Donald J. Boudreau, American Institute for Economic Research, August 21, 2024.
excerpt:
This development is not surprising. No matter how clever and astute President Xi Jinping and his entourage are, they cannot perform miracles. If China does not have the comparative advantage to produce EVs at the scale that government officials desire, then directing resources to EV production on this scale is likely to backfire, as it is now. Yes If Beijing puts more resources into this industry, China will eventually need Relatively advantage The company is working on producing EVs, but given the current circumstances, this seems unlikely. good Beijing will indeed try to shore up China’s struggling EV makers with further subsidies and special protections — after all, the money Chinese government officials are spending is not their own, but money forcefully collected from Chinese taxpayers and consumers.
By Ryan Vaughn Cato of FreedomMay 16, 2024.
excerpt:
Fewer births mean a greater financial burden for pay-as-you-go welfare states, and many economists worry that a smaller population would mean fewer innovative ideas to spur economic growth. In response, pro-birth advocates have pushed for government maternity pay, tax cuts, and subsidies for childcare and other costs to make raising children more affordable.
The problem is that these policies usually produce only modest results. Nordic welfare states still suffer from below-replacement birth rates despite numerous “family-friendly” policies; childcare subsidies have not meaningfully changed this situation. Australia’s former maternity allowances, which amounted to thousands of pounds, only caused a temporary birth surge, and the country’s fertility rate is now back to around 1.6. The main effect of financial incentives seems to be to “retime” childbirth, with people who are already planning to have children doing so sooner in order to access the cash benefits.
DRH comments: This is an issue I have discussed. review Matt Yglesias’ 2020 book, 1 Billion AmericansHere are the relevant parts of my review:
The natural next step for any book arguing for mass immigration would be to argue that the United States should reduce the costs of raising children by admitting millions of immigrants, probably mostly women, from the poorest countries in Latin America like Guatemala and El Salvador, the poorest countries in Africa like Zimbabwe and Congo, and the poorest countries in Asia like India. It would not be difficult to admit, say, 50 million immigrants from these countries over a five-year period. The immigrants would benefit, and many current American families would also benefit from a dramatic drop in the cost of raising children.
But that’s not what Yglesias is arguing. He’s advocating, rather, for a massive new government program to support child care. “The United States is embarrassingly behind other comparable countries in providing child care,” he writes. But his best explanation of why U.S. policy is shameful is that other countries do it, so we should, too.
I further say review.
By C. Jarrett Dieterle reasonAugust 24, 2025.
excerpt:
It’s hard to argue against “transparency,” “common sense,” and “informed choices.” Labeling Obligations everytime The heaviest fall To The smallest company.
The concept of nutritional and ingredient labeling for alcoholic beverages was established by the TTB. Pre-approval system Regarding alcohol labels, alcohol producers must submit proposed labels to the authorities for approval. in front Before a product can go on the market, it must be approved — without approval there is no market access. This is in contrast to most food labels, which are enforced by the Food and Drug Administration. rear The product hits the market.
Not only are most craft breweries, distilleries and wineries small, local businesses, but much of their appeal lies in the ever-changing product offerings: Some of America’s most forward-thinking and popular microbreweries release multiple new beers every week or month. Seasonal Releases Availability varies by season.
Breweries often release products each year, such as a Christmas ale, that use the same basic set of spices but with slight variations or tweaks each year. Facing the Prospects Having to get new labels pre-approved every year is a time-consuming and costly burden that most small breweries cannot afford.
Who would have thought that we who live in America, the land of the free, would end up being trapped by central planning of beer labels?
By Joe Lancaster reasonAugust 23, 2024.
excerpt:
One of the nation’s largest automakers said this week it’s shifting its focus from battery-electric vehicles to hybrids that use some gasoline. Federal regulators may not be happy about this, but the decision to prioritize a transitional technology makes sense.
and:
Unfortunately, federal regulations adopted this year by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) could complicate the switch.
In March, the EPA Published rules This will reduce the number of new gasoline-powered cars on the road over the next decade. Under “stricter emissions standards” for consumer vehicles, the agency projects that by 2032, 56% of new cars on the road will be electric, and just 16% will be hybrids.
