Author: Craig Newmark

Turns out that having a lot of oil can be a: long-term curse. Reminds of Spain and all that New World silver. And the best answer for resource-blessed countries turns out to be similar to those for blessed families–save some on that wealth!

Megan McArdle makes short work–again!–of something that didn’t cause it: repeal of Glass-Steagall. The Economist briefly review two books that persuasively argue that a totally out-of-control Fannie Mae was a key cause.

Five excellent points by Michael Tanner. The last two are especially important: we can’t solve our fiscal problems by taxing the rich and closing corporate loopholes and we can’t solve the problems by cutting “waste, fraud, and abuse” either. (But it would help.)  

Fine piece by Wayne Crews on dopey antitrust pursuit of high-tech companies, particularly Google. Furthermore, Google appears vulnerable, because the characteristics of searches to be conducted on tomorrow’s Internet will not entirely resemble today’s. You can drive a big Google Earth van through the hole to be opened up by future search-technology opportunities. Even if […]

Walter Mead Russell has been doing a great series on the failure of the blue state social model. Here’s the opening to another fine piece:’ The USPS is one of the great surviving examples of the blue social model and, not surprisingly, it is going down the tubes.:  Technological change has made its original mission […]