The debate so far has centered on cultural matters: whether gays have a civil right to marry or whether the traditional understanding of marriage should prevail in the law. If you read the writings by gay-marriage advocates, however, one subject keeps coming up again and again and again: the right to transfer property to a partner without being subject to taxation.

Robert Barro and Rachel McCleary on the connection. (Courtesy of Arts & Letters Daily)

In Dr. Seuss’s book ”The Cat in the Hat Comes Back” (1958) there is an expression of alarm that the walls are being cleaned with “Dad’s $10 shoes,” which in today’s terms would be about $62. I find it odd that the kid in the book is so freaked out by about the price of his dad’s shoes when they are clearly not especially expensive for shoes. He doesn’t specify the price of any other items potentially runed by the Cat ring, e.g. Mom’s dress, Dad’s bed, the wall, the hallway rung.

Paul Kasriel discusses a point that Frank Shostak has been drawing attention to: the sudden fall in the money supply, and the reasons for it. Both Shostak and Kasriel agree that if the trend continues, the current “recovery” will be short indeed.

Via Catallarchy, Samizdata.net posts a long review contrasting H Hoppe with D. Friedman on anarchy.

The Bush Administration’s political pandering to the manufacturing sector (apparently now called the “American worker”), has finally escalated into a trade war. After the Wall Street Journal today reported that a quota had been enacted against bras coming from China, the Financial Times wrote this: “China on Wednesday reacted angrily against a US decision to impose new import restrictions on several types of textiles and clothing from China and hinted the move could spark retaliation.” First Afghanistan, then Iraq...now China?

Now, this is interesting. Supachai Panitchpakdi, director general of the World Trade Organization, was  asked by USA Today what five books he would want on a deserted island. He lists a book on chess, one by a communist, one by a social democrat, Sophie’s Choice, and: the new Bruce Caldwell book Hayek’s Challenge.