“The collection of taxes which are not absolutely required, which do not beyond a reasonable doubt contribute to the public welfare, is only a species of legalized larceny.”
Calvin Coolidge, President of the United States
Category: Economics
Friday Quote- P. J. O’Rourke
“It’s not an endlessly expanding list of rights – the ‘right’ to education, the ‘right’ to healthcare, the ‘right’ to food and housing. That’s not freedom. That’s dependency. Those aren’t rights, those are the rations of slavery – hay and barn for human cattle.”
P.J. O’Rourke
Uber Delivering Flu Shots
As if I didn’t love this company already for its shattering of taxi cartels, they are now going to be delivering flu shots on November 19.
Customers who normally use the Uber smartphone app to call for a ride will be able to request a flu shot — and a nurse in an Uber car will show up at their home or office in about three dozen cities across the country.
The charge is $10, but the nurse can give up to 10 flu shots at each location for no additional charge. So work colleagues can split the cost among themselves.
Unfortunately, it’s only one day, but I hope this is an annual program by Uber.
Friday Quote – Milton Friedman
The most important central fact about a free market is that no exchange takes place unless both parties benefit.
Milton Friedman
Friday Quote – Rachael Wolchin
Givers need to set limits because takers rarely do.
Rachael Wolchin
Colt Defense Files for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy
Colt Defense, LLC, has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.
I’ll let more experienced minds talk about the ramifications and causes. What I will say is that this isn’t the gut punch for me than some of the other gunnies.
I came into guns well after Colt had decided that it was better for the bottom line to feed at the government trough. I never felt the need to own a gun just because it had the prancing pony. By the time I came into guns, there were dozens of companies that made better products.
Do I respect Colt’s contributions to firearms technology? Yes, but I also respect a bunch of other now-defunct firms.
Did they make some very pretty guns? Yes, but I’m not a collector. I’m just as happy with the pics on my iPhone.
In short, I’m kind of meh. I do hope someone strong buys the Colt name. My instincts tell me the stalking horse they have will not revitalize Colt and bring it back into the gunny world. I absolutely loved Grant Cunningham’s idea of FN purchasing Colt, but that’s pretty much a pipe dream at this point.
Friday Quote- Thomas Sowell
The fatal attraction of government is that it allows busybodies to impose decisions on others without paying any price themselves.
Thomas Sowell
Homestead Detroit – Syrian Edition
Legal Insurrection may mock the idea, but why not? They can’t do any worse than the locals.
Entrepreneurial InspirationÂ
This kind of thing reinforces my optimism:
Find a niche, provide a service. Capitalism at work. Brilliant young person, just brilliant.
Well, No One I Know…
For today’s bullshit story, we have a sociology professor complaining that economics majors – and even those who have just take economics – are bad people.
Her proof? A study that looked at the donating habits of college students. Except, it didn’t look at all the donating habits, just whether or not the student checked the box to donate to a liberal political group or a “nonpartisan” group trying to lower tuition.
[Head pounds desk]
For someone who is supposedly educated, Professor Fruit Loops seems oblivious to the glaring flaw in that conclusion.
And the kicker:
Sociologist Amitai Etzioni takes a stab at an answer. He argues that neoclassical economics isn’t a problem in itself. Instead, the problem may be that there are no “balancing†classes, ones that present a different kind of economics. In other part of the academy, he argues — specifying social philosophy, politicalscience, and sociology– there is “a great variety ofapproaches are advanced, thereby leaving students witha consolidated debasing exposure and a cacophony ofconflicting pro-social views.â€
Being exposed to a variety of views, including ones that question the premises of neoclassical economics, may be one way to make economists more honest and kind. And doing so isn’t just about sticking one to econ, it’s an issue of grave seriousness, as the criminal and immoral behavior of our financial leaders is exactly what triggered a Great Recession once… and could again.
Listen, Dr. Dipshit, the Great Recession was caused because technocrats decided they knew what was better for society and forced banks to make bad loans. What resulted was exactly what neoclassical economics predicted when government interferes with market forces.
People like these make it hard for me to take sociology seriously.
FSM, I wish this was an April Fools post.