Author Archive | David Bernstein

I just returned from a week in Israel, and have the following observations and notes: (1) Israel is thriving. Security at restaurants, shopping malls, et al., has been tremendously relaxed since I first starting traveling there regularly in 2003, new building projects are going up everywhere in the Tel Aviv area (where Israel’s population is […]

In January 2006, I wrote: If Hamas turns out to be unwilling to turn itself into a non-terrorist movement that Israel can reasonably deal with, Israel will have no choice but to absolutely destroy the Palestinian government. If that’s what happens, the international community may need to rethink the whole idea of a sovereign Palestinian […]

Princeton University Press has just published GMU economist (and my friend) Bryan Caplan’s book, The Myth of the Rational Voter: Why Democracies Choose Bad Policies. I haven’t see the book yet, but I’ve read several of Bryan’s articles on the subject, which are absolutely fascinating. I’m ordering my copy today. UPDATE: Tyler Cowen writes that […]

A realtor has a few lines to “sell” a house in North Arlington, listed for $759,000, and chooses to include the following information: “New, new, new! Enjoy exposed brick in the stairwell, and recessed lighting, 5″- 8″ wide hw floors, and crown and chair molding on the main floor. Relax in the 12×25 family room/home […]

In recent weeks, a number of prominent professor-bloggers have criticized the tenure system, including Bryan Caplan, Freakonomics author Steve Levitt, Brian Tamanaha, and our own David Bernstein. These writers all point out that tenure protects shirkers and mediocre scholars. I would add that it also protects professors who are bad teachers or mistreat students in […]

Inside Higher Ed says “maybe” (hat tip: Instapundit). Given that I don’t think the ABA should be in the accreditation business to begin with (at least not to the extent that government relies on such accreditation to decide who gets to take the bar, and who gets student loan funding), a fortiori I’m against the […]

My colleague Michael Krauss has an excellent column in the Wall Street Journal on federalism and tort reform (subscription-free excerpt available here). Currently, states with unusually stringent tort liability rules can impose them even on products that their residents purchased out of state. As Michael explains: A manufacturer might want to charge higher prices in […]

Prime Minister Olmert of Israel was reported yesterday to have a 3% (not a typo!) approval rating, and that was before the release of an official report today concluding that Olmert was guilty of “serious failure” in his conduct of last Summer’s war in Lebanon. What’s especially remarkable about Olmert’s low approval rating is that […]

Sandy Koufax, age 71, has been drafted by a major league baseball team. Okay, the league is in Israel (not exactly a baseball hotbed) and it seems more like a publicity stunt than anything else. But if Koufax, who famously declined to pitch in a World Series game that fell on Yom Kippur, wants to […]

Orin linked the article, but he failed to highlight the truly scandalous nature of the hiring process, as reported by our diligent scribes: According to a former deputy chief in the civil rights division, one honors hire was a University of Mississippi law school graduate who had been a clerk for U.S. District Judge Charles […]

It has been great having Steven Landsburg here this week. In fact, as I sat in my hearing this morning, I couldn’t help but think how the composition of the committee and the types of questions and concerns might be different if Landsburg’s electoral reforms were adopted. His post today on FDA and pharmaceutical stocks […]

Today I will be testifying before the United States House of Representatives, Financial Services Committee, Subcommittee on Financial Institutions and Consumer Credit, hearing on “Credit Card Practices: Current Consumer and Regulatory Issues.” For journalists and others who may be interested, an electronic copy of my testimony, which contains all of the relevant Figures (which are […]

Josh Stulman, the student whose “Portrait of Terror” art exhibit was censored last Spring (as blogged in detail here), is suing Penn State for violating his First Amendment rights. The lawsuit asks that the university host the exhibit at its cost. Stulman is also suing Prof. Charles Garoian, the professor who, after proclaiming his opposition […]

During the war in Lebanon last year, Ilya wrote a post to the effect that those on the Left who support a two-state solution and territorial compromise on Israel’s part should support Israel in its war, and not demand an immediate ceasefire. After all, Israel withdrew to the internationally recognized boundary with Lebanon, and still […]

Trial consultant Adrienne Lefevre, writing in the ABA’s Products Liability Newsletter: Jurors, like sporting event spectators, look to pick, and then root, for a side. When jurors have no allegiance to either side, many rely on the story behind the parties to motivate them to commit to a “team.” An effective story should incorporate simple […]