16 | April | 2012

Saturday, May 25, 2013

Monday Afternoon Links

Mark J. Perry | April 16, 2012, 9:21 pm

1.Recycling America’s Abandoned Auto Plants: Shuttered U.S. auto plants aren’t eyesores, they’re valuable assets worth saving and recycling. 2. Exxon’s Big Bet on Shale Gas: ExxonMobil now produces about as much natural gas as it does oil, and CEO Rex … read more >

Carpe Diem

Energy Facts of the Day: The “Decline of Coal”

Mark J. Perry | April 16, 2012, 8:36 pm

1. “Total U.S. carloads of coal by rail during the first quarter of 2012 fell to 1.55 million carloads, the lowest level for any quarter since the beginning of 1994, as demand for coal by the U.S. electricity sector decreased.” … read more >

Foreign and Defense Policy, Latin America

Banter #53: The one about Hugo Chavez

Stuart James | April 16, 2012, 3:45 pm

In the latest episode of AEI’s podcast, Banter, AEI Fellow Roger Noriega sits down to talk about the events currently unfolding in Venezuela. With Chavez desperately ill with cancer, the current regime and political opposition brace for a Venezuela after … read more >

Economics, Taxes and Spending

The total intellectual collapse of Obama’s Buffett Rule

James Pethokoukis | April 16, 2012, 2:20 pm

Warren Buffett, President Obama’s favorite billionaire, once said that “you only find out who’s swimming naked when the tide goes out.” Well, it looks like the tide has gone out for Obama when it comes to pushing his Buffett Rule … read more >

Carpe Diem

Let’s Abolish the Boutique Gasoline Regime

Mark J. Perry | April 16, 2012, 1:06 pm

From Steve Hayward in the Weekly Standard: “Quick: How many kinds of gasoline do we use in America? Most people would say three or six: regular unleaded, mid-grade, and premium, along with the ethanol blends of the same that have … read more >

Economics, Regulation

Dodd-Frank threatens to reduce credit availability by $1.2 trillion

Peter J. Wallison | April 16, 2012, 11:03 am

The Financial Times today carries a story that U.S. banks have been resisting a new Fed regulation—issued under the Dodd-Frank Act—that would limit their credit exposure to one another. According to the article, the banks have data showing that this … read more >

Economics, Regulation

This chart shows why Romney is right to want to eliminate HUD

James Pethokoukis | April 16, 2012, 10:41 am

If you knew nothing about U.S. economic policy over the past decade or so, looking at this chart from the St. Louis Fed would certainly give you the idea that Washington did something to a) make housing more affordable to … read more >

Economics, Taxes and Spending

Here’s how big the potential 2013 tax hikes would be

James Pethokoukis | April 16, 2012, 9:45 am

If you combine all the other tax increases from 1980-1993, they add up to 3.3% of GDP, according to the brilliant budget team at Strategas Research. The coming “taxmageddon” of 2013 surpasses all those tax hikes combined! How could the Obama … read more >

Economics, Taxes and Spending

Romney’s not-so-secret plan to raise taxes on the rich

James Pethokoukis | April 16, 2012, 9:01 am

Mitt Romney, at a closed-door fundraiser last night: Romney also went into greater detail than he has on the campaign trail in describing how he would maintain the progressive structure in the tax code after implementing his 20 percent across-the-board … read more >

Economics, U.S. Economy

A worst-case scenario for the U.S. economy between now and November

James Pethokoukis | April 16, 2012, 8:23 am

With about six months to go before the November elections, what economic factors will most influence whether Barack Obama gets four more years or Mitt Romney becomes America’s 45th president? In looking at the state of the stock market, economic … read more >