No More Great Presidents

Robert Higgs’ idea of a great president is one who acts in accordance with his oath of office to “preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United States.” Not since the presidency of Grover Cleveland has any president achieved greatness by this standard. Worse, the most admired have been those who failed most miserably. Evidently Higgs’ standard differs from that employed by others who judge presidential greatness.

The Mises Money Clip

Somehow we were under the impression that money clips were old hat, replaced by wallets and purses. But it turns out that they are highly treasured these days when you don’t always want to dig through a wallet or purse in order to buy an energy drink or show your driver’s license. People in large urban areas carry them exclusively, and kids like them too for keeping smaller bills.

Prize Seeking Nominations

It was mentioned on this blog the other day that I had the good fortune to win one of the Templeton Enterprise Awards earlier this week. Right now I’d like to speak on behalf of this program, since people who read this blog could well be producing the very kind of work that it seeks to honor. (People on this blog may also know of good books and articles to nominate.)

Minimum wage: A Tempest in a Teapot

What a wacky world we live in. An issue called the minimum wage fascinates the Pols even more than the price of meatloaf and 3 in the Senate cafeteria. Newspaper headlines hammer home this crisis in remuneration — I mean the minimum wage, not the price of meatloaf.

Forget that only 3% of hourly workers make less than the current $5.25. Only 13% earn less than the projected $7.25.

Forget that these are temporary, step-up jobs that are soon left behind.