06 | October | 2011

Wednesday, June 19, 2013

Intermodal Rail Traffic Highest in Four Years

Mark J. Perry | October 6, 2011, 6:04 pm

“The American Association of Railroads today reported gains in weekly rail traffic, with U.S. railroads originating 312,170 carloads for the week ending Oct. 1, 2011 (week 39), up 4.7% compared with the same week last year. Intermodal volume for the … read more >

Economics

‘What a Piece of Junk’: Responding to the Economic Policy Institute on Public Employee Pay

Andrew Biggs | October 6, 2011, 5:30 pm

In the original”Star Wars” trilogy (not those crappy prequels), Luke Skywalker uttered these words when he first saw Han Solo’s ship, the Millennium Falcon: “What a piece of junk.” I had the same reaction to a new policy brief from … read more >

Economics, Taxes and Spending

Obama’s Millionaire’s Tax Is Double Trouble

James Pethokoukis | October 6, 2011, 4:58 pm

Howard Gleckman over at TaxVox makes two great points about the Obamacrats’ new idea for a tax on million-dollar incomes, a levy the president says he’s “comfortable” with: Reid seems to be asking those who make a million or more … read more >

Carpe Diem

Historic Low: 30-Yr. Mortgage Rates Drop Below 4%

Mark J. Perry | October 6, 2011, 3:49 pm

Freddie Mac reported today that mortgage rates dropped to fresh all-time historic lows this week for both 30-year mortgages (3.94%, see chart above) and 15-year mortgages (3.26%).

Foreign and Defense Policy, Europe and Russia

Returning to Golden Days of Brezhnev?

Marc Thiessen | October 6, 2011, 3:34 pm

This December will mark the 20th anniversary of the dissolution of the Soviet Union. Time tends to soften the rough edges of history, but one figure of the Soviet era seems to be making an unlikely comeback—Leonid Brezhnev. The Wall … read more >

Economics

Street Sense

Nick Schulz | October 6, 2011, 3:17 pm

I’m not sure I have much interesting to say about the Occupy Wall Street movement, but this is making its way around the Intertubes and sums it up pretty well:

Foreign and Defense Policy

Five Foreign Policy Questions for Mitt Romney

Danielle Pletka | October 6, 2011, 2:29 pm

My colleague Marc Thiessen has railed at the GOP debate series that has shed little light on the candidates’ views on national security. Kudos to Mitt Romney for taking the issue head on with a speech on same tomorrow at … read more >

Economics

With Malice Toward Jobs, With Charity for All

Nick Schulz | October 6, 2011, 2:05 pm

Daniel, good point re: Jobs and the griping about his lack of charity. Kim Dennis wrote the indispensable piece on this topic in the WSJ a little while back in which she argued: let’s not fool ourselves into thinking that … read more >

Carpe Diem

1984 Apple’s Macintosh Commercial

Mark J. Perry | October 6, 2011, 2:04 pm

“The triumph of the entrepreneur over the ideologue.” The 1984 Apple commercial has its own Wikipedia page. HT: Warren Smith

Economics, Energy and the Environment

Of Strawmen, Unicorns, and Betting With Taxpayer Dollars

Kenneth P. Green | October 6, 2011, 1:40 pm

In his speech today, President Obama showed once again that he is unable to let go of straw-man arguments, unwilling to let go of green mythology, and unwilling to stop his energy bureaucrats from gambling with public money. Thus: • … read more >