The Boycott Mania

Boycotters do not wish to target only business firms; they also are trying to influence the political process by directing political campaigns against people and causes that the pressure groups want to marginalize. William Anderson is fed up.

Nowhere to Turn

Economic policymakers around the world are running out of tools to boost the flagging global economy, said the World Bank in a report last week. The bank said the U.S. Federal Reserve, the world’s most influential central bank, has little room left to cut interest rates. In fact, the bank concluded that policies this year and next are more likely to be less stimulative or “restrictive” than expansive. 

The Madness of Red Ken

How an old-line socialist in London succeeded in using free-enterprise rhetoric to pitch and impose a “congestion charge” that turns out to be a confiscatory tax. The attempt to manage congestion and pollution via central planning is now crushing business in London, writes Toby Baxendale.

Does Capitalism Require War?

Of all the false charges leveled against capitalism, the indictment of promoting or requiring imperialism and warfare is most certainly the least deserved. Given recent events, this proposition has received much undeserved attention, but is by no means new. This claim has a long legacy, tracing back at least to 19th century critics of Political Economy.

Best-Laid Plans

In the games planners play, the model builder wins by outsmarting an opponent programmed to react in predictable ways. The conclusion is decided by the assumptions built into the system. If this is true in peace, it is all the more true in war. The game called “war” is no better at preparing central planners for real life than the game called “market.”

Why No Recovery?

No one can argue about the current moribund economy, complete with flat or falling stock prices, nonexistent profits, layoffs, airline bankruptcies, and exploding federal and state budget deficits. But few people have accurately pointed out why there is no recovery from the original recession.

War’s Winners and Losers

When assessing the costs of the war in Iraq, the full costs, including the costs on the home front, must be considered every bit as much as the money costs. Sadly, the most expensive aspects of war, especially in terms of lost liberties and cultural decline, are usually the hardest to measure, and are therefore more easily ignored.

National Economic Planning: Will it fly?

The September 11th attacks hit no industry more directly than they did the airline industry. In 2001, this industry lost 8 billion dollars. It lost 9 billion in 2002, two thirds of which supposedly derived from 9–11. The Federal government has delivered 5 billion dollars in cash and 10 billion in loan guarantees to airlines affected by 9–11. This massive infusion of money and credit has yet to satisfy the appetites of airline executives. Some predict losses ranging from 6.3 to 13 billion for this year, depending upon how the war goes.

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