Monthly Archives: December 2011

Happy Christmas

Posted on December 30, 2011 by J@m3z Aitch

The best Christmas present I got this year came courtesy of the state of Virginia, in which Rick Perry and Newt Gingrich both failed to collect the necessary 10,000 signatures to get on the primary ballot. Virginia’s requirements are stringent– … Continue reading →

Posted in The Democratic Process | 11 Comments

Syria Update

Posted on December 21, 2011 by J@m3z Aitch

Several months ago I wondered why there hadn’t been reports of defectors from the Syrian army, given that conscripts serve only 18-21 month tours of duty, meaning they remain unprofessionalized and with little sense of loyalty to the army. My … Continue reading →

Posted in Politics in General | 7 Comments

Can We Please Stop Pretending that Fannie and Freddie Weren’t Part of the Problem?

Posted on December 19, 2011 by J@m3z Aitch

The Securities and Exchange Commission has charged the CEOs of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac with civil fraud. Oh my, what will their defenders say now? There’s been an effort among liberals to deny that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac … Continue reading →

Posted in Economical Musings | 7 Comments

Convenient Definitions Make for Lousy Debates

Posted on December 18, 2011 by J@m3z Aitch

Over at the League, Elias Isquith has a post about wealth inequality in the U.S. Down in the comments, one Lyle writes; To see how a truly free market works I encourage folks to look at the 1870/1880s in the … Continue reading →

Posted in Economical Musings | 6 Comments

Arnold Kling’s Path to Austrian Economics

Posted on December 12, 2011 by J@m3z Aitch

Arnold Kling explains how he gravitated to Austrian economics. I was explaining to someone at dinner the other night that I came to Austrian economics in a very odd way. I did not study the sacred texts. I spent the … Continue reading →

Posted in Economical Musings | 25 Comments

Out Of Touch Urban Liberals

Posted on December 10, 2011 by J@m3z Aitch

Liberals are having a field day discussing the supposed irony of Rick Perry verbally bashing gays while supposedly dressing like one. See here, here, and here, for example. OK, I get that politics is all about finding any way you … Continue reading →

Posted in Politics in General | 21 Comments

Rick Perry: Iowa TV Ad

Posted on December 8, 2011 by J@m3z Aitch

A friend of mine from Iowa tipped me off to this revolting Rick Perry ad that is running in Iowa. Remember that in the Iowa caucus, it’s all about turnout. Perry’s trying to stoke up the religious right turnout to … Continue reading →

Posted in Politics in General | 11 Comments

Where Have All the Big Bad Hurricanes Gone?

Posted on December 6, 2011 by J@m3z Aitch

Even if we do know with certainty that the Earth is warming, and even if we do know with certainty that humans are responsible (whether in part or in whole) for that, we still don’t know with certainty what the … Continue reading →

Posted in Climate Clusterfuck | 9 Comments

The 99%

Posted on December 6, 2011 by J@m3z Aitch

I have a Ph.D. I have tenure. I own vacation property in Montana. I own my own home. I take a vacation every year. I usually manage to send my kids to summer camp. Both of my cars start reliably … Continue reading →

Posted in Politics in General | 16 Comments

The “Immigrants Are Taking Our Jobs” Myth

Posted on December 5, 2011 by J@m3z Aitch

Via Mark Perry, here’s a story about a California vineyard that tried to hire U.S. citizens to pick grapes. It didn’t turn out well, despite the unemployment rate in that county being over 9%. Salisbury started with 40 applicants, but … Continue reading →

Posted in Economical Musings | 12 Comments