Pinko
Here’s a letter that I sent yesterday to Fred Hochberg, President of the Export-Import Bank of the United States — an agency charged with helping American firms export more: Dear Mr. Hochberg: My e-mail today brought a proud announcement from CG/LA Infrastructure LLC that you’ll speak at one of that company’s up-coming events.  In the announcement, you’re quoted as saying that the “Ex-Im Bank is dedicated to supporting US companies and workers.”  I have some questions for you. Why are jobs in export industries better than jobs in non-export industries? How can a g

The Poor Get Richer
Steve Horwitz is on a roll!  In this blog post, he presents Census Bureau data showing that America’s poor people continue to get richer — and are positively wealthy compared to the typical American of the early 1970s.

The Science of Minimum-Wage Legislation
Guest-blogging over at a PBS site, Steve Horwitz pleads with Pres. Obama to pay less attention to witchcraft and more attention to science.

Krugman on the Attac
Here’s a letter that I just sent to the New York Times: Paul Krugman supports a “Tobin tax” as a means of reducing speculation (”Taxing the Speculators,” Nov. 27). Bad idea.  Speculators buy assets only when they predict that these assets’ prices will rise; speculators sell assets only when they predict that these assets’ prices will fall.  And speculators profit only when they predict correctly.  So speculators who predict correctly help move asset prices more quickly to these assets’ ‘true’ v

What’s Really Going On
Here’s a letter that I sent earlier today to the Wall Street Journal: A headline in today’s edition reads “Dollar Falls Against Yen; Japan Hints at Action.”  A more revealing headline would read “U.S. Goods Become Less Costly for Japanese People; Japanese Government Hints at Preventing Its Citizens from Enjoying this Bounty.” Sincerely, Donald J. Boudreaux