Thursday Links

Room for agreement?

• Prof. Epstein on California's horribly inefficient rent control laws
  Defining Ideas: California's Kafkaesque Rent Control Laws
  

  
  

  New York is not the only economically failing state that treats rent control as the road to salvation for its financially pressed citizens. California matches it stride for stride. Under California’s rent control regime, the right to any and all increases in the value of the underlying property is shifted, without compensation, from the owner to the tenant. This is an unjust “taking” of property from the owner. The consequences of policy are plain to see in the implosion of the California real estate market.

• Howie Carr reports that the 99% movement has been inflitrated by 1% posers
  Boston Herald: Cantabrigians Arrested - Ain't That Rich?
• Lucy Steigerwald explores the libertarian potential of the Occupy Wall Street! movement
  Reason: The Possibility of a Tea Party-Occupy Wall Street Alliance
• Two looks at the latest Nobel laureate in economics, NYU's own Thomas Sargent
  WSJ: A Nobel for Non-Keynesians
  Reason: A Nobel for Thomas Sargent
• Interesting NY Times article (even a blind squirrel...) on NYU's John Sexton's mission to recruit America's top economists
  NYTimes: Ivy Envy
• And, apparently this guy just really doesn't want to be reelected
  NYPost: Obama's Hiroshima Apology Gambit

Monday Links

• Discussion of the DOJ memo used to justify the targeted killing of al-Awlaki (NYT)
  Secret US Memo Made Legal Case to Kill Citizen
• Blog post on Steve Jobs's contributions to the economy (Cato)
  Steve Jobs, Prosperity Creator
  
• Will recapitalization of Europe's banks solve the crisis? Probably not (FT)
  Eurozone Quick-Fix Will Create Political Monster
• As the Occupy Wall Street protests gain momentum, some contrary thoughts (Daily Telegraph)
  If capitalism does fail, the alternative is far, far worse

Friday Links

• David Henderson comments on some UCLA econ. professors' debate over what ended the Great Depression
  EconLog: What Got Us Out of the Great Depression?
• Zach Weiner on why economists are no longer welcome in the field of philosophy
  Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal
• Madeline Janis sees Solyndra as proof of the need for more big govt.  Tim Cavanaugh laughs
  Reason: Redevelopment Thug Madeline Janis Has Dumbest Solyndra Gotcha Yet
• Berkeley College Republicans have Affirmative Action Bake Sale; Students, Administration totally miss point, flip lids
  City Journal: Half Baked

Wednesday Links

• Prof. Epstein discusses Obama's jobs bill
  Defining Ideas: Obama's Jobs Bill: Read It and Weep
• Peter Suderman discusses the impact of Obamacare thus far
  Reason: A Year And a Half After ObamaCare, Employee Health Insurance Premiums Spike
• Jonathan Adler queries why the govt. declined to seek en banc review at 11th Cir.
  Volokh: 3 Reasons DoJ Passed on En Banc Review of the Mandate Decision
• SCOTUS likely to take up Obamacare litigation
  The Hill: Supreme Court Asked to Review Challenge to Health Reform Law 
• IJ's Clark Neilly discusses the surprising lack of judicial activism in courts today
  WSJ: The Myth of Judicial Activism
  Excerpts at Volokh
  [NOTE: Mr. Neilly will be visiting us to discuss this topic in November!]

Monday Links

• A. Barton Hinkle on animal rights: "It's complicated."
  Reason: Do Animals Have Rights?
• Michael Barone is not sold on any of the GOP candidates so far
  Still Looking for a Candidate to Replace Obama
• Chris Christie still not running
  WSJ: Christie Courted, Still Says No
• Or maybe he is...
  HuffPo: Bloomberg Praises Chris Christie
  WaPo: Is Chris Christie Right to Leave Voters Guessing?
• Megan McArdle on how Solyndra managed to fail so epically
  Atlantic: How Did Solyndra Spend All That Money?
• Gary Becker looks at the efficacy of government workers
  Becker-Posner Blog: Government Workers and Fiscal Problems

Wednesday Links

It's been awhile, I know.  But here are some links!

• Megan McArdle doesn't see a jobs plan, she sees a campaign document
  Atlantic: Obama's Deficit Reduction: A Campaign Document Not a Policy Plan
• Arnold Kling and Robert Russell not terribly optimistic about spending cuts
  EconLog: Political Cynicism
• Orin Kerr and Jonathan Adler debate whether constitutional opposition to mandates is actually a good libertarian strategy
  Kerr: Is the Individual Mandate “Unprecedented” Because It Is More Statist Than Previous Laws, or Because It Is More Market-Oriented?
  Adler: Is the Mandate More “Market-Oriented” than Available Alternatives (and Does It Matter?) — A Response to Orin
• David Harsanyi on Obama's class war
  Reason: Let's Eat the Rich
• Becker and Posner discuss market failures and government failures
• New article from our own Prof. Richard Epstein on Obama and Buffett's call to soak the rich
  Defining Ideas: The Obama-Buffett Siren Call
  

Friday Links

At yesterday's "What is the Federalist Society?" event, Prof. Epstein recalled the long-running debate within the Society between those advocating "judicial restraint" and those calling for a more active judiciary.  Today's link is to a famous 1984 debate between Prof. Epstein and then Prof. Antonin Scalia on this very subject at the CATO Institute.

Scalia v. Epstein: Two Views on Judicial Activism

Thursday Links

• Damon Root reviews and discusses David Bernstein's Rehabilitating Lochner
  Reason: Lochner Isn't a Dirty Word
• Jay Cost is skeptical that Obama's jobs plan will help him keep his
  Weekly Standard: The Jobs Bill Won't Save Obama's Job
• Becker and Posner review Obama's jobs speech
• Nate Silver sees a 2010 redux
  538: For Democrats, It's 2010 All Over Again
• The Economist charts the world's biggest employers
• Ronald Bailey on the Solyndra scandal and crony capitalism
  Reason: Solyndra Scandal Gets Even Worse for Obama Administration
• Dan Foster and Sean Matro lay down some SCIENCE on solar energy
  National Review: Solyndra and the Party of Science 
 

Wednesday Links

• Matthew Dowd says that Perry's attacks on Social Security may not be as damaging as many assume
  The Atlantic: Why Rick Perry Could Win on Social Security
• Democrats are worried after embarrassing losses in Nevada and New York
  Politico: Twin Defeats Spark Democratic Fears
• Bryan Caplan charts some surprising political externalities of immigration
  EconLog: The Political Externalities of Immigration
• Steve Sexton argues that a liquidity trap does not necessarily make economic rules "topsy-turvy"
  Freakonomics: Examining the EPA Cave-In: Does the Broken Window Fallacy Apply?

Tuesday Links

Drug warrior

• Prof. Epstein surveys the decade of legal blunders made following 9/11
  Defining Ideas: A Decade of Legal Blunders
• Michael Barone doesn't have much nice to say about Obama's "jobs" speech
  Washington Examiner: Obama Buys the Drinks Other Guys' Pay For
• Fred barnes says Mitt won last night's GOP debate
  Weekly Standard: Romney's Win
• Jacob Sollum chronicles Obama's crusade against drugs
  Reason: Bummer
• Shikha Dalmia responds to Kevin Drum's response to her response to Rick Perry's quote on social security (got it?)
  Reason: The Truth and Lies About Social Security

Friday Links

Sorry for the late post, but that's what happens when you have an SBA Party and Packers victory on the same night (Go Pack!).  Anyway, here goes...

Amb. John Bolton

• The Dept. of Justice has declared war on Rock-and-Roll
  Reason: The Era of Big Government Is Not Over
• Megan McArdle looks at Obama's "new" jobs plan, says "meh"
  Atlantic: Obama's Job Plan: Mostly More of the Same
• Superbly mustachioed former U.N. Ambassador John Bolton remembers 9/11
  AEI: The Pentagon's on Fire, Amb. Bolton Remembers 9/11
• Former spook Reuel Marc Gerecht on the state of War on Terror
  Weekly Standard: America v. Jihadists

Thursday Links

• George Will reviews David Bernstein's Rehabilitating Lochner
  WaPo: Why Liberals Fear the "Lochner" Decision
• David Bernstein comments on the review
  Volokh: George Will on Rehabilitating Lochner
• The Journal is less than ecstatic about Romney's jobs plan
  WSJ: Mitt Romney's 59 Economic Flavors
• Shikha Dalmia tries to convince Rick Perry that social security is not a Ponzi scheme... it's worse
  Reason: Social Security Is Not a Ponzi Scheme, Mr. Perry
• NYU's own Mario Rizzo discusses the current state of economics
  ThinkMarkets: What Is Economics Today?
• Nate Silver says electability may be a liability for Perry in the GOP primaries
  538: Electability a Primary Liability for Perry
  

Wednesday Links

• Richard Epstein assails the Democrats' job-killing policies
  Defining Ideas: The Road to Economic Perdition
• Steven Landsburg recaps his debate with Paul Krugman on Hurricane Irene disaster relief
  Big Questions: Recap
• Yale's George Priest lambasts the DOJ's decision to challenge A&T-Mobil (clever, right?)
  WSJ: Washington's Antitrust Timewarp (Google the title to get around pay-wall)
• David Friedman is skeptical that global warming's effects will be net negative
  Ideas: What Is Wrong with Global Warming Anyway?
  

Tuesday Links

• Brilliant! Michigan bar owners ban lawmakers for banning smoking [above]
• David Koppel explores the GOP presidential candidates' approach to the abortion issue
  Volokh: Who wants to provoke a constitutional crisis over abortion?
• Byron York remarks on Obama's awful poll numbers
  Washington Examiner: Poll: 81% Say Obama's Economic Policies Not Working
• Becker and Posner discuss what to do about the failing United States Postal Office
• Fed-Soc favorite Judge Douglas Ginsburg coming to NYU!
  Reuters: Appeals Court Judge Ginsburg to Take Post at NYU
• Michael Barone on Congress' rebuke of President Obama's speech
  Washington Examiner: Speech Fiasco and Audacity of Weakness
• Alex Tabarrok continues the debate with Krugman over the broken window fallacy
  Marginal Revolution: The Breaking Windows Fallacy

Friday Links

• Net ZERO jobs created in August
• David Henderson points to evidence that the DOJ has it wrong on the AT&T/T-Mobil merger
  EconLog: AT&T/T-Mobile Merger is Pro-Consumer
• Gary Becker reminds us that market failures do not necessarily call for government intervention
  WSJ: The Great Recession and Government Failure (HT: Volokh Conspiracy)
• Also, Becker and Posner take on Warren Buffett's call for greater taxes on the rich
• Nick Gillespie takes a look at Obama's economic agenda
  Reason: Obama's Jobs Program: If the Choice is Between "Go Big or Go Home," Start Packing Now

Thursday Links

• Megan MaCardle draws parallels between Obama's reelection campaign and Hoover's
  Atlantic: How Do Obama's Re-election Chances Stand Up to Hoover's?
• Peter Suderman discusses the DOJ's war on AT&T
  Reason: The Department of Justice v. AT&T
• Michael Barone predicts how Clarence Thomas might react to the Obamacare litigation
  RCP: Obamacare and the Jurisprudence of Clarence Thomas
• Arnold Kling responds to Megan MaCardle's discussion of journalistic bias
  EconLog: Media Bias and Asymmetric Insight
• 
  

Wednesday Links: Rebooted for the new semester!

Good luck to everyone on their first day of class!  Here are some links to get you through some of the more boring lectures:

• First off, NYU's own Professor Richard Epstein has a number of newly published articles:
• The Perils of Price Controls
• Collective Bargaining = Collective Suicide
• How Is Warren Buffett Like the Pope?
• Alex Epstein (no relation?) on the folly of using Standard Oil as a justification for antitrust laws
  MasterResource: Vindicating Capitalism: The Real History of the Standard Oil Company
• Robert Smith on Dept. of Education's decision to lower the standard to prove sexual harassment on college campuses
  RCP: On Sexual Harassment and Title IX
• Apparently, now you can't bring dogs into NYC bars
  Volokh: New York City Bars Dogs from Bars
• Russ Roberts on Keynesianism and the broken window fallacy
  Cafe Hayek: The Microeconomics of the Broken Window Fallacy

Thursday Reading: 2012, 10th Amendment, & more

• Steve Chapman argues that Republicans are not serious about the 10th Amendment
  Reason: Phony Federalism
• Eugene Volokh on the hyperbolic attacks on Republican holdouts in the debt ceiling debate
  Volokh Conspiracy:  Debt Limits, Union Strike Threats, and Talk of “Extortion” and “Hostage-Taking”
• Kay Hymowitz says the gender gap in pay is not going away any time soon, and that it's ok
  City Journal: Why the Gender Gap Won’t Go Away. Ever.
• Jay Cost thinks that Obama is unlikely to face a primary contender
  Weekly Standard: No Serious Democrat Will Challenge Obama
• Jim VanDehei and Mike Allen see problems ahead for Obama's re-election
  Politico: Obama's Big Drags
• Karl Rove says that the GOP came out of the debt ceiling debate well-positioned for 2012
  WSJ: The Debt-Ceiling Debate & 2012
• Quote of the day
  

  The State is the great fiction through which everyone endeavours to live at the expense of everyone else.
  

  - Frédéric Bastiat

Wednesday Reading: Teacher salaries, debt ceiling aftermath, & more

• Nick Gillespie challenges policy-wonk Matt Damon's claim that teachers are underpaid
  Reason: Is Matt Damon Right That Teachers Make a "Shitty" Salary?
  
• Paul Ryan wants to see the president's budget
  WSJ: Where's Your Budget, Mr. President?
• Becker and Posner on the aftermath of the debt ceiling compromise
  Becker: Immediate and Medium Term Debt and Deficit Problems
  Posner: The Depression, the Deficit Debacle, and the Debt-Ceiling Crisis
• Becker & Posner again on those stubborn unemployment numbers
  Becker: The Abysmal Recovery in Employment
  Posner: What to Do about Unemployment in the Short Term?
• Ilya Somin makes a case for divided government
  Volokh Conspiracy: The Debt Deal & Divided Government

Tuesday Reading

• Richard Epstein calls on the government to cut back on tax expenditures
  Defining Ideas: The Tax Expenditures Muddle
  

  Tax expenditures—such as ethanol subsidies—allow the government to spend money in disguise. There are trillions of dollars of such tax expenditures which are waiting to be canceled out—enough, in fact, to ease our deficit woes. 

• NY Magazine profiles rivals Mitt Romney and Jon Huntsman
  NY Mag: Running for Grown-Up