Testing…
I just wanted to do a quick test and see if I can post something here without infecting the site. Seriously, I don’t know what the deal was with my last post. I think...
Monthly Archive: July 2010
The Insignificance of Gavin Newsom’s Soda Ban
So San Francisco mayor Gavin Newsom has banned soft drinks on city property. Even on libertarian grounds, I don’t think this is at all objectionable. Newsom has not banned soda. He is not taxing...
In Which I Am Righteously Vindicated
I’ve been taking a lot of flak for complaining about San Francisco’s banning soda vending machines on city property. As if I needed any more proof that the government of that city contains some...
Muddling toward an organic society
Matt Frost is blogging at Ricochet. Here’s a bit of his opening salvo: By way of introduction, I’ll share a few links and ideas that all relate to the closest thing I have to...
Preliminary notes on girl groups and the Sleigh Bells
There’s a breathless fragility in ’60s girl groups like the Shirelles, Crystals, and Ronettes that I find far more captivating than the polish of the Beatles or the swagger of the Rolling Stones. And...
Wasn’t National Public Radio always NPR?
The Washington Post reports that National Public Radio is changing its name to NPR. John Miller snarks: Kentucky Fried Chicken changed its name to KFC and now National Public Radio is changing its name...
I’m a Libertarian, You Know, But We’ve Gotta Have a Few Limits…
My piece at the Cato@Liberty blog about San Francisco’s soft drink vending machine ban has elicited some particularly… striking… commentary. Here’s my favorite: While I am in total agreement that people should be in...
Arizona: Enemy of Federalism
By Transplanted Lawyer So the Federal Department of Justice has sued the State of Arizona over Arizona’s immigration law. Once again, I am forced to think critically about something of which I superficially would...
The future of online advertising
Kevin Drum asks: Are magazines generating — or on track to generate — more online revenue than I think? Are there hybrid models out there that I’m unaware of? Or is the future of...
Procedure v. Innocence (ctd.)
Time for a quick clarification of my defense of the 9th Circuit this afternoon. Responding to a defense of the 9th Circuit’s actions in refusing to permit an untimely habeas petition based on the...
Is winning everything? (for an athlete)
I’m not much of a basketball fan – correction, I’m not a basketball fan at all – but the heavily-reported saga of Lebron James’ free agency has struck a bit of a chord with...
We’re already at war
James Poulos thinks I’m wrong to advocate against Arthur Brooks’ culture war: Alas, the cultural conflict is already blazing. Some people think a federal tax on tanning is a legitimate tool of economic policy....
Perverse Incentive Jujitsu
Lionfish are an invasive species. The solution? Eat them, say some: Sustainable-seafood advocates typically advise consumers to stay away from overfished, endangered species, but in this case they’re taking the opposite tack. Federal officials...
The limits of doing this for free
Will Wilkinson links to this post by Ezra Klein, who makes a very good point: Fairly few political commentators know enough to decide which research papers are methodologically convincing and which aren’t. So we...
When Procedure Must Matter Over Substance
As anyone who has read me the last 4 years on civil liberties issues can attest, I have a passion for the protection of the rights of the accused. In that vein, no one...
A Candidate after My Own Heart
Alvin Greene, in South Carolina. I’m not making an endorsement, but I sure like what I’m reading: Another thing we can do for jobs is make toys of me, especially for the holidays. Little...
“The people who came here never intended to stay”
The anti-localism of American urbanism summed up in a paragraph: “The interesting thing about this demographic rocket ride, with an ascent and descent perhaps more rapid than that of any other U.S. city, is...
A Response to Paul Krugman
by Christopher Carr Nobel Prize winning economist Paul Krugman’s existence in the popular consciousness largely rests on ideological antagonism. Krugman’s infamous September 2009 New York Times Magazine editorial, “How Did Economists Get It So...
More On Intellectual Decline
The friend who pointed me to Joseph Epstein’s essay in the first place takes exception to some of what I wrote earlier on Epstein and the (non)decline of intellectual life: I’m glad you posted...
Should we keep mini-posts?
[updated] We’ve used them less and less frequently, especially as we’ve drifted away from our original mission and our original conversational project. I almost never post mini-posts. And there’s really no reason why short...
