It’s All About The Microfinance

Microfinance or microcredit is a pretty cool banking fad that has been growing in Asia and parts of Europe for a while now, going back to the early 80’s.  It has caught on much more after the “founder” of the concept Muhammad Yunus won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2006.  He started Grameen Bank in [...]

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Aloha Future

An all digital election in Honolulu did not go as planned apparently.  They had an 83% drop in voters!  The neighborhood board election drew 44,000 voters last year, but this year rang up only 7,300.  This was the United States’ first all-digital election, where people could vote by internet or phone.  Conventional wisdom would hold [...]

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Creditors & Debtors

One more post from me today.  I love political cartoons (and as always encourage you to check out my favorite, Cox & Forkum), and saw these two today (click on each for larger image):
The critique behind both of these obviously is that credit card companies are taking advantage and mistreating their clients.  While their practices can [...]

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Savings That Can Kill?

There has been much in the news lately over the Obama administrations proposed changes to CAFE legislation, raising the mpg standards on autos to 35 mpg from the current 27.5 mpg.  This provokes an interesting dilemma though.  The main way to reduce fuel consumption in autos is by making them lighter, and thus smaller.  I’m [...]

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Help Me Become A Socialist!

If you read this site, then you know the title is in jest.  However, I am putting a call out to recommendations of books, websites, or any other material that any CAI readers or authors would recommend as being powerful arguments for socialist or socialist-like policies.  The reason for this request is in anticipation of [...]

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Pro-Life?

Reader Josh pointed me to this gallup poll that shows for the first time since they began polling this question in 1995, that more Americans are pro-life then pro-choice.

You may know from some of my posts that I am fairly libertarian on drugs, same-sex marriage, and some other views. But on abortion my conservative [...]

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Silversun Pickups – Lazy Eye

For your viewing pleasure… hope it’s not too mainstream for all the CAI writers.  Can’t get enough of this band.

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Do Nothing – Get Paid!

Sounds like an ad on Facebook or something, but it’s actually the theme of a story by the Los Angeles Times about teachers in LA Unified that are “housed” – basically paid to do nothing while charges against them go through the system.
The main portion of the story details disabled teacher Matthew Kim, who gets [...]

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Years of Refusal after months of refusal

It took me a couple (nearly three) months to buy it, but I did, frankly because I’m in love with Morrissey.  Prior to Years of Refusal’s I heard “I’m Throwing My Arms Around Paris,” and was rather unimpressed.  I’ve been under the impression that Morrissey’s guitarist/musical director, Boz Boorer, has been rather booring (sic for [...]

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Adam Smith: Economic Moralist or High Priest of Mammon?

Interesting post over at Standpoint Online on Adam Smith…
John Maynard Keynes is high in the list of bestselling books now. Adam Smith is not quite as popular. The reason is not that books from the 18th century tend to be a demanding read: Keynes’s General Theory of Employment, Interest and Money, although from the 20th [...]

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