Economics

If I were to write a business plan based on manufacturing and selling a product few people wanted, for a price few people were willing to pay, in the midst of the worst recession in at least twenty years, would you invest funds in my venture?  You would if you…

In his latest email to subscribers, Jason Calacanis pondered: Anyone who . . . used Groupon, Farmville, Facebook, Angry Birds or LinkedIn in the first year knew they were good investments and should have been allowed to invest. Only the rich were allowed to invest. How is that fair? It’s…

The Greeks suffer a failing economy largely because of that nation’s bloated redistributionist state, but another contributing factor is the mountain of bureaucratic feces the Greek government piles on entrepreneurs. Alexandra Kassimi reports for Ekathimerini.com: “It took 10 months, a fat bundle of paperwork, countless certificates, long hours of haggling…

“The Obama administration is proposing to cut the corporate tax rate from 35 percent to 28 percent,” reports the AP. Unfortunately, the plan would not cut net taxes on corporations, as it also involves eliminating some so-called “tax loopholes” through which the government permits some corporations to pay less than…

If productiveness in the face of difficult obstacles is a virtue, then Israel is indeed a virtuous country. Bloomberg reports that during the last decade, despite two wars (Lebanon in 2006 and Gaza in 2008) and on-going security problems, Israel’s stock exchange had the highest percentage return among twenty-four developed-nation…

Richard M. Salsman reviews Objective Economics: How Ayn Rand’s Philosophy Changes Everything About Economics, by M. Northrup Buechner.

The Greek riots this past weekend have been sickening. “At least 45 buildings were burned, including one of [Athens’s] oldest cinemas, while dozens of stores and cafes were smashed and looted,” reports the AP. Why are the rioters upset? “More than 100,000 protesters marched to parliament to rally against drastic…

The realm of romance, like that of economics, is governed by Say’s Law. Supply constitutes demand. What you make of yourself (supply) is what you have to trade (demand).

Warren Buffett so loves the idea of higher taxes on the wealthy that the proposal to accomplish that even bears his name: the “Buffett Rule.” This week Buffett seconded Barack Obama’s call for “a minimum effective tax rate of 30 percent on those who earn a million dollars or more,”…

In the GOP’s response speech to President Obama’s State of the Union, Mitch Daniels said, “Contrary to the president's constant disparagement of people in business, it's one of the noblest of human pursuits.” Though Daniels’ speech is a mixed bag, his identification of the nobility of business is spot on…