Category Archives: Finance and Economics

A Surefire Sign the Right Has Ceded the Clean Energy Debate to the Left

Posted on Friday, March 18, 2011 by Sean Patrick Hazlett

I’m sorry, but this recent post from a dilettante at the Huffington Post really got my blood boiling. Unfortunately, conservatives are partially responsible for allowing this to happen. What did they allow to happen? Well, by reflexively opposing finding ways … Continue reading →

Rate this:

Posted in Clean Energy, Clean Tech, Climate Change, Energy Security, Finance and Economics, Nuclear Power, Policy, Politics, Solar, Wind | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 16 Comments

American Involvement in Libya Is a Bad Idea

Posted on Friday, March 18, 2011 by Sean Patrick Hazlett

Yesterday, the United Nations approved airstrikes on Qaddafi’s forces in Libya. The resolution apparently passed with ten votes, including the United States with abstentions from Russia, China, Germany, Brazil, and India. Now American forces may be fighting a third war … Continue reading →

Rate this:

Posted in Clean Energy, Clean Tech, Defense, Energy Security, Finance and Economics, International Security, Investing, Middle East, Policy, Politics | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

Sell to Sucker: Potassium Iodide for Sale!

Posted on Wednesday, March 16, 2011 by Sean Patrick Hazlett

©2011 Reflections of a Rational Republican Welcome to Tulipomania circa 2011. In 1624, a tulip bulb became so valuable that some wealthy merchants were willing to pay a sum roughly equal to their annual income for it. And so now … Continue reading →

Rate this:

Posted in Business, Clean Energy, Clean Tech, Defense, Energy Security, Finance and Economics, Investing, Media, Nuclear Power, Policy, Politics | Tagged , , , , , | 4 Comments

The Vast Right Wing Conspiracy

Posted on Sunday, March 13, 2011 by Sean Patrick Hazlett

I decided to break from tradition and to publish something a little less serious. I put together this little video using a program called xtranormal. It is satire on what many left bloggers write and think about conservatives. Huffington Post … Continue reading →

Rate this:

Posted in Business, Clean Energy, Clean Tech, Climate Change, Energy Security, Finance and Economics, Food Security, Humor, Investing, Media, Middle East, Policy, Politics, Thurston and Talbot, Unions | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 22 Comments

Saudis Shrug Off Day of Rage: Three Strategies to Suppress a Revolt Before It Starts

Posted on Saturday, March 12, 2011 by Sean Patrick Hazlett

While the world was understandably distracted by Japan’s terrible earthquake and the tsunami in its wake, I have been monitoring one local Saudi woman’s blog to get a sense of how the March 11th Day of Rage progressed in Saudi … Continue reading →

Rate this:

Posted in Clean Energy, Clean Tech, Energy Security, Finance and Economics, International Security, Investing, Middle East, Policy, Politics, Predictions | Tagged , , | 4 Comments

Smart Money Sells U.S. Treasuries

Posted on Friday, March 11, 2011 by Sean Patrick Hazlett

One of the world’s largest and most respected bond funds announced Wednesday it had reduced its exposure to U.S. government securities to zero in light of rising yields, which are inversely related to a bond’s value. Given the right’s refusal … Continue reading →

Rate this:

Posted in Business, Finance and Economics, Investing, Policy, Politics | Tagged , , , , | 3 Comments

Decision Points: Good Read, Bad Style

Posted on Wednesday, March 9, 2011 by Sean Patrick Hazlett

Source: ©2011 Reflections of a Rational Republican Decision Points is President George W. Bush’s personal account of the most consequential decisions that impacted his controversial presidency. Whether one likes President Bush or detests him, this book is a must read … Continue reading →

Rate this:

Posted in Book Reviews, Business, China, Defense, Energy Security, Finance and Economics, International Security, Media, Middle East, Policy, Politics | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

Debunking Peak Phosphorus

Posted on Tuesday, March 8, 2011 by Sean Patrick Hazlett

U.S. Rock Phosphate Production vs. Price, Source: Adapted from USGS data The media’s fascination with the prospect of peak oil has spread to another commodity — phosphorus. In Julian Cribb’s 2010 book, The Coming Famine: The Global Food Crisis and … Continue reading →

Rate this:

Posted in Clean Energy, Clean Tech, Climate Change, Energy Security, Finance and Economics, Food Security, International Security, Media, Policy, Politics, Predictions | Tagged , , , | 31 Comments

Felling Pharaohs (Part VI): The Beatings Continue Because Morale Has Not Improved

Posted on Sunday, March 6, 2011 by Sean Patrick Hazlett

A little over a month ago in the midst of Egyptian unrest, I warned that U.S. policy-makers should “be very afraid” of these developments because of their impact on crude oil prices. Now that Libya is in flames, its oil … Continue reading →

Rate this:

Posted in Clean Energy, Defense, Energy Security, Finance and Economics, International Security, Middle East, Policy, Politics, Predictions | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

North Korea: Linking Fuel to Famine

Posted on Tuesday, March 1, 2011 by Sean Patrick Hazlett

I recently came across a book called Eating Fossil Fuels: Oil, Food and the Coming Crisis in Agriculture by Dale Allen Pfeiffer. In his book, Pfeiffer uses the North Korean famine in the mid-nineties as a cautionary tale about what … Continue reading →

Rate this:

Posted in Climate Change, Energy Security, Finance and Economics, Food Security, International Security, Policy, Politics, Predictions | Tagged , , , , , | 9 Comments