As the business manager of a print publication, I can’t help but jump into a discussion about the issues raised in Jeffrey Kalmus’s article in the most recent issue of the HPR about the decision by the New York Times to charge for online content. Two experiences last week stirred my thinking about the economics … Read more
Well, not completely. But Mikheil Saakashvili, the President of Georgia, did boast yesterday that the wine produced in Georgia is simply so good (thanks to his free market reforms) that he hopes the Russians continue their embargo, because to sell it on the Russian market would be a waste – the Russians, he explained, will … Read more
In a bold step intended to reduce poverty, the European Union will soon be providing some of the Continent’s poorest citizens with subsidized plane tickets and hotel rooms. The Toronto-based National Post reported on Monday that the European Union has declared traveling for tourism a human right, and is launching a scheme to subsidize vacations … Read more
Peyton has posted a rejoinder to Max, trying to buttress his initial claim that it is “inappropriate for 73 percent of federal income taxes to be paid by 10 percent of the American population.” I am struck by a few things from Peyton’s post, and I want to pull them out and talk about them … Read more
Such a headline is perhaps not so surprising coming from elements of the Republican Party’s religious right, see Larry Craig. The uneasy balance of openly and forcefully opposing gay marriage while still attempting to be accepting of gay Republicans like the Log Cabin Republicans has made it difficult for many leaders. The fact remains that … Read more
My fellow Americans… check out the HPR’s interactive Obama mad libs below! Enter the words in each category, hit submit, and scroll down to see Obama’s latest masterpiece of presidential oratory. Obama: Country: Place: Exotic Place: Title: Controversial Subject: Ordinal Number: Good Thing: Good Thing: Obvious Tradeoff: Cataclysmic Event: Number (8): Major Policy Initiative: Bad Event: … Read more
Don’t be fooled by Darfur’s disappearance from the front pages An ominous calm has fallen over Darfur. The guns of the militias are mostly silent, and the roving bands of village raiders have all but disappeared from the western Sudanese province. But these developments are far from signs of peace or security. Seven years into … Read more
Below, you can enjoy interactive Biden and Gibbs Mad Libs. Once you hit submit, scroll down to see their speeches. Biden: Rambling, interminable anecdote: Contradiction of Administration Policy, Miss Manner’s Guide to Etiquette, Laws of Physics: Convoluted Apology, Vaguely Offensive Story: Gibbs: Reasonable Statement Bearing no Relation to Anything he Said: Minority Group: Mainstream Group: … Read more
Our cover here was a joke, but perhaps one not too far from the truth. Bono writes today as an op-ed guest columnist in the New York Times about the “rebooting” of Africa, and in his lilting prose, he’s actually pretty right. Development economics is a contentious and irreconcilable field; there are infinitely more questions … Read more
In his April 11 post, “Weighing In: The Great Tax Debate,” Max Novendstern rebuts my most recent argument that it is inappropriate for 73 percent of federal income taxes to be paid by 10 percent of the American population. Since our disagreement is to at least some extent based on our differing conceptions of fairness, … Read more