One proposal for addressing too big to fail, or to systemically interconnected to fail, among financial institutions is to separate out the proprietary trading and other “casino” activities from the “utilities” business of commercial banking with the public. In some ways (not all) it is a revival of the Glass-Steagall approach. Paul Volker has urged […]
Archive | October, 2009
Going Rogue, Going Rouge
So here’s a cute little copyright (or trademark?) problem (or, depending on your viewpoint, an outrageous rip-off). According to Entertainment Weekly (and the Gateway Pundit) start-up publisher OR Books has announced plans to publish Going Rouge: Sarah Palin An American Nightmare, a collection of essays about the former Alaska governor with a title — and […]
Professor Volokh, Was Your Job Saved by the Stimulus?
Interesting article in the Financial Times (Thursday, October 22, 2009) by Sarah O’Connor, “Colleges confused over which jobs have been saved by the extra cash.” Marcia Smith, associate vice-chancellor for research administration at UCLA, who leads a UCLA administrative team handling its stimulus awards received guidance from the UC Office of the President saying she […]
Ninth Circuit Opinion in Washington State Referendum Signature Confidentiality Case Arrives:
This is the opinion the court promised last Thursday. I have to run, but I hope to blog more about this later tonight or tomorrow. UPDATE: D’oh! Forgot to post the link; just updated the post to include it.
Symposium on Freedom from Religion
Tomorrow, the University of Utah College of Law will host a symposium about Freedom from Religion. Based on Professor Amos N. Guiora’s new book, Freedom from Religion: Rights and National Security (Oxford University Press, 2009), this Symposium will explore the limits of tolerance of religious extremism in five countries and its impact on the current […]
Ayn Rand’s Contributions
Following up on Ilya’s post, I though I’d mention a couple of other contributions Rand made. First, and as is most evident in Atlas Shrugged, Rand turns Marxism on its head. While Marxists argue that “capitalists” make their profits on the backs of the working class, Rand illustrates that the working class, as such, makes […]
The Greg Craig Watch
The New York Times reports on the continuing speculation over whether White House Counsel Greg Craig is on the way out. As President Obama’s top lawyer, Mr. Craig has been at the center of thorny decisions on closing the prison at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, and revising interrogation and detention policies, problems that have bedeviled the […]
Renewable Power, Texas-Style
Does it take substantial governmental intervention to encourage the growth of renewable energy? It certainly takes some, as renewables remain more expensive than conventional energy sources, but how much? Last Sunday, the New York Times contrasted the efforts of California and Texas. Both states have renewable energy mandates, but energy development is heavily regulated in […]
Assessing Ayn Rand: “An Utterly Intolerant and Dogmatic Person Who Did a Great Deal of Good”
I was very interested to read historian Jennifer Burns’ important new biography of Ayn Rand in part because Rand and I have a great deal in common. We are both Russian Jews from St. Petersburg, both atheists, and – most important – both of us became libertarians in large part because of our experience with […]
Was She Lying Then, or Is She Lying Now?
From the Charleston Gazette: Seven people pleaded guilty for their part in abusing Megan Williams — but now Williams says that abuse never happened. She will hold a press conference Wednesday in Columbus, Ohio, to recant her claims of abuse, attorney Byron L. Potts, who represents Williams, told The Charleston Gazette on Tuesday night. “She […]
The Right to Bear Arms and 18-to-20-Year-Olds
A Fifth Circuit nonprecedential decision yesterday involved a challenge to the federal limits on 18-to-20-year-olds’ acquisition of handguns, but didn’t need to reach the Second Amendment question: Defendant-Appellant Cantrell Bledsoe appeals her conviction after pleading guilty to one count of conspiring to make knowing, false, material representations to a federally-licensed gun dealer, in violation of […]
Officer Questioning in a Traffic Stop
Here’s an interesting (and to my mind troubling) recent example of how few limits the Fourth Amendment presently imposes on officer questioning during traffic stops, at least as presently construed by lower courts. In United States v. Chaney, decided by the First Circuit last week, an officer pulled over a car because it had a […]
Read the Health Care Bill
It’s just over 1,500 pages. Have fun!
A Stolen Election in New York?
Election officials in Troy, New York have identified over three-dozen phony or fraudulent absentee ballots from the September 15 primary election, which may have been enough to swing the result. While I support voter ID requirements, this is further evidence that absentee ballots are a far more serious vulnerability in our election systems.
Treasury Inc.
Thanks again to Eugene and the rest of the folks in the Volokh community for the opportunity to discuss Treasury Inc.: How the Bailout Reshapes Corporate Theory and Practice. I have had a lot of fun this week. If you enjoyed these topics, look for the rest of the Treasury Inc. series next year, and […]