Backgrounder: City Business as Usual?
by Jason Arp Recently, our city council had its first somewhat regular meeting since the beginning of the great coronavirus panic. Something that night struck me as odd. The schools have been closed. Restaurants, bars and entertainment venues have been shuttered. All “non-essential” businesses such as hair salons and music shops have been closed. Landlords Read the full article…
Schansberg: The Co-Morbidity of Debt, ‘Stimulus’
by Eric Schansberg, Ph.D. COVID-19 is causing all kinds of trouble — for physical, mental and economic health. Policy-makers are trying to limit the pandemic’s spread while dealing with its implications for individuals, companies, and the economy. For individuals, Congress and President Trump have chosen a dual approach. They’re mailing checks to everybody, and there’s assistance Read the full article…
The Outstater: Saving ‘Journalism’
A FRIEND PASSES ALONG a heartfelt plea from the editor of my city’s corporate newspaper. The editor is asking us, with information on the Wuhan flu being so critical, to pay for a digital subscription and thereby help “save journalism.” The friend was inclined to respond favorably. First, though, he wanted to think a bit Read the full article…
Morris: Calamity and Lost Liberty
by Leo Morris It is worth noting, in the thick of our great national quarantine, that we have gone in a heartbeat from an ordinary civil society to a step short of martial law. That’s something worth thinking about. And worrying about just a little. As the War on Terror was being rolled out – Read the full article…
Van Cott: Inflationary Economics in the Black Death
by Norman Van Cott, Ph.D. The Black Death ravaged Europe, starting in Italy, in the middle of the 14th century. Substantial percentages of entire populations died — estimates range between 30 and 60 percent. Maybe 75 to 200 million people. Would it have made any difference for overall living standards if Spain could have tapped Read the full article…
A Bolt of Sanity Out of the Eco-Devo Blue
IN THE MIDST OF CRISIS, with pretense stripped away, the truth can strike like a lightening bolt. That was the case at a recent meeting of my City Council. When the governor shut down restaurants and bars in advance of the Wuhan flu it was made clear that what we had been told was economic Read the full article…
