the voices of academic freedom of expression during those campaigns? Sitting on their hands.

Now, though, they have sprung into action because Michael Mann, who shares their climate change beliefs, is under what they deem to be attack. Horner says these groups are “a little bit late to the party,” because, as noted above, UVA has already said it’s willing to release an academic’s emails, “so long as he’s a climate skeptic.”

As Norman Leahy writes, we now have half a million reasons to want to see them.

Business, Economics, Political Commentary

Obama’s Plan To Reduce The Deficit

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He doesn’t have one:

The president keeps promoting an “adult conversation” about the budget, but that can’t happen if the First Adult doesn’t play his part. Obama is eager to be all things to all people. He’s against the debt and its adverse consequences, but he’s for preserving Social Security and Medicare without major changes. He’s for “tough cuts,” but he’s against saying what they are and defending them. He pronounces ambitious goals without saying how they’d be reached. Mainly, he’s for scoring political points against Republicans.

And doesn’t really want one.

That’s been obvious for a long time. Reducing the deficit will require cutting non-defense spending and entitlements, and Democrats can’t bring themselves to do it. People forget, but Bill Clinton never had a plan to balance the budget, either. He was forced to do it by a Republican congress.

[Mid-morning update]

He may not have a plan to eliminate the deficit, but he sure had one to jack up gas prices, and it’s working pretty damned well.

[Update a couple minutes later]

Jim Manzi has some thoughts on demand elasticity of fuel, and why forcing the prices higher is not a good way to wean ourselves off fossil fuels.

[Another update a couple minutes more later]

Why have taxes at all? Why even have a debt limit? Keynesianism has failed, and the “liberals” remain economically incoherent.

[Update a while later]

Because most Americans aren’t as stupid as the Democrats want us to be, they think that the problem is too much spending, not taxes too low.

Business, Economics, Media Criticism, Political Commentary

OK, Does Trump Have The Goods?

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…or is he just continuing to bluff out a poker hand?

In an interview with the Associated Press, Trump alleged that Mr. Obama had been “a terrible student,” and wondered how he could have been accepted to prestigious schools like Columbia and Harvard Universities.

“I heard he was a terrible student, terrible,” Trump told the AP. “How does a bad student go to Columbia and then to Harvard? I’m thinking about it, I’m certainly looking into it. Let him show his records.”

I would be very depressed about a choice between Obama and Trump, about as much as I was with the choice last time (partly depending on running mate — Palin was the only saving grace of the ticket), but I am popping lots of corn right now. Notwithstanding my current restrictions for salt and carbs…

If what I suspect is the truth eventually comes out, it will be a horrific indictment of affirmative action, which in this case may have resulted in the Peter Principle being accelerated to the nth power, having been instituted by the entire electorate. On the other hand, it may have inoculated the nation from making such a mistake again for decades. On the gripping hand, it will be bad news for good black candidates for decades, as I warned Obama supporters at the time.

[Update Monday evening[

But don’t say he’s not a conservative! Trump gave fifty grand to Rahm Emmanuel’s mayoral campaign. He must think that Republicans are stupid. Sadly, there’s a lot of evidence to support his belief.

Business, Economics, Media Criticism, Political Commentary, Popular Culture, Space, Technology and Society

Just A Right-Wing Fantasy

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No, of course Atlas Shrugged has nothing to do with life in modern America:

Ah, that must be the Anti Dog-Eat-Dog Law, or one of the Fairness Laws, or something, right? The WSJ isn’t sure what law the NLRB is talking about, either. Not only do businesses routinely relocate to find the most advantageous environment possible, states and cities compete for that business by calculating their business climate. If this has escaped the notice of the NLRB, perhaps they should get out more.

This will be an important court case, assuming it’s fought. Then again, it’s hard to feel too bad for Boeing — as Mickey says, live by crony capitalism, die by crony capitalism. Sadly, we’ve also seen this sort of corporatism/fascism wasting our space dollars as well, in addition to inhibiting innovation.