24 | April | 2012

Saturday, May 25, 2013

The immorality of the Buffett Rule, explained

James Pethokoukis | April 24, 2012, 4:47 pm

Economist Deirdre McCloskey on creating prosperity through taxing the rich (via her book The Bourgeois Virtues): First, I repeat, taxation is taking, and as the philosopher Edward Feser puts it, “Respecting another’s self ownership …[reflects] one’s recognition that the other … read more >

Carpe Diem

The Coming U.S. Shale-Based Economic Boom

Mark J. Perry | April 24, 2012, 4:35 pm

Philip Verleger, visiting fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Economics, writing in today’s Financial Times: “Today, few realize that the U.S. stands on the cusp of significant economic gains stimulated by low energy costs. Ten years from today, [we … read more >

Carpe Diem

ASA Staffing Index Highest Since 2008 for Week 16

Mark J. Perry | April 24, 2012, 4:15 pm

The American Staffing Association reported its weekly index today for temporary and contract employment, with the following highlights: 1. The ASA Weekly Staffing Index increased to 91 for the week ending April 15, which was the highest reading this year, … read more >

Economics

The economics of asteroid mining

James Pethokoukis | April 24, 2012, 3:42 pm

This asteroid mining story is so strange. Here you have Googlers Larry Page and Eric Schmidt, along with film director James Cameron — guys who got rich because of their ability to manipulate ones and zeroes — involved in a … read more >

Economics, International economy

Mr. Hollande would be bad news for Europe

Desmond Lachman | April 24, 2012, 3:26 pm

A victory by Francois Hollande in the May 6 second round of the French presidential election is the last thing that Europe needs at this delicate stage in its ongoing sovereign debt and financial crisis. Not only would a Hollande … read more >

Economics

Actually, the Diamond-Saez op-ed in the WSJ is even worse than I first thought

James Pethokoukis | April 24, 2012, 2:36 pm

I wrote earlier today about the Wall Street Journal op-ed from economists Peter Diamond and Emmanuel Saez. But in my haste, I sort of skipped over this bit: Neither does international evidence support a case for lower growth from higher … read more >

Carpe Diem

North Dakota Leads the Country for Annual Growth in State Coincident Index with a 10.7% Increase

Mark J. Perry | April 24, 2012, 2:12 pm

The Philadelphia Federal Reserve released data today on state coincident indexes for March, and the booming, energy-rich North Dakota economy led the country with a 10.7% annual gain, and was second in the country with a 2.9% quarterly increase behind energy-rich West … read more >

Economics, Taxes and Spending

Elizabeth Warren vs. GE

James Pethokoukis | April 24, 2012, 1:53 pm

Elizabeth Warren: I grew up in a family hanging on by our fingertips to a place in the middle class. Back then, America invested in kids like me; we had a lot of opportunities. Today, Washington lets big corporations like … read more >

Carpe Diem

Markets in Everything: Super Cruise Technology

Mark J. Perry | April 24, 2012, 1:29 pm

“Cadillac’s ‘Super Cruise’ semi-autonomous driving technology is currently undergoing road testing. The Super Cruise technology relies on a combination of radar, ultrasonic sensors, cameras and GPS map data to provide semi-autonomous driving capabilities on the highway even in bumper-to-bumper traffic. … read more >

Economics, Taxes and Spending

7 reasons why higher tax rates hurt economic growth (A response to Diamond and Saez)

James Pethokoukis | April 24, 2012, 11:22 am

In the Wall Street Journal today, liberal economists Peter Diamond and Emmanuel Saez (better known for his income inequality work with Thomas Piketty) argue for sharply higher income tax rates. Once factoring in payroll and state and local taxes, they … read more >