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October 19, 2005

Sin is not cost effective

Dr. Jennifer Morse, a senior fellow in economics for the Acton Institute, argues in this week’s Acton commentary that the key road-block to successful economic development in impoverished nations is the lack of good “moral qualities, like the even-handed enforcement of law, and the transparency of government.” Continue Reading...
October 19, 2005

Folsom Prison Blues

I received an email today from the InnerChange Freedom Initiative, an independent outreach of Prison Fellowship Ministries. It seems the initiative is facing rising program costs due to legal battles over the legitimacy of its Christian makeup. Continue Reading...
October 18, 2005

The Post-Edisonian double eclipse

We’ve discussed textual interpretation a bit on this blog here before. Paul Ricœur, who is famous for his “attempt to combine phenomenological description with hermeneutic interpretation,” passed away earlier this year. Continue Reading...
October 17, 2005

Fast-food fête

On the heels of a proposed city-wide tax on quickservice restaurants in Detroit, a state bill has been introduced in the Michigan House to implement a 2% tax on fast-food establishments. Continue Reading...
October 14, 2005

Attack of the so-called free markets!

Economic reality is finally catching up with the big American automakers and their suppliers, as noted by Thomas Bray in Wednesday’s Detroit News: Around Detroit, the bankruptcy of giant auto parts maker Delphi Corp. Continue Reading...
October 14, 2005

More radiation?

I can’t vouch for the validity of any of the claims made in this new book from Laissez-faire Books, but I confess its publicity material piqued my interest. It argues that inordinate fear of radiation leads to unnecessary and even counterproductive energy policy. Continue Reading...
October 14, 2005

Cuisinarts of the air

An article appeared in Wired News today on the unintended consequences of wind farms. One of these consequences — among many others, I’m sure — is “an astronomical level of bird kills.” Continue Reading...
October 14, 2005

Touché

For a succinct article on governmental processes versus private processes, see this nice little report by Bill Steigerwald. It focuses on responses to Hurricane Katrina by private companies and by the city, state, and federal governments. Continue Reading...
October 14, 2005

Through rain, sleet, and privatization

Any predictions on how this will turn out? All eyes should be watching Japan, whose legislature just approved the privatization of their postal service. (It is important to note that the Japanese postal service is markedly different from ours here in the States.) Continue Reading...