That One Green Energy Company

I knew nothing about Solyndra, that one solar company that received a $500 million loan from the government and is now bankrupt. If you're like me, you may find this video informative.

This video provides a little background and little slant. Still a nice, under 2 minute explanation.



Perhaps Matt Reno has some insight as well.

The Hoover Myth

At one point I was a fan of Herbert Hoover, because I appreciated the myth surrounding his presidency: that he was a "do nothing" president and the consequence was the Great Depression. (Generally, I like do nothing presidents). This piece published by the Cato Institute was written by Stephen Howitz, a professor of economics whom I have met and chatted with a few times. He is one of the nation's experts on pre-Depression era economics. Below is the summary:

Politicians and pundits portray Herbert Hoover as a defender of laissez faire governance whose dogmatic commitment to small government led him to stand by and do nothing while the economy collapsed in the wake of the stock market crash in 1929. In fact, Hoover had long been a critic of laissez faire. As president, he doubled federal spending in real terms in four years. He also used government to prop up wages, restricted immigration, signed the Smoot-Hawley tariff, raised taxes, and created the Reconstruction Finance Corporation—all interventionist measures and not laissez faire. Unlike many Democrats today, President Franklin D. Roosevelt's advisers knew that Hoover had started the New Deal. One of them wrote, "When we all burst into Washington ... we found every essential idea [of the New Deal] enacted in the 100-day Congress in the Hoover administration itself."

Hoover's big-spending, interventionist policies prolonged the Great Depression, and similar policies today could do similar damage. Dismantling the mythical presentation of Hoover as a "do-nothing" president is crucial if we wish to have a proper understanding of what did and did not work in the Great Depression so that we do not repeat Hoover's mistakes today.

 

What's Up Now With the Empty Borders Stores?

This article explains.

I was sad to see Borders close. While there were definitely cheaper ways to get books, for me, nothing beat browsing through thousands of new books. With Borders' coupon and reward system, of which I upgraded to the $20 program earlier this year (good timing right?) one could find very affordable reads. Using coupon and membership program, I often received 50% off a new book thus matching some used bookstore prices. 

Also, Borders beat the pants off of Barnes and Noble. Borders had far better current issues, politics, economics and philosophy sections than B&N. They also didn't feel as fake as B&N for some reason, not as "poppy."

I will miss you, Borders.

NPR's Sci-Fi and Fantasy Book Guide

A very nice, often entertaining flow chart on where to start and what to read regarding sci-fi and fantasy.

Guam is Going to Tip Over

I was unaware of this until a couple of days ago.




He said he was making a joke/hyperbole. Hmm.

A Competitive Currency

How often have you thought of currency competition? I hadn't hardly at all until I got here and am learning about it little by little. I find it interesting because it goes against so much of our current cultural thinking: that government declares what is money, owns the money (owns the pieces of paper) and says we must us it for cash transactions.

Here's the conclusion to this sub-committee testimony by Lawrence White, a George Mason professor.

"Competition in general creates incentives to provide a high quality product by taking business away from low-quality producers. Competition in currency is a practical idea that offers sizable benefits to the public when the quality of the incumbent currency becomes doubtful. In particular, US citizens would benefit from freedom of choice among monetary alternatives though the removal of current legal restrictions and obstacles against currencies that could compete with Federal Reserve Notes and US Treasury coins. HR 1098 would give currency competition a chance"

It was for the Free Competition in Currency Act of 2011 introduced by none other than Ron Paul.

Full text of the testimony is here.

There is almost zero chance the House will vote on it, but still it's cool to see these ideas getting tossed around down there.

The Road to Serfdom in Cartoons

If you've heard of F.A. Hayek's The Road to Serfdom but haven't had time to read it, fear not! There is a cartoon version of the basic thesis of the book.

Six Months After the Japan Earthquake

This Atlantic online article is very informative and well done. 


Each of the pictures shows a photo right after the tsunami and quake devastation and then a photo of the same spot and angle taken on September 1.

Dam(s)

I like what Jonah Goldberg writes. He gets to the point and has an insightful angle on whatever the situation may be. In this article on an MSNBC ad, he calls out the inconsistency in  a typical leftist plea for infrastructure investment and then discusses how government has lost/never was flexible when it comes to adapting to new situations. Below are a few excerpts:

"The reason the ad is so funny is that nobody thinks liberals such as Maddow would support anything like the Hoover Dam today. The Hoover Dam is a marvel. But by today’s green standards, it is a crime against nature. If you tried to build it, the Natural Resources Defense Council and Greenpeace would be in court tomorrow blocking it, with Ms. Maddow cheering them on."

"Look, I’m no Keynesian, but there should have been at least an economic sugar rush from the stimulus. There wasn’t, in large part because government has lost its flexibility. We poured money down the same mostly clogged bureaucratic drain. When the last bit burbled away, we were told we must “invest” even more in infrastructure and education. We’ve been doing that for decades. In terms of spending, adjusted for inflation, the size of government has increased 50 percent over the last decade alone."

The Wealth Will "Trickle Down"

Culled this gem from Reddit. I am not ashamed. Edit: As in, I am not ashamed for pulling this from reddit. I do not think this is based in historical fact. Just worth a laugh.

An Amazing Memorial

This Time website is really well done with videos and transcripts recording the memories of where people were on 9/11 and what their experiences were like. People range from George W. Bush to retired fire fighters to those who lost someone. Definitely check it out.

The Bible: Socialist or Capitalist?

Here's a pair of articles on this topic.

Gregory Paul writes here that the Bible advocates socialism and was the start of socialist type thought.

Jay Richards refutes Paul's piece saying that the Bible is not explicit about either form of economy but lays the groundwork for a free (capitalist) economy. 

Definitely worth a read and some consideration.