Arkady's Thoughts

I present to you two examples from Europe that continue to demonstrate unequivocally that no matter how often fundamental economic principles are violated, the result is the same. A corollary lesson is that Governments will pursue these violations thinking naively that previous errors do not apply to them. Today's subject: sin tax. The idea of a sin tax continues to be popular on both sides of the proverbial political aisle. Even among those that generally accept that taxation deprives the private sector by transferring capital to the less efficient public sector favor the sin tax.  They justify this error by suggesting that people should not be engaged in sinful practices like:  smoking, drinking, gambling, prostitution or the multitude of other offensive actions and raising revenue from these sinful things is acceptable. Then there are those that are constantly harping on the "common good" and social welfare.  They justify the sin tax on the gro...

It has been four years since the world economy took a dramatic nose-drive from which we are still recovering from and like many historical economic events the perceptions and interpretations vary from person to person.  Even in the midst of the 2012 elections cries about reverting to failed deregulation policies were commonplace.   What will be ultimately be taught in schools, will be very similar to how the Great Depression was historically analyzed and taught.  How the historical analysis gets laid down could potentially build a slippery slope foundation for those relying on that text. Imagine thousands of years ago a historian with religious inclinations observing the destruction of Pompeii.  Those reading the history later would be convinced that the sinners of the city angered the gods and were punished for it and immortalized in liquid magma.  A seismologist would for instance have a very different take on the situation. Economic calamities are ...

The dust is beginning to settle and everyone is coming out to survey the damage.  On the surface, one would think nothing happened.  House is controlled by the GOP and the Senate and the White House are in Democrat hands.  Numbers appear to be largely the same, was there even an election?  One would think by the cries and wails of Romney supporters that the end is near. However upon closer inspection one sees some very interesting dynamics at play.  There were visible winners and losers yesterday.  Do not accept the explanations and excuses that are rapidly coming down the pipe from those with serious egg on their face, like Dick Morris and his assertions that the electorate changed or that no Republican could have won this election because Romney was so perfect.  Morris is blind, his blindness is punctuated by his closing statement: We must stop Obama’s socialist agenda. That’s our job for the next four years. We cannot allow Obama to magnify his...

The election is over, it was over before it even started, but for many of you this is a very bitter pillow to swallow.  I understand that and I am not looking to tout the "I told you so" line, but instead to explain why Mitt Romney losing is the best thing that can happen for the long term. There are three distinct camps in America right now.  The red jerseys, blue jerseys and those that are fed up with both.  Clearly the third camp is tiny and has no way of influencing change so the only way real change is going to come is due to some kind of crisis causing major jersey defections. Given that Obama won re-election despite: - One of the most anemic recoveries since the Great Depression - Sticky and persistent unemployment - A very unpopular health care legislation  - Polarized and partisan House/Senate/Electorate - Creeping inflation, high gas prices and stagnant wages. This suggests that as far as the majority of Americans are concerned, thin...

I find myself in a very different philosophical, theoretical and physical mood today than I found myself 4 years ago on the day before elections.  Last year, I was a nervous wreck and considered the impending election a critical juncture in America's history.  While I found myself objecting to much of what McCain had to offer and ultimately chose to vote third party, deep inside I longed for his victory.  My rationale at the time, heightened by the mysterious nature of Barack Obama, was that someone as Left as Obama will be devastating for the country.  I look at that thought process now and laugh. See, I am not laughing because I was wrong in my assessment of Obama and his propensity for damage, especially armed with a like-minded Congress, I was very wrong for another reason.  I foolishly thought that if McCain had won, our economic and financial health would somehow be different.  I am sure at this point, you - regardless of political persuas...

This is a light post that will provide some insight into how I am voting and perhaps can serve as a recommendation for some of you who are undecided.   Naturally, brevity is key at this juncture and if you are concerned about the lack of content then it should be found elsewhere.  Naturally, you can just trust me and run with it.  My philosophy on voting is quite simple; always vote and always vote for the BEST candidate. President: So, contrary to popular belief there are SIX candidates running for President of the United States in 2012.  There are technically more, but only six can actually collect enough electoral college numbers to become president.  The six are as follows: Barack Obama (incumbent), Mitt Romney, Gary Johnson, Jill Stein, Virgil Goode and Rocky Anderson. For MA residents, the choice is made for you.  Barack Obama will win this State by as much as 20+ points. Therefore your vote will only be one data point in the great sea of vote...

It is a well known phrase around this time of the year, "you are throwing your vote away".  This is a canned response from anyone who discovers that you, *gasp*, are not voting for the major party.  It will take you all of 10 minutes to realize that these words are absolutely wrong and in fact, with the help of the electoral college chances are that voting for a major party *is* throwing away the vote. Let me explain. If you live in a non-battleground state, that is the majority of you, but live in a State with a very definitive shade of blue and red then your vote is decided for you.   Now if you are happy with the decision, then all is well and I envy you, as they say - ignorance is bliss. What about the many of you who are NOT happy with your choice, but you are going to vote anyway?  Let's say you live in Massachusetts and you really dislike Obama.  Sorry to burst your bubble, but a vote for Romney is a waste.   What about if you live in Geo...