04 | October | 2012

Sunday, May 26, 2013

U.S. crude oil output reaches a 15-year high in September; Department of Energy predicts significant increases to continue

Mark J. Perry | October 4, 2012, 10:40 pm

Oil production in the U.S. reached 6.52 million barrels for the week ending September 28, which was the highest weekly production of domestic crude oil since late 1996, more than 15 years ago (see chart above). And the Department of … read more >

Image credit: George Bush, Wikimedia Commons

Politics and Public Opinion, Elections

How Romney should counter Obama’s claims about ‘the mess we’re in’

Peter J. Wallison | October 4, 2012, 4:17 pm

Mitt Romney did a great job last night, but the president is going to be much tougher in the next debate. As I predicted in The Weekly Standard last week, the president attacked Romney for advocating the same “policies that … read more >

Politics and Public Opinion, Elections

Swing state shout-outs may tip the undecided voter during debate

Elizabeth DeMeo | October 4, 2012, 3:56 pm

While watching the presidential debate last evening, I’m ashamed to admit that I allowed my mind to wander. Though I usually do my best to pay attention and think through every argument, one can only hear so much discussion of … read more >

Pethokoukis

Hyperinflation in Iran: Is America next?

James Pethokoukis | October 4, 2012, 3:36 pm

There’s been a big surge in Google searches on “hyperinflation.” I assume the Fed’s new bond-buying program is playing a role. So, too, what’s been happening in Iran. Steve Hanke over at Cato: Since the U.S. and E.U. first enacted … read more >

Pethokoukis

Capital gains taxes, high frequency trading, and free-market populism

James Pethokoukis | October 4, 2012, 3:03 pm

The great Nicole Gelinas offers an interesting one-two policy combo: Exchanges and other stock-trading venues favor high-speed, high-volume traders over the little guy or gal, as whistleblowers and congressional investigations have made clear. Stock trading is murky rather than clear: … read more >

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

Economics, Taxes and Spending

The dangling carrot that is corporate tax reform

Brittany French | October 4, 2012, 2:36 pm

President Obama promised back in February that he would revamp America’s outdated corporate tax code. He would lower what is the highest statutory corporate tax rate in the world from 35% down to 28%. Mitt Romney is calling for an … read more >

Pethokoukis

Obama’s supposed ‘balanced approach’ to debt reduction is actually 88% tax hikes

James Pethokoukis | October 4, 2012, 2:01 pm

Several times during the first presidential debate, President Obama talked about taking a “balanced” approach to deficit reduction, meaning both tax hikes and spending cuts. But Obama’s approach isn’t really balanced at all. Let’s take a look at his 2013 … read more >

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

Foreign and Defense Policy, Latin America

Adventure on the high seize

Nick Schulz | October 4, 2012, 1:53 pm

This is interesting. According to the Financial Times, an Argentine naval vessel was seized in Ghana as part of an effort to get Argentina to pay back bondholders it stiffed in 2001. It’s nice to see the rule of law … read more >

Carpe Diem

Caterpillar goes ‘all-in’ on natural gas-fueled equipment and engines to take advantage of abundant, cheap shale gas

Mark J. Perry | October 4, 2012, 1:50 pm

The chart above displays the monthly price difference between crude oil and natural gas on an energy-equivalent basis back to January of 1994. In every month since last November, natural gas has been at least 80% less expensive than oil … read more >

Image Credit: Austen Hufford (Flickr) (CC BY 2.0)

Society and Culture, Education

No cuts for education in a Romney presidency

Michael McShane | October 4, 2012, 1:27 pm

In last night’s debate, Governor Romney rebutted President Obama’s claim that a Romney presidency would result in “gutting our investments in schools and education” by promising not to cut education funding. read more >