Daily Archives: Friday, June 24, 2011

Capitalism, Unions, and Offshoring (Part IV): Strike!

Posted on Friday, June 24, 2011 by Sean Patrick Hazlett

After Egalitarius’ management launched its cost-cutting program in response to worker unionization, the Widget Workers’s Union (WWU) called for a strike. The union contended that Egalitarius’ cuts constituted unfair retaliation against the workforce’s unionization. It is also complained that the inferior materials Egalitarius now used were hazardous to the … Continue reading →

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Posted in Business, Finance and Economics, Investing, Mathematics, Policy, Politics, Predictions, Taxes, Unions | Tagged , , , , , | 3 Comments

Capitalism, Unions, and Offshoring (Part III): Cost-Cutting

Posted on Friday, June 24, 2011 by Sean Patrick Hazlett

After encouraging its workforce to unionize, Egalitarius’ management saw a precipitous decline of 80% in its share price. With an eye on saving the company and the executive team’s jobs, Egalitarius’ management implemented aggressive cost-cutting measures.

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Posted in Business, Finance and Economics, Investing, Mathematics, Policy, Politics, Predictions, Taxes, Unions | Tagged , , , , | 6 Comments

Twilight in the Desert: Well-Documented Warning on Peak Saudi Oil

Posted on Friday, June 24, 2011 by Sean Patrick Hazlett

Twilight in the Desert: The Coming Saudi Oil Shock and the World Economy is Matthew Simmons’ thoroughly researched and well-documented account of Saudi Arabia’s aging oil fields and what it means for the global economy. In the book, Simmons argues that Saudi … Continue reading →

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Posted in Book Reviews, Business, Clean Energy, Defense, Energy Security, Finance and Economics, International Security, Media, Middle East, Peak Oil, Policy, Politics, Predictions | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 59 Comments

Capitalism, Unions, and Offshoring (Part II): Workers of the World, Unite!

Posted on Friday, June 24, 2011 by Sean Patrick Hazlett

In the first installment of this series, we introduced two widget producers called Egalitarius and Meritocratus. Egalitarius’ management encourages its workers to unionize, because it wants to ensure that the company treats them fairly. With high ambitions to rectify Egalitarius’ “unfair” labor practices, the Widget Worker’s … Continue reading →

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Posted in Business, Finance and Economics, Investing, Mathematics, Policy, Politics, Predictions, Taxes, Unions | Tagged , , , , | 4 Comments

Capitalism, Unions, and Offshoring (Part I): A Tale of Two Firms

Posted on Friday, June 24, 2011 by Sean Patrick Hazlett

Once upon a time, there were two firms, Meritocratus and Egalitarius. Both firms operated in the $10 billion widget industry, and each had 50% market share. Widgets were not a commodity. Purchasers were sometimes willing to pay a premium for a … Continue reading →

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Posted in Business, Finance and Economics, Investing, Mathematics, Policy, Politics, Predictions, Taxes, Unions | Tagged , , , , | 3 Comments

Will My Generation Do Better Than the Last?

Posted on Friday, June 24, 2011 by Sean Patrick Hazlett

Hearing this old Billy Joel song from the early eighties made me feel somewhat nostalgic about my childhood in Delaware and Pennsylvania. It is also seems to me to be a bit melancholy.  The closing of a factory town. The passing of the … Continue reading →

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Posted in Media, Politics | Tagged , , | 15 Comments