Earlier I posted about what I see as the ineptitude of the Democrats and demanded that they stand for something and someone. I think it’s only fair that I spell out what I think that is. First, what they should stand for. It’s simple. Liberals stand for liberty. Liberals, progressives, the left, Democrats, Greens – […]
Building on my post yesterday, I want to stress that my vision of economic liberty is aimed at individuals and families. I think if we had this framework for thinking about economic matters, the financial bailouts of the last year or so might have looked completely different. We’ve spent a great deal of money and […]
I want to suggest a new way for liberals and progressives to think about their arguments for government-delivered social programs – economic liberty. It strikes me that most often we see arguments supporting everything from Social Security to health care reform framed in three ways: security, equality of opportunity, and a question of rights. These […]
Economics is a very technical subject, but it’s also a human enterprise, which means that people and their values and their behaviors – that is, culture and ethics – underlie everything. The New York Times has an interesting article on how Norway has avoided much of the world’s economic meltdown. First off, the country is […]
Conservatives love to talk about how “welfare” and “entitlement” programs destroy the character of Americans by undermining their willingness to work and generate economic prosperity. There are all sorts of problem with this view. Among them, what’s the evidence? There are plenty of rich people who could retire today with a high quality of life, […]
There’s a lot to chew on in the discussion over at the New York Times “Does the U.S. need an auto industry?“ I was struck by a couple of passages. This from Roger Simmermaker, a union official: We need a U.S. auto industry because American companies employ more American workers; support more retirees, their families […]
A sad day. Both I and my wife have many connections to Chrysler, Detroit, Michigan, and many other places supported, in part, by Chrysler. Many friends, acquaintances, and family members will get hit hard. The Detroit News has a quick summary of the impact of the bankruptcy filing designed to save the company: The Obama […]
Bill Poorman 