Clearing the Tabs October 31, 2024

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 November 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.

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October 16
Elon Musk and woke capital are locked in a battle for the future of America
This election has exposed the sharp divisions between the US’s new feudal elites

How Harris Obstructed California Home Construction
She says she wants to clear away ‘red tape,’ but as attorney general, she produced a lot of it.

October 18
Can the West survive four years of Harris or Trump?
Neither candidate is capable of restoring America’s faith in itself.

October 19
How the City of Angels went to hell
Progressives put principles over policy

October 21
The West faces a new type of housing crisis
Will new generations ever be able to afford a home?

The New Revolutionary Class
Younger generations must have avenues to rise

October 30
The real reason Latino voters are abandoning Kamala Harris and the Democrats
Concerns about the impact of immigration and the economy are driving Hispanics away from the Democrats and towards Donald Trump

October 31
No, Washington Post, Going To War Isn't a Growth Strategy

Clearing the Tabs August 15, 2024

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 August 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.

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August 4
Why No One Actually Predicted The 2021 ‘Inflation’

August 5
The (Non) Mystery of Economic Growth

August 13
The Obnoxious Conceit Behind 'Recession' Warnings

Clearing the Tabs October 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 September 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.

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October 23
HSR: An Idea Whose Time Has Gone

October 25
Samuel Huntington was right — cultural and religious clashes are driving war today
Political scientist's 1996 book foresaw conflicts like those currently underway in the Mideast and Ukraine

October 27
Government Spending Is An Affect of Growth, Never An Instigator

October 29
In a Small Town the first Black & Female Mayor Governs Pragmatically not on Identity

Clearing the Tabs September 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 August 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.

September 1
America’s blue states are faring worst under Joe Biden
Will the President be punished at the ballot box?

September 3
The new age of agitprop
The mainstream media have abandoned the pursuit of objectivity and truth.

September 5

I Left Out the Full Truth to Get My Climate Change Paper Published
I just got published in Nature because I stuck to a narrative I knew the editors would like. That’s not the way science should work.

Building Counter-Institutions
Building durable new institutions in a corrosive environment requires a dangerous embedding of counter-mainstream DNA.

September 7
Sen. Marco Rubio's Report on the Working (and Non-Working) Man
A new report from Sen. Rubio provides recommendations on men and work that make eminent sense.

September 8

Understanding Washington’s Spending Problem

Budget Deficits Don't Power Economic Growth, They're a Consequence of It

September 12
Mandating EVs while discouraging mining is a recipe for disaster
The current policy is devastating our economy, enriching our enemies and making middle-class life less affordable

September 14
History Matters
A restoration of history, in all its complexity, is critical to escaping the polarized, rigid, and often insane political environment we now inhabit.

What happened to the great West Coast cities?
Never before have all the burgeoning metropolises of the future started to shrink

September 15
Make America California
The neo-feudal Newsom model has been a disaster.

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Clearing the Tabs July 31, 2021

Ending July with some things I've read so far in the second half of 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, and will probably keep doing this for a while. Also, just because I share something on here does not mean I agree with it, but I think opposing ideas are good for the mind on occasion.

July 7

Historians Should Be Better Than This

July 13
Transit’s Dead End

California Fleeing

Some deny the Golden State’s demographic decline, but data make it hard to ignore.

July 15
Why California Housing Is So Expensive

July 27
$9 Reading Glasses, $16 Sunscreen, and the Genius of Economic Growth

July 29
To Advance the Climate Agenda: Never Waste Bad Weather

July 30

Gender Ideology Run Amok

Clearing the Tabs June 15, 2021

June 1
All This for 1.8 Percent Growth?

June 3
A Middle Class Rebellion Against Progressives Is Gaining Steam

Joe Biden's Plan for a Fatter, Meaner IRS (Podcast)

June 8
Suburbs are not less social than cities

How to fight climate change and put pressure on China

June 10
The 1980s Called, And It Wants Its Industrial Paranoia Back

June 12
Why America's Oligarchs Are Moving Left

June 15
The Killing of Kern County

Clearing the Tabs December 31, 2020

Closing out 2020 with some things I've read so far in the second half of this month, or will be reading soon. It appears that a lot of people are staying at home looking for things to read, so I've broken this month into two parts again, and will probably keep doing this for a while. Also, just because I share something on here does not mean I agree with it, but I think opposing ideas are good for the mind on occasion. I will be back in 2021, I hope you will be back as well.

December 16
Krugman’s Failed Attack on Reaganomics

December 19
Corporate Taxes and the Laffer Curve

December 20
The Pro-Growth Impact of Deregulation

December 21
Part I: Poverty Is a Problem, not Inequality

Peak Progressive?
A sliver of hope for California.

December 22
Part II: Poverty Is a Problem, not Inequality

December 23
Part III: Poverty Is a Problem, not Inequality

December 28
Our hopes for 2021 won't be fulfilled by a politician, but by us

Economic Growth and the “Size of the Pie”

December 29
Go Local to Get Something Done in America

December 31
2020 didn’t win — humanity, ingenuity and compassion prevailed

- - - - - 

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Clearing the Tabs 3-8-2019

Some things I've read this week or will be reading over the weekend.

March 2
The Imperial Presidency

March 4
Brady, Arrington & Estes Point to Trade as Key Issue for Country this Year

“If we’re able to have a fair deal with China, then the future is much brighter for the next generation of farmers and ranchers.”

March 5
Yet Another Bogus Claim: Medicare for All Boosts Economic Growth

March 6
Taking on Addiction

Some Towns Are Trashing Their Costly, Inefficient Recycling Programs
The market seems to be sending towns and cities a powerful message that there is no need to recycle all the things all the time.

Larry Kudlow Speaks at Kemp Forum on True Growth

Anytime Larry Kudlow speaks, people need to listen. Whenever Larry Kudlow speaks at the (Jack) Kemp Forum, people need to study it. Larry's message on growth is so important.

Five Years Without Jack Kemp

It's hard to believe it's been five years. I remember hearing late in the evening on May 2, 2009 that Jack Kemp had passed away. I was out of town that weekend.

On Monday, May 4, I awoke to hear Bill Bennett Mornings playing loud and clear on my radio. I listened to guest after guest join Mr. Bennett to pay tribute to Jack Kemp as the week began. I was still somewhat groggy when Congressman Paul Ryan was on the show to remember Jack Kemp. I can remember that interview like it was yesterday. I remember Bill Bennett pointing out that Jack Kemp would note that Adam Smith wrote The Wealth of Nations, not The Poverty of Nations. Kemp wanted the focus to be on what worked, not on what failed. Solutions oriented folks operate that way.

Jack Kemp has been in my thoughts a lot lately. As I have gotten a little older and have started to realize that in politics many of the arguments never find resolution, I have been looking closely at some of the work Kemp did to improve the lives of the less fortunate.

Jack Kemp was compassionate, a bleeding heart conservative, and this may have been his greatest gift. Kemp was able to apply a humanitarian view to many of the problems that ailed society simply by showing up. Kemp spent countless hours in places modern Republicans rarely tread. Kemp believed in the American Dream, the belief that in America, every single person had the capacity to reach for the stars, and get there, if they simply wanted it and worked toward it. Kemp wanted a level playing field, rather than viewing America as red or blue and taking a "every man for himself" approach, Kemp wanted to make sure that being trapped was an option, not a predetermination.

I've written recently about Congressman Paul Ryan and Robert Woodson, founder of the Center for Neighborhood Enterprise. I won't rehash that work here, you can read it on your own if you like, but it's worth noting that Bob Woodson worked closely with Kemp, and in turn some twenty years later is working with Congressman Ryan as they both look to address some of the same issues on which Kemp had begun to work. Kemp is no longer with us, but that certainly does not mean his work does not continue.

Finally, Jack Kemp wanted economic growth. Serious, unlimited, no-holds-barred, through-the-roof, economic growth. He figured cutting taxes would spur entrepreneurs and development. Sure, he wasn't as worried about the deficit side of things, the logic of the day was, if you cut taxes and more people went to work, there would be more people paying in to the government till, and deficits would go down just by their nature. And we have to remember, Jack Kemp helped introduce tax cuts to the Republican platform, tax cuts were not always part of the Republican mantra. If you read a little history from the late 1970's, you'll see that Ronald Reagan and Jack Kemp had some pretty fierce arguments about tax cuts. Kemp ultimately won the debate, Reagan adopted Kemponomics as Reaganomics, and the 1980's saw a great economic recovery. The rest is history.

Anyway, on the five year anniversary of Jack Kemp's passing, I wanted to add my two cents. It may be closer to fifteen cents, and you loyalists will get that and laugh. It's a hodgepodge of thoughts, but that's rather the point.

It's hard to believe it's been five years...

How Many More Ways Could We Possibly Stifle Small Business?

I came across an interesting column today over at OpenMarket.org, discussing how to help small businesses across America. I recommend the entire column, but the three highlighted sections below merit particular attention.

"Paychex, Inc., a payroll service provider that works with many small businesses, recently commissioned a survey. They asked small business owners their thoughts on the economy, and what the biggest obstacles are to growing their businesses. The most common gripe? Regulation. 47 percent of small business owners say that regulations have “slowed or prevented” their business from growing."

This is where bureaucracy gets in the way of real economic growth. Damn, just get out of the way and let those with initiative and drive and capital investment put people to work.

"If Congress is genuinely interested in helping small businesses while speeding up economic recovery, it’s time for a different approach."

Can you join me in saying "Transformational Change"?

"Federal regulation alone costs $1.75 trillion to comply with. Congress should lighten the load. 47 percent of small business owners say that regulation has made their business grow more slowly. Letting that 47 percent grow more quickly would go a long way toward getting the economy growing again."

Almost $2,000,000,000,000 (yes, that's 12 0's) just to comply with regulations!