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I am deeply saddened by the loss of the Virginia Institute’s John Taylor – a friend of mine for nearly 15 years and one of the most intrepid and principled champions of liberty who has ever breathed [2]. My thoughts are with John’s wife, Lynn, and his entire family.
My colleague Larry White argues powerfully against prohibitions on the use of currency [3].
Jeff Hummel reviews Roger Lowenstein’s book on the origins of the U.S. Federal Reserve [4]. A slice:
Ironically, this makes Lowenstein’s book, with all its shortcomings, all the more instructive. It provides valuable insight not just into how a central bank was foisted on the body politic but into how it became an object of superstitious reverence, notwithstanding the overwhelming evidence to the contrary.
Tim Worstall asks “What is it about trade that makes people spout nonsense? [5]”
Writing in the Wall Street Journal, the scientist Bjorn Lomborg exposes the silly ‘science’ behind some recent White House assertions about the environment [6]. (gated) A slice:
Thus, one of the central findings in the administration’s new report is contradicted by a large number of scientific studies from around the globe. A 2009 paper from the European Union expects that the reduction in cold deaths will definitely outweigh extra heat deaths in the 2020s. Even near the end of the century, in the 2080s, the EU study projects an increase in heat deaths of “between 60,000 and 165,000” and a decrease of cold deaths of “between 60,000 and 250,000.” In other words, the effects will probably balance each other out, but warming could save as many as 85,000 lives each year.
Diana Furchtgott-Roth explains that tax inversions help, not hurt, the economy [8].