Topic: Crisis

The Moralization of Covid-19

– May 19, 2021

“Ethan Yang interviews Dr. Maja Graso, a senior lecturer at the University of Otago. Dr. Graso was the lead researcher on a study published in the Journal of Experimental Social Physiology titled, “Moralization of Covid-19 health response: Asymmetry in tolerance for human costs” outlining how people’s perceptions of Covid-19 could alter their ability to make an objective cost-benefit analysis.” ~ AIER

Authoritarianism, Crisis, Government

Will 2020 Prove to Be the Beginning of the End of Modernity?

– May 17, 2021

“Abruptly starting 16 months ago, humanity was encouraged to hold in contempt – even to censor – the relative few persons who refused to abandon liberal sensibilities. Abruptly starting 16 months ago, there quite possibly began the end of liberal civilization.” ~ Donald J. Boudreaux

Central Banking, Crisis, Financial Markets

To Lean, Clean, or Reign Supreme

– May 16, 2021

“After a decade or more of economic and financial events that put central banks under heavy strain – financial collapse, a slow and timid recovery, the pandemic – strange things are again amiss in financial markets. Broda and Druckenmiller are right to say that ‘the Fed seems to be fighting the last battle.’ Ironically, so are they: we’re back in the lean-or-clean debate of twenty years ago.” ~ Joakim Book

Authoritarianism, Crisis, Government

Restricting Freedom Didn’t Defeat Covid

– May 15, 2021

“Even though freedom is its own wondrous virtue, panicky politicians erased it in 2020 on the supposition that personal and economic desperation was the best solution for a spreading virus. Historians will marvel at the abject stupidity of the political class in 2020.” ~ John Tamny

Authoritarianism, Crisis, Science

Canadian Doctors Are Being Censored

– May 13, 2021

“This move is fundamentally opposed to the values of liberal democracy which have now been jeopardized on a global scale. With the lights of an enlightened and modern civilization going out across the world, it would be fair to ask, will they ever be turned back on in our lifetime?” ~ Ethan Yang

Crisis, Government, Regulation

Regulatory Capture, Teacher Unions, and CDC Abuse

– May 12, 2021

“There is no doubt that this unprecedented and deviant child experiment has inflicted significant harm on its human subjects. Thus, while some might say that it is wrong to demonize public health officials, we say that their actions, especially as they relate to children, have been demonic. Regulatory capture of the CDC by teachers unions is a scandal of epic proportions.” ~ Donald S. Siegel & Robert M. Sauer

Authoritarianism, Crisis, Government

Big Brother Depends on Little Brothers

– May 12, 2021

“Resistance starts gently by recognizing our own mental processes that make us vulnerable to the current of conformist thought. With mental alertness we attune ourselves to spiritual strength. With self-study, we prepare for peaceful exchange of ideas with those currently choosing to be little brothers. There is still enough freedom in America that without the support of little brothers, Big Brother will find it has no power of its own.” ~ Barry Brownstein

Authoritarianism, Crisis, Science

Focused Protection Would Have Been the Right Pandemic Response

– May 11, 2021

“As the United States nears the hopeful end of its public health crisis, the mounting evidence domestically and abroad seems to suggest that harsh lockdown policies were not only overkill, they were counterproductive. In light of this information, it is increasingly apparent that a strategy of focused protection which respects the voluntary functions of society while taking reasonable steps to accommodate vulnerable populations would have been the most optimal pandemic response.” ~ Ethan Yang

Crisis, Government, Public Choice and Public Policy, Science

The Inevitable Yo-Yo Ride of Pandemic Fortresses

– May 10, 2021

“In a world where people suddenly ceased traveling it was inevitable that end stations should do comparatively well in every way except economically. Crediting their ‘success’ to government policies is a mistake. Instead, geography appears to be the dominant factor.” ~ Phillip W. Magness & Joakim Book

Authoritarianism, Crisis, Science

The Baby Bump that Wasn’t

– May 9, 2021

“Few people would willingly take on additional stressors during lockdowns, uncertainty and financial stress during Covid. Depriving expectant mothers of significant milestones, such as baby showers and gender reveal parties isolates them from supportive networks of friends and family essential to reducing stress and improving mood.” ~ Micha Gartz

Authoritarianism, Crisis, History

Is This Our 1914 Moment?

– May 5, 2021

“Last year’s government power-grabbing disasters could be the modern equivalent of 1914 – the war to end all wars, where ‘We’ll be back by Christmas’ is to be replaced by the ‘Two weeks to flatten curve,’ that unfathomably stretched into years or decades. It took Europe some 50 years to recover from that initial governmental blunder and in many ways it never did. Let’s hope that Trump and Biden are harmless Kennedys and not Herbert Henry Asquith, the British Prime Minister of 1914. I have my doubts.” ~ Joakim Book

Crisis, Government, Public Choice and Public Policy, Science

Imperial College Predicted Catastrophe in Every Country on Earth. Then the Models Failed.

– May 5, 2021

“Why is Ferguson, who has a long history of absurdly exaggerated modeling predictions, still viewed as a leading authority on pandemic forecasting? And why is the ICL team still advising governments around the world on how to deal with Covid-19 through its flawed modeling approach? In March 2020 ICL sold its credibility for future delivery. That future has arrived, and the results are not pretty.” ~ Phillip W. Magness