Monthly Archives: September 2013

How Bitcoin Is Blossoming in Germany

"'In our neighborhood there are a few dozens of bitcoin-accepting businesses by now and a bitcoin-based economic cycle starts to develop,' says Joerg Platzer, owner of Room77 and principal of the Crypto Economics Consulting Group in Berlin. 'I do not have to change the bitcoins we take in back into euro. I can pay my beer supplier, my printer and other goods and services with it already. We call it our 'alternative local currency with global reach.'' In Switzerland, Matonis says Bitcoin is being considered for a three-digit ISO currency code (XBT)—a code that most online currency conversion tools already utilize." Continue reading →

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Reid: ‘Anarchists have taken over’ in Congress

"Reid said Tea Party Republicans are preventing progress on an energy efficiency bill by offering amendments on ObamaCare and other unrelated issues. 'They’ve taken over the House and now they’ve taken over the Senate. People who don’t believe in government — and that’s what the Tea Party is all about — are winning, and that’s a shame.' Wait until Reid sees what it is like when the private property society advocates takeover and not just the anarchist-lite Tea Party-types. Then we start to get serious: no minimum wage laws, no taxes, no Department of Education or Enery, and an end to the Fed.....for starters." Continue reading →

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An American Energy Revolution

"In Texas these days, there’s a feeling of absolute and unwavering confidence in the concept of an American energy revolution. From the depths of reserves to the richness of the energy, an incredible transformation is taking place. We’ve been talking about the significant impact of the U.S.’s oil production for a while now, but the buzz about shale oil and gas is only getting louder. One area that’s driving this game-changing trend is located only hours from our headquarters. It’s the Permian Basin located in western Texas and southeastern New Mexico, covering an enormous area." Continue reading →

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The Green Energy Religion Meets the Real World

"It seems political leaders in Europe have figured out that there are consequences for allowing faith to substitute for markets when it comes to energy. 'We face a systemic industrial massacre,' said Antonio Tajani, the European industry commissioner. Mr Tajani warned that Europe's quixotic dash for renewables was pushing electricity costs to untenable levels, leaving Europe struggling to compete as America's shale revolution cuts US natural gas prices by 80pc. Never fear – they have a solution: print money." Continue reading →

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What You Don’t Know About Immigration Can Hurt You

"With respect to immigration, let’s allow anyone who wishes to move here with the provision that they are ineligible for tax-funded government benefits. Presto: armies of foreign-born 'net tax producers.' Keeping immigrants out will also cost us liberty as well as money. What invasions of privacy are we willing to countenance in order to prevent people from living and working here? We’re slowly and steadily crushing businesses under ever-heavier regulatory burdens. What will happen when we tell them 'here’s a new stack of immigration rules'? Immigration restrictions might be good populist politics, but they are lousy economics." Continue reading →

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The First Step to a Free Detroit: Let Them Work

"What might the ordinary people of Detroit achieve if all barriers to the free use of their labor were removed? What if taxes were eliminated, allowing workers to keep all of their pay? We could expect the early emergence of personal services, such as hairdressers, barbershops, cleaning services, home maintenance, babysitting, etc. If capital has confidence that it can be protected, then next we could expect to see small scale capital-intensive enterprises spring up, such as food vendors, private taxis, bodegas, and tobacco shops. If these are allowed to flourish, then we could expect to see larger capital intensive enterprises arise, such as small scale factories." Continue reading →

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Rooftop urban gardeners in Bangkok grow edible algae

"Three times a week, Patsakorn Thaveeuchukorn harvests the green algae in the barrels. 'The algae is growing so fast, normally the doubling time is around 24 hours,' said Patsakorn, whose employer EnerGaia uses Bangkok’s rooftops to grow spirulina. The empty space on top of Bangkok’s many skyscrapers provide suitable growing conditions for spirulina as the constant high temperatures and sunlight are ideal breeding conditions. The algae also helps combat carbon dioxide levels through photosynthesis, its champions say, and growing it in cities means it can reach consumers the same day it is harvested. The company says it is the only producer of fresh spirulina in the world." Continue reading →

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Thai doctor: “I’m not a slave to insurance companies or regulations…”

"People often presume that the medical care in the developed West is the best in the world. But over the years, it’s become a centralized, bureaucratic mess. In Thailand, private medical care is excellent, efficient, and tremendously cost effective. Many of the international hospitals are more like five-star hotels and luxury shopping malls. And there’s very little waiting. The quality of the care is also first rate. Many of the doctors were trained at western universities and fellowships. One of the physicians I met yesterday received her MD in Singapore, plus a Masters degree and PhD in her field at a top university in California, and then another fellowship at Harvard." Continue reading →

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Obamacare Regulations Are 8 Times Longer Than Gutenberg Bible

"The 109 final Obamacare rules that have been published in the Federal Register so far take up 10,516 pages in the register. These pages carry an average of about 1,000 words each. So, the final Obamacare regulations published so far amount to approximately 10,516,000 words. The Department of Health and Human Services filed the majority of the regulations. But other federal agencies that have filed final Obamacare regulations include the Department of Labor, the Internal Revenue Service, the Office of Personnel Management, the Food and Drug Administration, the Department of Defense, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Social Security Administration, and Veterans Affairs." Continue reading →

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Obamachow: Is National Food Insurance The Next Big Idea?

"John Goodman of Southern Methodist University, a leading voice for free market medicine, has asked us to imagine what our groceries stores would look like if they were run like the medical system. In this piece, we will take his observations and add some of our own. As you enter the store, note that there will be no prices posted. In addition, the price you pay will vary according to who you are and how you will pay. You’ll have to come in during office hours because the store will close on weekends and holidays. What you want probably won’t be on the shelf. You will be told to come back later. If you do find what you want, you will have to wait to pay, perhaps a long time, [..]" Continue reading →

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