25 | February | 2013

Friday, May 24, 2013

Logging towns like Eugene, OR are on a roll as the housing recovery boosts lumber demand; prices near an 8-year high

Mark J. Perry | February 25, 2013, 10:37 pm

From the WSJ article today “Logging Towns Are on a Roll: Housing Recovery Spurs Lumber Demand, Boosting Regions Such as Eugene, Ore.”: Rising lumber demand stoked by the housing recovery is reinvigorating U.S. timber towns, creating jobs from the sawmill … read more >

Economics, Financial Services, Pethokoukis

How the US tax code makes financial crisis more likely

James Pethokoukis | February 25, 2013, 5:30 pm

One of the many flaws of the US tax code is its favoritism of debt over equity. It should be neutral. A new IMF report attempts to show the risk of putting a thumb on the scale: That most corporate … read more >

Economics, Health Care, Taxes and Spending

The New York Times must choose: Ideology or protecting Americans’ health and saving taxpayers money

Jon Entine | February 25, 2013, 3:35 pm

In a sharp rebuke of a New York Times investigation, an analysis by the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office found that a last-minute provision added to the early January “fiscal cliff” bill could save taxpayers as much as $4 billion—rather than … read more >

Society and Culture, Education, Pethokoukis

Should Washington become a venture capitalist for education?

James Pethokoukis | February 25, 2013, 2:50 pm

Conservatives and libertarians have long been skeptical of the federal role in education. The Department of Education is frequently offered up as a candidate for closure. More recently, there’s been talk of a Medicaid-education swap where Washington would take full … read more >

Pethokoukis

How schools can produce more female economists and engineers

James Pethokoukis | February 25, 2013, 12:49 pm

“The long-run gains of not mixing genders in high-school classes” by Massimo Anelli, Giovanni Peri: In a recent study (Anelli and Peri 2013) we ask if the gender composition of the high-school class attended by an individual affects his/her choice of … read more >

Economics, Financial Services, Pethokoukis

Using financial trading taxes to deal with technological unemployment

James Pethokoukis | February 25, 2013, 12:13 pm

Europe seems dead set on taxing financial trading next year. And that makes me think of robots. There’s been lots of concern lately about automation — both robots and algorithms — redistributing wealth away from labor and towards capital. As … read more >

Carpe Diem

‘Big Chemical’ continues to make the case that it’s entitled to the natural resources of US energy companies

Mark J. Perry | February 25, 2013, 11:55 am

Here’s a re-write of an op-ed in today’s WSJ by Dow Chemical CEO Andrew N. Liveris: New Title: “Wanted: An UnBalanced Approach to Shale Gas Exports favoring “Big Chemical” and “Big Steel”: Rushing to sell natural gas to Europe and Asia … read more >

Economics, U.S. Economy

A real opportunity for bipartisan collaboration on farm policy

Vincent Smith | February 25, 2013, 11:33 am

A remarkable thing has happened on the way to a 2013 Farm Bill. Senator Harry Reid and Senator Debbie Stabenow, chair of the Senate Agricultural Committee, along with other democrats on the committee, have recently proposed a sequestration-related farm bill. … read more >

Carpe Diem

Huffington Post discovers the economic ‘Holy Grail’ – raise the minimum wage and economic prosperity will follow

Mark J. Perry | February 25, 2013, 11:31 am

From the Huffington Post article “Raising the Minimum Wage Is Good for Business (But the Corporate Lobby Doesn’t Think So)” by Peter Dreier and Donald Cohen: “In fact, raising the minimum wage is good for business and the overall economy. … read more >

Carpe Diem

Monday morning links

Mark J. Perry | February 25, 2013, 10:14 am

1. Markets in Everything: Avvo Launches First Online Legal Marketplace — consumers shop for an attorney privately — evaluate fit, fees and approach to their case. 2. Milton Friedman video: Milton Friedman schools a “young Michael Moore” about the value … read more >