On Free Markets
So look, I believe that free markets are absolutely the way to go. Don’t go with the central planners – who wants wage controls dictated from the top down? Things didn’t work out so...
Author: Erik Kain
On Civil Society
I wrote recently about wanting to co-opt and redefine Arnold Kling’s ‘Civil Societarianism’. I’ve given this more thought over the past few weeks, and have some observations and thoughts that should help clarify my...
My new education-policy blog
Shameless self-promotion alert: I have a new blog at Forbes on education policy and education reform. My long introduction post is up this morning. In it, I offer a critique of the top-down reforms...
Quote for the day
“The operation of a peer-matching network would be simple. The user would identify himself by name and address and describe the activity for which he sought a peer. A computer would send him back...
On the language of assumption
James Hanley in the thread from Freddie’s post writes: My bottom line is that you and I have a right to collaborate in bargaining, but that does not entail that we have a right...
Stranger than fiction
This is quite amusing. I would also like to point out that there is no evidence I am not a fiction either…
And then there were Three
Our third Ordinary Blog is live today. It’s called Mindless Diversions and its author is none other than long-time League commenter and raconteur, Jaybird. The site can be found, along with the other Ordinary Blogs,...
The Walker Roadmap
Mike Konczal has an excellent post up on the three-pronged approach Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker is taking in his stealth budget. In fact, he’s charted the whole thing out: The assault on unions is...
The Death and Life of the Great American Middle Class
I don’t agree with Andrew Sullivan on the issue of public sector unions at all but at least this post is a good deal more measured than many of his recent efforts. It’s also revealing...
US Intervention in Libya
After decades of botched meddling in other nations’ domestic affairs, American foreign policy reached fever pitch during the Bush administration. More often than not, our meddling has resulted in backlash or terrible unintended consequences,...
The Death and Life of the Great American School System (part one)
All the bad crazy out of Wisconsin lately lines up really well with the book I’m reading at the moment, The Death and Life of the Great American School System by Diane Ravitch. Ravitch...
Labor 2.0 (initial thoughts)
This is going to be purposefully short. I want a discussion on this more than anything, as my thoughts are still very much forming. Does a revived labor movement require protectionist policies, increasing tariffs,...
Down the Rabbit Hole
On the question of organized labor, outsourcing, and immigration Sam M writes: One complication, of course, is policing. Money flows more easily than bodies. So even the strictest programs would likely have more...
The Second Ordinary Blog
A little while ago we rolled out our first hosted blog, Not a Potted Plant by Burt Likko. I’d like to welcome our second Ordinary Blogger, Alex Knapp who will be blogging at A...
The Public Pension Problem
“The other weird thing about this post is that you link to an article outlining an absolutely disastrous public sector pension crisis without refuting any of the particulars. So we’re stuck with this massive...
The State of the Unions
Last week Conor linked to this Reason piece on California’s pension crisis and that state’s looming budget crisis. Now, I’ve done a lot of thinking about this over the past couple of weeks –...
Egypt is free?
Surprising news after yesterday’s speech from Hosni Mubarak: President Hosni Mubarak of Egypt turned over all power to the military, and left the Egyptian capital for his resort home in Sharm el-Sheik, Vice President...
The Price of Pleasure
Tony Comstock has a really excellent post up on the Tucson shootings, gun control, and the thirty-round magazine: Buried in the Federal Assault Weapons Ban’s meaningless restrictions on cosmetic features was a ban on...
The Financial Class and the Middle Class
In recent weeks I’ve begun pretty seriously rethinking my positions on organized labor and especially public sector unions (more on this in some upcoming posts) and I think there is a compelling case to...
