10 | August | 2012

Sunday, May 19, 2013

Coin Scalping: Dime Sells for 16M Times Face Value

Mark J. Perry | August 10, 2012, 11:22 pm

The 1873 dime pictured above just sold for $1.6 million at auction, with strong interest and bidding from four or five serious buyers. Here are the details. A Michigan lawmaker plans to introduce legislation that would limit the price of … read more >

Carpe Diem

Pew Research’s Latest News IQ Quiz

Mark J. Perry | August 10, 2012, 5:40 pm

Test your knowledge about the candidates and the election by taking Pew’s 11-question quiz. Pretty easy questions….

Carpe Diem

Institute for Justice wins another major victory for economic liberty on behalf of Utah hairbraider

Mark J. Perry | August 10, 2012, 5:38 pm

In April 2011, I featured the Institute for Justice’s lawsuit challenging Utah’s cosmetology cartel on behalf of African hairbraider Jestina Clayton. Prior to the Utah case, the Institute for Justice had successfully challenged state cosmetology regulations in seven states on … read more >

Carpe Diem

Markets in everything: World’s first indoor RV park in North Dakota’s booming oil patch

Mark J. Perry | August 10, 2012, 5:26 pm

The video above comes from KARE-11 in Minneapolis, and features the world’s first “Indoor RV Park,” currently under construction near Williston, North Dakota, as one creative solution to the area’s housing shortage. When completed this fall, the RV complex will … read more >

Carpe Diem

Not even a bronze medal for the command-and-control approach to summer Olympic tickets

Mark J. Perry | August 10, 2012, 4:50 pm

The Fan Freedom Project has been tracking the Summer Olympic ticket fiasco, here’s a sample of links below that document how despite the high demand for tickets, there have been a lot of half-empty stadiums because of the lack of … read more >

Economics, Pethokoukis

Consumer deleveraging: We’re more than halfway there

James Pethokoukis | August 10, 2012, 2:15 pm

Philly Fed: How much longer household deleveraging is going to last is the $64,000 question. Given that housing debt still weighs heavily on households, deleveraging crucially depends on the recovery of the housing market (house-price appreciation). Household income is another … read more >

Image Credit: ProgressOhio (Flickr) (CC BY 2.0)

Economics, Energy and the Environment

The Obama war on fracking continues

Kenneth P. Green | August 10, 2012, 1:47 pm

The Obama administration continues its war on fossil fuels, leaving virtually no stone unturned in looking for ways to slow fossil fuel production. read more >

Pethokoukis

Chart: A look at who pays the income tax in America

James Pethokoukis | August 10, 2012, 1:33 pm

Great chart from Strategas showing how progressive the U.S. tax code is, and how it has become more so over time. But that also presents a challenger for tax reformers: Tax reform in 1986 removed tax deductions for both individuals … read more >

Pethokoukis

Why it is hard to do fiscal stimulus

James Pethokoukis | August 10, 2012, 1:09 pm

Embedded in the Obama stimulus plan was this idea: Give people a temporary increase in their income and they will spend that money — at least some of it — boosting the economy. But as many predicted, the temporary tax … read more >

Pethokoukis

The Lost Romney Interviews: Romney on innovation

James Pethokoukis | August 10, 2012, 11:20 am

I’ve had a few on-the-record interviews with Mitt Romney since 2007. I think they hold pretty well since I focused on economic policy rather than the transitory kerfuffle of the day. Here’s what I think is a pretty interesting bit … read more >

Lean In… to Government?
Sheryl Sandberg's runaway best-selling book Lean In has managed to offend both the Left and the Right. Sandberg touts female hard-headedness, yet also calls for an elaborate government- and employer-supplied support system for women. […]
Are American Voters Racist?
Racial prejudice plays a very small role in American politics, but a highly disciplined sense of self-interest on the part of one group may play a very large role in the way the federal government functions. […]
The Perpetual Passion for Paper
Paper is becoming less important in some respects, but its strengths — prestige, utility, permanence, and security — are more essential than ever. […]
Could California Make a Comeback?
An unexpected glimmer of hope might cast a new light on the Golden State. […]