29 | October | 2012

Wednesday, May 22, 2013

Markets in everything: $1 houses in Detroit

Mark J. Perry | October 29, 2012, 8:27 pm

Here are 19 homes in Detroit listed for $100 or less, and nine are selling for only $1. Just wondering, are those prices negotiable?

Carpe Diem

New FBI data reveal that the ‘War on Weeds’ has failed

Mark J. Perry | October 29, 2012, 6:54 pm

1. More than 1.5 million people were arrested last year in the U.S. for drug offenses, which was one arrest every 21 seconds, according to new FBI data. 2. Of the 12.4 million total arrests last year, drug arrests (1,531,251) … read more >

Pethokoukis

Survey: What investors fear most about Obama and Romney

James Pethokoukis | October 29, 2012, 4:32 pm

A survey by Barclays Bank looks at investor attitudes toward Mitt Romney and Barack Obama. For starters, they think Romney would be better for stocks, Obama for bonds: Investors seem to believe in a more promising growth outlook under a … read more >

Pethokoukis

What are the economic indicators, right now, predicting about the presidential race?

James Pethokoukis | October 29, 2012, 4:04 pm

Last week I mentioned that the election forecasting model from Yale University’s Ray Fair now predicts a 51-49 win for Mitt Romney. While that model is heavily based on economic factors, it also gives a big edge to incumbents. What … read more >

Image credit: Official White House Photo (Wikimedia Commons)

Society and Culture

The gender pay gap is a media myth

Andrew Biggs | October 29, 2012, 3:04 pm

Last week, the American Association of University Women (AAUW) released a study on the gender pay gap, the claim that women are paid less than equally-qualified men. The AAUW study limited itself to new college graduates, hoping to show that … read more >

Pethokoukis

Jobs report or no jobs report on Friday, here’s another metric you should look at

James Pethokoukis | October 29, 2012, 2:55 pm

It still seems to be up-in-the air whether the Labor Department will release the October jobs report on Friday — though for now the Bureau of Labor Statistics says it will. But the U-3 unemployment rate is a flawed measure … read more >

Pethokoukis

‘Mitt Romney may well be heading to a decisive victory’

James Pethokoukis | October 29, 2012, 2:32 pm

Pollsters are cautious creatures, highly protective of their reputations. So when a top-notch pollster — whether considered a Republican or Democrat pollster — uses strong language about a tight presidential election, I take notice. Ed Goeas of the Tarrance Group, … read more >

Pethokoukis

Analysis: Big drop in Ohio unemployment rate due to disappearing workers. (Same goes for rest of U.S.)

James Pethokoukis | October 29, 2012, 1:40 pm

How is the Ohio economy really doing? Great find by Jason Hart of Media Trackers: Ohio’s unemployment rate paints a misleading picture of the state’s economy, an Opportunity Ohio report and separate Media Trackers analysis reveal. The unemployment rate reported … read more >

Pethokoukis

Could Hurricane Sandy somehow swing the presidential election?

James Pethokoukis | October 29, 2012, 1:19 pm

Forget about October surprises. Hurricane Sandy is an October Black Swan. And given a dead-heat 2012 presidential election, there’s already plenty of speculation aboput how it might impact what happens Nov. 6. I think the consensus is that it helps … read more >

Image Credit: Gage Skidmore (Flickr) (CC BY-SA 2.0)

Politics and Public Opinion, Elections

Is Michigan really tied?

Marc Thiessen | October 29, 2012, 1:05 pm

In August, I wrote on the prospects of a Romney upset in Michigan this November. Now, Fox reports on a new poll showing that the race in Michigan is all tied up, 47-47. So is a Michigan upset really in … read more >

Hindsight Isn’t 20/20
Many lessons should be drawn from the U.S. experience in Iraq. Unfortunately, we’re not learning what we should. […]
The Uses of Scandal
One of the greatest uses of scandal is to vividly demonstrate what new laws are needed and to create the political conditions to get them enacted. […]
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. […]