Category Archives: Finance and Economics

Bush vs. Obama: Unemployment (February 2012 Jobs Data)

Posted on Friday, March 9, 2012 by Sean Patrick Hazlett

Update: Click here for the most recent jobs statistics. On the first Friday of every month, I update the unemployment numbers so that I can compare the unemployment rate under President George W. Bush with the unemployment rate under President Obama at that … Continue reading →

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Posted in Business, Finance and Economics, Media, Policy, Politics | Tagged , , , | 27 Comments

Entitlement Knows No Bounds

Posted on Thursday, March 8, 2012 by Sean Patrick Hazlett

A Michigan woman, Amanda Clayton, recently made headlines for winning one million dollars. She made headlines again for continuing to accept government assistance after she cashed the check. What’s her excuse? “I thought that they would cut me off, but … Continue reading →

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Posted in Crime, Finance and Economics, Policy, Politics, Socialism, Taxes | Tagged , , , , | 5 Comments

Six Silly Questions Reporters Should Not Ask of Anyone Advocating Military Action Against Iran

Posted on Sunday, February 26, 2012 by Sean Patrick Hazlett

Reza Marachi and Trita Parsi published a piece on The Huffington Post Friday called “Six Questions Reporters Should Ask of Anyone Advocating Military Action Against Iran.” They take the usual liberal approach that the “silly” warmongering Neanderthals just don’t get … Continue reading →

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Posted in Defense, Energy Security, Finance and Economics, International Security, Middle East, Nuclear Power, Nuclear proliferation, Peak Oil, Policy, Politics, Terrorism, War | Tagged , , , , , , | 19 Comments

The Practical Impact of Declining Home Prices

Posted on Wednesday, February 22, 2012 by Sean Patrick Hazlett

Today, CNN reported that home prices reached their lowest point in more than 10 years. According to the National Association of Realtors, the median U.S. home price fell from $219,000 in 2007 to $154,700 as of January 2012. While this … Continue reading →

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Posted in Finance and Economics, Investing, Policy, Politics | Tagged , , , , | 8 Comments

The Morality of Government Entitlements

Posted on Monday, February 20, 2012 by mbsbvu

“The deterioration of every government begins with the decay of the principles on which it was founded.” — French political analyst and philosopher, Charles-Louis de Secondat, baron de La Brède et de Montesquieu (1689-1755) A careful examination of some of … Continue reading →

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Posted in Business, Finance and Economics, Healthcare, Policy, Politics, Social Security, Socialism, Taxes | Tagged , , , , , , , | 16 Comments

The Overbearing Heaviness of Regulation

Posted on Thursday, February 16, 2012 by Sean Patrick Hazlett

This week’s edition of The Economist has an excellent article on over-regulation in the United States, and how it is stifling economic growth. For example, America’s share of initial public offerings (IPOs) fell from 67% in 2002 to just 16% … Continue reading →

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Posted in Business, Finance and Economics, Healthcare, Investing, Policy, Politics | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 15 Comments

Obama and Youth Unemployment

Posted on Sunday, February 12, 2012 by Sean Patrick Hazlett

In 2008, young adults piled into election booths to vote overwhelmingly for Barack Obama. Their adulation struck me personally as a weird sort of homage to the cult of personality. After all, Obama had no executive experience running any organization … Continue reading →

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Posted in Business, Education, Finance and Economics, Media, Policy, Politics | Tagged , , , , | 21 Comments

The Inexorable Rise of the Welfare State

Posted on Sunday, February 12, 2012 by Sean Patrick Hazlett

The New York Times published an interesting analysis yesterday on entitlement spending in the United States. Since 1929, entitlements as a share of income rose from 1% to 18% in 2011. Despite some ups and downs, the overall trend line … Continue reading →

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Posted in Finance and Economics, Policy, Politics, Social Security, Taxes | Tagged , , , , , | 6 Comments

Did Obama Help or Hinder the Recovery? Dueling Campaign Narratives

Posted on Thursday, February 9, 2012 by Sean Patrick Hazlett

Today, I came across a variation of the employment chart below in an Obama campaign ad. In this ad, the old adage holds: There are “lies, damned lies, and statistics.” In this campaign season, this truism will likely apply to … Continue reading →

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Posted in Business, Finance and Economics, Leadership, Policy, Politics | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 29 Comments

Taxes: Fairness Is Not the Problem, Complexity Is

Posted on Thursday, February 9, 2012 by Sean Patrick Hazlett

When TurboTax spit out the estimated amount of our federal and California income tax refund would be this year, I nearly soiled myself. I was flabbergasted.

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Posted in California, Finance and Economics, Policy, Politics, Taxes | Tagged , , , , , , , | 6 Comments