Global Linkfest
Who won Iraq’s “decisive battle?”
In related news, the Iraqi PM said that Sadr will be barred from taking part in the “political process” unless he disbands his Mahdi Army militia. Doesn’t the poor bastard (Maliki, not Sadr) realize that being a part of the official political process in Iraq would be a demotion?
Will a Libertarian Party run by Bob Barr make a difference in the 2008 election?
China and New Zealand strike a trade deal.
An op-ed from Santiago, Chile, about trade with the U.S. By the way, the Jeep Liberty is still called a Cherokee in non-U.S. markets …
A German evaluation of the schizophrenic American voter.
The Moscow Times says the leading U.S. Presidential candidates are Russophobic.
Is the U.S. a failed state?
Why so many links from non-U.S. sources? This quote from one of FT’s “Expat Lives” columns sums it up:
One of the first things you discover about living in the US is that the rest of the world doesn’t exist much –
April 8th, 2008 at 1:27 pm
American voters are schizophrenic because they, as individuals, have no core-belief in what the role of government should be. Blame the education system, blame the media, blame plain ol’ willful ignorance…people don’t want to think too hard when they’re told they can have their cake and eat it too.
How many Americans have read either Bastiat or Marx?
The author of this article should also accept his fair share of blame for disseminating conventional wisdom that doesn’t hold water. The phrase “raising/cutting taxes”, used many times in this article, drives me absolutely insane. Does he mean “raising/cutting tax rates”or “raising/cutting tax revenues”? There is a big difference!
April 8th, 2008 at 1:41 pm
Ditto your point. An overarching political philosophy does wonders to simplify the debate.
Tax rates and tax receipts don’t tell the whole story, either. The proper way to measure aggregate tax burden is to use SPENDING as the numerator. Don’t forget to include all the local jurisdictions in that calculation!