Indiana: Angus Edition

Well Mungo has weighed in. Here's my more succinct take on the subject:

"Out there, the law is coming, I've been so tired of running
Indiana wants me, Lord, I can't go back there"

Today I am not voting.

Of course I am a devotee of Gordon Tullock and have fully taken on the insight that in any conceivable election my vote is extremely unlikely to make a difference, but let's grab this elephant by the other end here this morning.

People, I am in favor of legalizing drugs, same sex marriage, LBGT rights, and a vastly smaller military. I am also in favor of increased immigration, increased trade, and drastically less regulation on economic activity. I favor increased funding for research into alternative energy, but I do not favor specific investments in specific companies. I favor abolishing the TSA, the BATF, and the Department of Agriculture. I am against the militarization of local police forces. I am ashamed of the size and racial makeup of our prison system. I despise constant government led erosion of our privacy. I would like to replace our weird, patchy safety net with a guaranteed basic income. I favor a single payer approach to providing universal health care. I would love to see substantial, revenue neutral, carbon tax.

Oh, and did I mention I live in Oklahoma?

Exactly who am I supposed to vote for?

People: I just found Mungowitz' favorite radio program

 

Glenna Gordon‏@scarlettlion

My favorite, favorite Liberian radio show is on: What for Lunch. First caller is a woman names Mercy who is having Palm Butter for lunch.

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7:09 AM - 16 May 13

 

Glenna Gordon‏@scarlettlion

Second caller on What For Lunch is from Paynesville but runs out of credit on his phone b4 he can tell inquiring public what he is eating

Expressions entirely relevant for these trying times

"The trend is your friend till the bend at the end" (hat tip to Noah S.)

 "It's not the fall that kills you, it's the sudden stop at the end"

 "Bulls make money, bears make money, hogs get slaughtered"

 "Both teams played hard my man" (Rasheeeeeeeeed!!)

 Give me more in the comments!!

Words of wisdom from John Cochrane

"The mandate was never the weakest part of this law as a matter of economics. It's the rest of the perfectly constitutional thousands of pages, and the perfectly constitutional thousands more arbitrary regulatory decisions that are the problem."

More here. Well worth reading.

Econ Blogger Conference MVTs

MVTs = Most Valuable Talkers:

Lots of smart people with a lot to say. Was great to see some old friends and meet some people face to face for the first time.

The panelists I got the most from though were Alex Tabarrok and Michael Mandel speaking about intellectual property and innovation.

Based on his remarks, I highly recommend Alex's new book on the same subject.

Thanks to the Kauffman Foundation for (A) putting on such a cool event, and (B) inviting me to attend.

Shout it from the rooftops!

Simply fantastic essay in The Atlantic by Teju Cole. A must read.

Here's a nice bit:

Joseph Kony is no longer in Uganda and he is no longer the threat he was, but he is a convenient villain for those who need a convenient villain. What Africa needs more pressingly than Kony's indictment is more equitable civil society, more robust democracy, and a fairer system of justice. This is the scaffolding from which infrastructure, security, healthcare, and education can be built. How do we encourage voices like those of the Nigerian masses who marched this January, or those who are engaged in the struggle to develop Ugandan democracy?

Hat tip to Bill Easterly

We're BIG in Norway?

Below are stats from Blogger about where recent KPC visitors are located:

United States

784,957

Norway

81,855

Germany

43,544

United Kingdom

33,238

Canada

31,324

Turkey

14,337

Australia

12,927

France

3,756

Russia

3,646

Netherlands

2,790

Way to go Norway! I wouldn't necessarily expect Scandinavia to be receptive to our particular brand of vitriol, sarcasm, anarchism, & disorder, but I was clearly wrong.


Also big ups to Turkey! We see what you did there.

Occupy Etsy!

Coupons from Souther Salazar:

For the 99%

For the 1%:

The Fed is a bear

I read the Fed's latest announcements as a sign that they are very bearish on the US economy. They are saying two things. (1) The Fed funds rate will stay near zero at least through most of 2014, and (2) their inflation target is 2%.

The only ways I can see those two points being consistent with each other is if we have another recession or a sustained but pitiful "expansion" for the next 10-12 quarters.

I wouldn't want to be an incumbent from the President's party running for re-election in the 2014 midterms if the Fed "achieves" both of their announced objectives.

Don't call me Shirley

Have you heard about New Mexico?

It's getting bigger!

Land of Enchantment indeed.

One day me and Mrs. Angus' dirt pile may be a whole ranch!

One size fits all

In this excellent interview, Werner Herzog allows that all of his movies could have been appropriately given the same title: "Gazing Into The Abyss".

Hashtag of the day

People, check out the tweets at #ronpaultroofs

Here's one I especially liked:

"Ron Paul gave George Washington Carver his first peanut." 

and another:

"If you smoke like Ron Paul smokes, then you're high, like, every day."

Fearless Predictions

Here we go:

US:

Obama re-elected

US unemployment rate no higher than 7.5% by the end of 2012, real GDP growth > 2.5% for 2012

Republicans keep House and barely get Senate

Heat defeat Thunder in NBA finals

Albert Pujols will be AL MVP

World:

Putin ain't gonna be President of Russia for 12 more years

Assad Jr. gets the boot in 2012

The Euro zone makes it through 2012 intact

China's 2012 growth rate will be < 7.5%

Same as it ever was

While we either resent or enjoy cheap Chinese imports, most of us think of them as a relatively recent phenomenon.

Check out this description of Chinese imports:

"much prettier articles than are made in XXXX and sometimes so cheap that I am ashamed to mention it" The trades "pursued by the XXXXers have all died out because people buy their clothes and shoes from the [Chinese]"

Hmmm, floods of cheap textiles and footwear that are killing domestic industries? Is XXXX the USA and 2011 the year?

No, XXXX is Spain and the time period is the 1580s!

The quotes are from Charles Mann's fascinating book 1493. (page 153)

At least the 16th century Chinese got paid in silver; their unlucky modern day disciples have to take green pieces of paper or electronic IOUs from Uncle Sam.

Musical gifts: Box Sets and Reissues

As I noted yesterday, there are some truly fantastic box sets / re-issues out this year (and early next year). Here are my favorites:

#1. Neutral Milk Hotel's self-released vinyl only box set.

This is the present of the year. I bought it for myself the day it was announced. Damn thing still hasn't arrived.

#2. Domino Records is re-releasing Palace Music's (Will Oldham) first five albums in digital, cd and vinyl formats.

These are killers. If you don't own "Viva Last Blues" you have holes in both your record collection and your soul.

#3. A company called Dust to Digital (and somehow NOT Revenant Records) is releasing a 5 CD John Fahey box set in an LP sized package.

As LeBron would say, this is self-recommending.

#4. 5 Throbbing Gristle albums have been re-mastered and re-releasedin CD, Vinyl, MP3 and FLAC formats!

Big ups for the high quality digital format. Even the faintest of hearts should try "20 Jazz Funk Greats" or "Greatest Hits"

#5. Chunklet ("Chafing America's Ass since 1993") has re-issued Olivia Tremor Control's "Dust at Cubist Castle" and "Black Foliage" on deluxe vinyl.

These are fantastic trippy, sound collage-y albums that stand the test of time and still feel great today. Vital.

#6. 4AD's "house band" This Mortal Coil, also gets the box set treatment.

I'll get this one just because. It's a great gift for a goth significant other!

By the way, if you don't own a record player, it's way past time to get one. I'll post soon on some affordable options.

Angus' 2011 Best Music Guide

Here's my version of the best albums of the year.

1. Peaking Lights: 936

This is druggy drone-y dubby and delicious! "Hey Sparrow" is one of the best songs of the year.

2. Twerps: Twerps

One of two band from OZ on the list. They coulda been in the Paisley Underground. "Dreamin'" is the killer track.

3. Kurt Vile: Smoke Rings for my Halo. This guy is the bizzle. Strong record from top to bottom. Here's "Jesus Fever"

4. Tune-Yards: Who Kill

Gotta love Merrill Garbus. She is movin' on from the territory that MIA has abandoned (no they don't sound anything alike). Here's the video for "Bizness":

5. The War on Drugs: Slave Ambient

Kurt Vile's Philly friends have put out a great great record. Here's "Baby Missles"

6. Moon Duo: Mazes

Stoned out, droned out, sublime fuzz from San Francisco. Here's the video for the title track:

7. Air Waves: Dungeon Dots

A tad uneven, but the high points are just terrific. My favorite song is "Knock-out":

8. Dom: Sun-Bronzed Greek Gods

It's a cheat. This came out in 2010, but I didn't catch on to it til this year (so it's not on my 2010 list and it has to be memorialized somewhere). I've put the "Living in America" video up elsewhere so here's "Jesus":

9. Eddy Current Suppression Rings: So Many Things

This is kind of a cheat because, though it was released this year, it's a compilation album. But I just discovered these guys and have to give them the props they deserve. Here's the title track:

It's been a tremendous year for box sets and re-issues too. I'll post about that very soon.

Happy Listening!

4 happy women Cain't be wrong

there is a real, official website called "Women for Herman Cain" and here is its masthead:





Job well done, Herman.

Let's put the future behind us

Every day that the Eurozone continues to exist, things just get worse. We hear a lot about how terrible the breakup of the common currency will be for everyone, and I agree it will be bad. But people, there are only bad options left. There is no happy way out of here.

The PIGS need, above all, economic growth. Due to the public choice problems that LeBron has recently enumerated, I believe the fastest route to increased growth for them is default and devalue. Let Argentina be your guide.

What "reforms" is Germany going to dictate to the PIGS that will raise growth over the next 3-5 years?

Run free little PIGS, and let the ECB or the individual central banks of France and Germany worry about being LOLR to their crazy banks who believed that Greece had turned into Germany.

Markets in everything: Dali Lama doody edition

yes, that is a statue of the Lama pooping! Caganers are Catalan Christmas favors. More here.