Apropos of the discussions of intellectual property here of late. (I was hoping to see discussion of this story last week here or on LRC’s blog, but better late than never.) The overstepping labels have now angered Steve Jobs, which is not a good sign. All of this could end with completely anonymous file sharing where file sharers can’t be
“Red light cameras do not increase safety,” says Eric Scrum with the National Motorists Association. “Quite frankly, they are not a solution in any shape or form.” *** Studies by the Federal Highway Administration show right angle crashes decreased by 25 to 30 percent, but rear-end crashes increased by about 15 percent. Here
The poor Associated Press . It attributes the fall in prices to an increase in demand on the part of college students, but that would raise prices (assuming supply relatively constant). It is competition and increasing efficiency on the supply side that have reduced the price of laptops (VCRs, DVD players, and so on) and thus made laptop purchases
Of course there’s still some problems with this analysis , but it’s a pretty good start. With regard to one of my earlier posts, maybe this calls for some optimism that they will eventually figure out who really owns the
Interesting report on Bill Frist’s sale of HCA shares. Insider knowledge? For years, Frist was criticized for holding HCA stock while directing legislation on Medicare reform and patient issues. His office has consistently deflected criticism by noting that his assets were in a blind trust and not under his active control. However... Frist traded
Price controls have a decent shot of working this time, so we’re told , because the central planners have based the caps on an index of five-day averages of spot rates in three mainland markets (L.A., N.Y., and Gulf Coast). That should do the trick. These guys are so clever. I wonder why the market never thought of this? (Wink,
Shoplifting as Social Commentary : European police are attempting to halt the spread of a guerrilla shoplifting network, seizing computer equipment connected to the cause. Yomango calls on anti-consumerism activists to “liberate” goods from stores in an effort to spread the ideals of brand-free living. The movement started in 2002 in Spain, where
Don Boudreaux posted an interesting blog entry at Cafe Hayek (forwarded to me by two different e-mailers who wanted a response) with a link to a New York Times article quoting Columbia economist Frank Lichtenberg as stating, “In general, the benefits of new drugs outweigh the costs by a substantial margin.” Call me a little skeptical of this last
The way modern medicine sees it, if you think you’re sick, but you’re not, then you’re really sick. Mentally, that is. Sound crazy? Look here (free registration required). According to the Seattle Times , people who fake illnesses or who interpret every discomfort as a sign of illness are no longer dismissed as malingerers or hypochondriacs. Even
says the MSNBC “Answer Desk.” Well I’m relieved to find this out, and also to learn from the “Answer Desk” that the Fed is a valiant inflation fighter. I guess the bright side of all this is that now it may be easier to rid ourselves of the Fed...or maybe
What is the Mises Institute?
The Mises Institute is a non-profit organization that exists to promote teaching and research in the Austrian School of economics, individual freedom, honest history, and international peace, in the tradition of Ludwig von Mises and Murray N. Rothbard.
Non-political, non-partisan, and non-PC, we advocate a radical shift in the intellectual climate, away from statism and toward a private property order. We believe that our foundational ideas are of permanent value, and oppose all efforts at compromise, sellout, and amalgamation of these ideas with fashionable political, cultural, and social doctrines inimical to their spirit.