Category Archives: Politics

Overreaching Government “Enables” Culture Warriors

Posted on November 14, 2015 by Roger

I  have just finished reading an opinion entitled “A Birth-Control Morality Play Comes to Supreme Court” by Megan McArdle, the lonely voice of libertarianism over at BloombergView.  The thrust of the article is to use philosophical hypotheticals to explain the … Continue reading →

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Patently Absurd[1]

Posted on November 10, 2015 by Roger

It is presidential campaign season and we are getting a lot of incoming promises, particularly from the Democratic side, about how the government is going to make our lives better.  This makes it an opportune moment to report on some … Continue reading →

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Republican Debate in Boulder

Posted on November 2, 2015 by Roger

Through the modern miracle of the “record” button on my TV remote control, which I have finally learned to use, I have watched the recent Republican debate.  Here are my thoughts on the candidates and the issues raised. It is … Continue reading →

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Twins

Posted on November 1, 2015 by Roger

Both are long-term residents of New York City.  Both attended Ivy League business schools.  Both had successful business careers.  Both are Republicans with an independent streak.  Both are billionaires.  Both have self-funded their campaigns, in part to be beholden to … Continue reading →

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“Tax Expenditures” Are Not “Free Stuff”

Posted on October 29, 2015 by Roger

BloombergView has just published an article by Paula Dwyer entitled “Everything in This Column is Free Stuff.”  A better title would have been “Everything in This Column is Economically Ignorant and Offensive Nonsense.” The column attempts to draw an equivalence … Continue reading →

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Tesla

Posted on October 26, 2015 by Roger

I occasionally like to short[1] stocks for fun and profit.  One of my recent shorts is Tesla[2],  the maker of electric vehicles (“EV”) and energy storage systems.  This one gives me particular pleasure because it is a great opportunity to … Continue reading →

Posted in Economics, Finance, Politics | 10 Comments

Big Ideas From the Democratic Debate…NOT!

Posted on October 19, 2015 by Roger

I have not finished watching the Democratic debate but I saw enough to prompt a little metaphorical and literal regurgitation.[1] Martin O’Malley Let’s warm up with Martin O’Malley. It is pretty clear from the debate that O’Malley thinks that he … Continue reading →

Posted in Economics, Finance, Politics | 2 Comments

Access (Should Be) Denied

Posted on October 14, 2015 by Roger

The Wall Street Journal has recently run a lengthy, front-page article entitled “How Some Investors Get Special Access to Companies.”  This is the type of article that should make the blood boil. The article describes private meetings between large investors … Continue reading →

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The Fed Decision

Posted on September 20, 2015 by Roger

After moving house and taking a two-week break in Canada and New England, there is a lot of catching up to do.  Let’s start with today’s post, the length of which I apologize for in advance. The Fed Decision Last … Continue reading →

Posted in Economics, Finance, General Culture, Policy, Politics | 2 Comments

Common Sense from the WSJ

Posted on July 10, 2015 by Roger

There have been two great recent editorials in The Wall Street Journal. The first (“A Grecian Formula for Ruin”) harkens back to a point I made in “Furor Teutonicus” and which is so often forgotten in the “austerity” debate:  groups within … Continue reading →

Posted in Economics, Politics | 2 Comments