Clearing the Tabs October 15, 2023

Here are some things I've read so far this month or will be reading soon. A lot of people are staying at home looking for things to read, so I've broken this month into two parts again, expect a post on October 31. Also, just because I post something here does not mean I agree with it, it simply means it made me think and I think my readers might enjoy it.

For $15 in ride credit, download the Lyft app using my referral link.

It's the most affordable ride in town. Terms apply.

October 2
Liz Truss Demands Tax Cuts at Pro-Growth Rally

About that old Gallup poll
How many Americans would still want to live this new way?

The dangerous delusion of a global transition to “just electricity”

October 3
Implications of Shifts in Commuting

October 6
"New" Cities? An Old Idea

October 8
The Link Between Spending Restraint and Good Tax Policy

October 9
A Growth Agenda for the Developing World

What are economies for?

October 12
Are Electric Vehicles a Fire Danger?
Recent fire in UK airport parking lot highlights the thermal runaway fire potential of EV batteries.

Clearing the Tabs January 31, 2023

Here are some things I've read so far this month or will be reading soon. A lot of people are staying at home looking for things to read, so I've broken this month into two parts again, expect a post on February 15. Also, just because I post something here does not mean I agree with it, it simply means it made me think and I think my readers might enjoy it.

For $15 in ride credit, download the Lyft app using my referral link.

It's the most affordable ride in town. Terms apply.

January 17
The Continuing Failure of Government-Run Healthcare in the United Kingdom

Where's the Electricity?

The Rise of the Single Woke (and Young, Democratic) Female

January 20
No More Car Ownership?

January 21
How the Californian dream became a nightmare
Once a byword for aspiration, the golden state is crumbling under the weight of ‘progressive’ ideology.

January 25

Mirror Mirror on the Wall, Who’s at Fault for California’s High Energy Costs?

January 29
Milton Friedman Isn’t Required To Confirm That Monetarism Is Monetary Phrenology

The Great Train Robbery

Efforts to force Americans onto trains are largely pointless and counterproductive.

Interview About Today's UK Elections

I appeared on The Price of Business with host Kevin Price to discuss the elections taking place in the United Kingdom today. Will the Tories win a big enough majority to govern? Will Ed Miliband really become Prime Minister? Listen here now.

UK: The Lib Dems and the cruel dilemma of coalition politics

This is a well written piece from conservative MP John Redwood.

The Lib Dems have a big problem with Coalition politics. They are the one party that believes coalition government can be better than majority party government. They are the one party of the top three that know they will need a coalition in future if they are to be in government again. Despite this, they cannot help themselves from constantly criticising the Coalition government from without. Some of their Ministers are endlessly making proposals they know Conservatives cannot accept from outside the government despite being members of it.

As someone who is sceptical of coalition this neither surprises me nor dismays me. However, I do not want it to get in the way of doing things now that would help turn our economy round. Surely for at least the first three years of the planned five year coalition Lib Dem Ministers should concentrate on doing the things that Conservatives and Lib Dems agreee about? The aim should be to stress the advantages of the polices that both parties can accept, not to stress the frustrations that Lib Dem Ministers feel with things the Conservatives will not accept. The aim should be to find more things that both parties can happily do together.

There are many Conservatives today like me who want to see more freedom for UK citizens. We feel the state has grown too big and bossy. We want a government which trusts more of the people more of the time. We want a government with the confidence to repeal some of the excessive number of laws and rules we have, and to cut back on the number of things the state interferes with at considerable cost. I thought there was meant to be a strong strand of liberalism within the Lib Dems. Can’t we have some more of this?

Read the rest of the piece here.

David Cameron becomes youngest Prime Minister in almost 200 years

David Cameron has become the youngest British Prime Minister in almost 200 years after Gordon Brown resigned as premier, bringing to an end 13 years of Labour rule.

Daily Telegraph story here.

Yes, Prime Minister

The events that took place today in London were nothing short of remarkable. If you were able to watch any of the proceedings during our 1pm-3pm hours (CST), you know what I'm talking about.

During that time, Gordon Brown resigned as Prime Minister, he then left 10 Downing Street to head to Buckingham Palace where he gave the Queen his resignation. Then, within minutes, David Cameron went to Buckingham Palace where the Queen asked him to form a government, he agreed, and with that a new Prime Minister made his way to Downing Street to get to work.

Upon arriving to 10 Downing Street, Cameron gave this speech, with no notes and no teleprompter.

The dynamics of the election last week and some of what led to the changes today, will be stuff of history. We'll be reading about it for years to come I'm sure. One of the people who had led Obama's campaign in 2008, Anita Dunn, was a key player in Cameron's campaign. It's no coincidence that "change" was part of the Conservative Party logo and message this year.

As I touched on before and will write more about later, the Cameron campaign was a conservative model that we should look at following parts of here in the United States going into 2010. From the "contract with young people", to their "contract for jobs", to their "quality of life manifesto", I think the Conservative Party put forth one positive proposal after another and they earned the trust of the people of Britain (yes there is a hung parliament, but the number of seats that changed hands was overwhelming).

One thing we must understand, and learn to live with, it that in those proposals, people may not have agreed with the Conservative Party 100% on each idea in each proposal. However, the party itself was bold enough to say "here is where we stand, where does the other side stand?". I think when you make the choices that clear, people will always follow the logical options and the ones based on the most common sense

British Prime Minster Election

I'm ready to call next week's Prime Minister election in favor of Conservative party candidate David Cameron. Prime Minister Brown's recent gaffe, is such a clear example of the difference in political systems between the U.S. and Britain. While it used to be true that "what happens in Europe eventually happens here", the Prime Minister candidates are having live television debates this year, for the FIRST time ever. Something we started doing here in 1960 with the infamous Kennedy vs. Nixon debate.



There had been quite a bit of speculation about a hung Parliament, but the gaffe by the guy at the top of the ballot, may influence enough independents to empower the Conservative party.

I'll have more later on about the impact of the Conservative party on the national elections in Britain. I think the party has done many things right. David Cameron presented what became known as a "Green Manifesto", which addressed environmental issues from a more sensible, rational point of view. Stay tuned.