In the mainstream view, the Syrian conflict began in the Spring of 2011 with a period of peaceful, pro-democracy protests, which were then brutally suppressed by the Assad regime. As the liberal-left Intercept describes it, “Syrian civilians rose up to demand...
Featured Articles
This Bust Wasn’t Caused by a Virus
On February 10 the stock markets were at all-time highs, with the Dow 30 at almost 30,000. The unemployment rate was at an all-time low and interest rates around most of the world were at all-time lows. With interest rates near zero for an entire decade, the value of...
The Heroes And the Statistics
Recently in the Australian state of Victoria, four police officers died in a tragic crash.They will forever be mourned. As police officers, by default in death, they are heroes. The news finds a moment to report on the event with sorrow. They are human beings, sons,...
Duncan Lemp’s Parents Threatened With Jail For Protesting His Killing
It has been six weeks since a SWAT team shot and killed 21-year-old Duncan Lemp in a 4:30 a.m. raid at his family’s home in Potomac, Maryland, an affluent and sedate suburb of Washington, D.C. Montgomery County Police have thus far refused to provide any evidence on...
Three Friends And Their Divergent Paths In Life
This recollection is based on a true story. There were three friends, each were a little different to the other. As young boys the three began to mature into different people; John was lazy and he grew rounder as the others began to grow broad shoulders. While they...
This Market Never Closes
It is perfectly fine to be afraid that you or a loved one will catch a potentially life-threatening virus, and at the same time deride the government’s reaction, especially when it comes to shutting down a significant portion of the economy. That section consists of...
If Face Masks Are Mandatory, Then It’s Time to End Mask Patents
President Trump is convening with governors to reopen the economy, which will likely mean some sort of compulsory face mask order. Now is the time to seriously consider scrapping the patents on masks such as the N95. Government at all levels has severely overreacted...
We Don’t Need a Cure to Reopen
Back on March 19th, 2020, I pointed to this piece by Pierre-Olivier Gourinchas at my blog – Coordination Problem — where he states very clearly the reality constraint in public policy deliberations in the current coronavirus crisis. Without committing one way or...
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