Here’s a list of articles I have been reading and videos I have been viewing lately:
For Most Presidents, Shutdowns a Rite of Passage
blogs.wsj.com
“If the White House and Congress don’t reach a deal by midnight on Monday to fund government operations, President Barack Obama will only be the latest in a lengthy list of commanders in chief to have a “shutdown” stamped on his legacy.”
Colorado State University has a plan to raise more revenue: Build a $246 million, 40,000-seat football stadium
online.wsj.com
“Faced with declining state funding, Colorado State University is raising money to build a $246 million, 40,000-seat football stadium on its campus, which it believes will attract more out-of-state students paying higher tuition.”
Daniel Henninger: Let ObamaCare Collapse
online.wsj.com
“In The Wall Street Journal, Wonder Land columnist Daniel Henninger writes that neither Ted Cruz nor Congress can kill the entitlement state. Only the American people can.”
www.washingtonpost.com
“Iran’s president and the centrifuges are both spinning.” Sobering assessment of Iranian leader Hassan Rouhani by WaPo’s Charles Krauthammer…
No government shutdown has caused a stock market meltdown yet
triblive.com
“The government shuts down. The economy unravels. Stocks plunge. That may be Wall Street’s worst fear, but history shows it’s mostly overblown…”
The Weekend Interview With Howard Gordon: TV’s Antiterror Evolution
online.wsj.com
“In The Wall Street Journal, Bari Weiss talks to Howard Gordon, the lead writer for 24 and co-creator of Homeland, about the collision of news and popular culture in post-9/11 America.” Having watched all 8 seasons of 24 and 2 seasons of Homeland, I found this interview with the lead writer for 24 and co-creator of Homeland quite fascinating…
Closed for business? Government shutdown history
www.sfgate.com
Belgian civil servants, for example, carried on nicely for a year and a half while their politicians bickered over forming a new government. The government can only spend money “in consequence of appropriations made by law,” or in other words, after Congress says so and with the president’…
A Small President on the World Stage
on.wsj.com
At the U.N., leaders hope for a return of American greatness, writes Peggy Noonan in The Wall Street Journal.
Band-aids Can’t Fix the New IPCC Report
www.cato.org
Here’s a quote from Cato’s assessment of the new IPCC report: “The Humpty Dumpty-esque report once claiming to represent the “consensus of scientists” has fallen from its exalted wall and cracked to pieces under the burdensome weight of its own cumbersome and self-serving processes, which is why all the governments’ scientists and all the governments’ men cannot put the IPCC report together again.”
Truly “Exceptional” And Dumber Than Ever: Verbal SAT Scores Plunge To Fresh Record Low
www.zerohedge.com
“Another year, another record low for the average verbal SAT score, and another sad achievement for a nation that is getting fatter, dumber and ever more in debt.”
Obamacare’s average monthly cost across U.S.: $328
www.reuters.com
“Sept 25 (Reuters) – Americans will pay an average premium of $328 monthly for a mid-tier health insurance plan when the Obamacare health exchanges open for enrollment next week…”
Obamacare: One blow after another – Jennifer Haberkorn and Carrie Budoff Brown
www.politico.com
“The Obamacare that consumers will finally be able to sign up for next week is a long way from the health plan President Barack Obama first pitched to the nation. Millions of low-income Americans won’t receive coverage. Many workers at small businesses won’t get a choice of insurance plans right away. Large employers won’t need to provide insurance for another year. Far more states than expected won’t run their own insurance marketplaces. And a growing number of workers won’t get to keep their employer-provided coverage.”
Veronique de Rugy – HHS’s Rates Are Out — Despite What They Say, Costs Are Going Up
www.nationalreview.com
Mercatus Center senior reseaerch fellow Veronique de Rugy runs the numbers… If anyone is interested in reading HHS’s official press release and report claiming premiums are “lower than originally expected”, see http://aspe.hhs.gov/health/reports/2013/MarketplacePremiums/ib_premiumslandscape.pdf.
Avik Roy – Obamacare Bends the Cost Curve—Upward
www.nationalreview.com
Quoting from this article, “Back in 2008, three eminent Harvard economists who were advising the Obama campaign—David Cutler, David Blumenthal, and Jeffrey Liebman—wrote a memo claiming that Senator Obama’s health-care plan could reduce national health spending by $200 billion a year… Last week, the Obama administration’s Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services issued a rather different prediction: that “the [Affordable Care Act] is projected to . . . increase cumulative spending by roughly $621 billion” from 2014 to 2022.”
Barack Obama’s health-care conversion
www.politico.com
Interesting and informative article from politico.com about the political origins of the Affordable Care Act of 2010 (AKA “Obamacare”)…
Obama’s University Scorecard Plan Deserves an “F”
reason.com
It will promote a political agenda, not educational goals.
The meaning of Lehman (take 4)
www.economist.com
Here’s yet another 4-part, “5 years later” retrospective of the financial crisis worth reading; this time from The Economist. Apparently the editorial board of The Economist prefers descending order to indicate the intended order of reading, so Take 4 is to be read first, followed by Take 3 (available at http://econ.st/164IVLJ), Take 2 (http://econ.st/17CCGvC), and Take 1 (available at http://econ.st/18mC1vf).
www.economist.com
“THE Census released new figures on income and poverty today. (You can see summary slides here.) They’re both grim and unsurprising. In 2012 the real median household income in America was flat relative to 2011 and down considerably from the pre-recession level. The poverty rate remains stuck at 15%.”
“Witch Hunts Always Find Witches”
cafehayek.com
Here’s philosopher Jim Otteson on the dangers of the NSA…
At 88, the King of the Blues is still rocking audiences
www.cbsnews.com
Blues guitar legend B.B. King — who played with Eric Clapton and U2 — has been performing for several decades and shows no signs of stopping.
5 Years After the Crash, What do Americans Think of Wall Street, Banks, and Free Enterprise? —…
www.american.com
The news media is engulfed these days by “5 years later” retrospectives of the financial crisis; this article from the American Enterprise Institute provides a synopsis of the recently published book “Five Years After the Crash: What Americans Think about Wall Street, Banks, Business, and Free Enterprise” (see http://amzn.to/188dZtO)…
Obamacare: Destined to Flop? Part I
www.american.com
In this four-part series, AEI’s Joseph Antos provides a comprehensive account of what is likely to happen with Obamacare now and in years to come. In this first installment, he tackles the exchanges. Parts 2-4 are available at http://bit.ly/1gtPiqW, http://bit.ly/15ej0jZ, and http://bit.ly/15ej0jZ respectively.
Washington, D.C. Income Rises as U.S. Economic Freedom Sags
reason.com
Like a tick on the back of a wounded animal, Washington, D.C. is doing just dandy, thank you, even though the country on which it feeds has been ailing for years.
Facebook Blames Government Spying for Lack of User Trust
reason.com
Recent study found nearly half of Facebook quitters citing privacy as the reason.
Eight Things That Could Go Wrong With Obamacare
reason.com
Congress passed it, now we’re seeing what’s wrong with it.
www.cato.org
The foundations of economic freedom are personal choice, voluntary exchange, and open markets.
Baylor named among nation’s 10 most affordable private business schools « Baylor Proud
www2.baylor.edu
Even more than most students, tomorrow’s business leaders are likely to do a cost-benefits analysis when deciding what college to attend. That’s why we’re so glad to see Baylor’s Hankamer School of Business make U.S. News‘ list of the 10 most affordable private business schools.
Warren Buffett: Scrap Obamacare and Start Over
www.weeklystandard.com
You know things are bad for President Obama when even Warren Buffett has soured on Obamacare and says that ‘we need something else.’ “”I would much rather see another plan that really attacks costs. And I think that’s what the American public wants to see. I mean, the American public is not behind this bill.” Warren Buffett
Karl Polanyi’s Battle with Economic History
www.libertarianism.org
Karl Polanyi’s The Great Transformation provides a foundation for much anti-market rhetoric. The problem is, the book’s claims aren’t supported by historical evidence.
