Category Archives: Business

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 Capitalism, Egalitarius, Meritocratus, Offshoring, Strikes, Unions | 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 Capitalism, Egalitarius, Meritocratus, Offshoring, Unions | 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 Book review, Fossil fuels, Middle East, Oil exploration, Oil production, Oil shock, Peak oil, Saudi Arabia, Spare capacity | 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 Capitalism, Egalitarius, Meritocratus, Offshoring, Unions | 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 Capitalism, Egalitarius, Meritocratus, Offshoring, Unions | 3 Comments

Christie Scores Legislative Victory Against Public Unions

Posted on Thursday, June 23, 2011 by Sean Patrick Hazlett

According to The New York Times, New Jersey’s Assembly passed a bill 46 to 32 today that would “sharply increase what state and local workers must contribute for their health insurance and pensions, suspend cost-of-living increases to retirees’ pension checks, … Continue reading →

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Posted in Business, Finance and Economics, Media, Policy, Politics, Taxes, Unions | Tagged Governor Christie, New Jersey, Public unions, Unions | 4 Comments

Bush vs. Clinton: Unemployment

Posted on Thursday, June 23, 2011 by Sean Patrick Hazlett

I posted an article earlier this month comparing the monthly unemployment rate under President George W. Bush with the most recently available unemployment data under President Obama. However, many of my left-leaning readers were also interested in a comparison of George W. Bush … Continue reading →

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Posted in Business, Finance and Economics, Media, Policy, Politics | Tagged President Bush, President Clinton, Unemployment | 26 Comments

Fracking Actors Whine about Fracking

Posted on Wednesday, June 22, 2011 by Sean Patrick Hazlett

Whenever the Hollywood/Broadway “elite” band together and make a public service announcement, I instinctively want to oppose it. They could be offering immortality and I would completely miss it. The bottom line is that people who make their living by pretending to … Continue reading →

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Posted in Business, Clean Energy, Clean Tech, Energy Security, Media, Peak Oil, Policy, Politics | Tagged Amy Ryan, Ethan Hawke, Fracking, Mark Ruffalo, Oil, Shale Oil, Zoe Saldana | 15 Comments

Idiot-Proofing and Our Paternalistic Government: Keeping Cretins Alive

Posted on Tuesday, June 21, 2011 by Sean Patrick Hazlett

“President Obama is committed to protecting our nation’s children and the American people from the dangers of tobacco use. These labels are frank, honest and powerful depictions of the health risks of smoking and they will help encourage smokers to … Continue reading →

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Posted in Business, Education, Healthcare, Media, Policy, Politics, Taxes | Tagged Big Brother, Cigarette Warning Labels, Cigarettes, FDA, Paterialism | 10 Comments

What Is Fracking?

Posted on Tuesday, June 21, 2011 by Sean Patrick Hazlett

There’s been plenty of media hype and hysteria about a process known as hydraulic fracturing, which is more popularly known as fracking. Hydraulic fracturing is a process in which drilling rigs drill vertical wells 3,000 to 8,000 feet underground and then … Continue reading →