Conservative First » economy

II4Cons: Introduction to Economics

Sofie — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 21:18:41 +0000

Books:

Thomas Sowell, Basic Economics: A Common Sense Guide to the Economy, 3rd ed. (at Amazon.com)
Thomas Sowell, Economic Facts and Fallacies (at Amazon.com)
Thomas Sowell, Applied Economics: Thinking Beyond Stage One (at Amazon.com)
Thomas Sowell, On Classical Economics (at Amazon.com)
Henry Hazlitt, Economics in One Lesson: The Shortest and Surest Way to Understand Basic Economics (at Amazon.com)
Daniel Yergin and Joseph Stanislaw, The Commanding Heights: The Battle for the World Economy (at Amazon.com)
Adam Smith, The Wealth of Nations
Charles Wheelan, Naked Economics: Undressing the Dismal Science (at Amazon.com)
Todd Buchholz, New Ideas from Dead Economists: An Introduction to Modern Economic Thought (at Amazon.com)
Steven Landsburg, Armchair Economist: Economics & Everyday Life (at Amazon.com)
David Friedman, Hidden Order: The Economics of Everyday Life (at Amazon.com)
Tim Harford, The Undercover Economist (at Amazon.com)

Online Reference Works:

Educational Materials:

Websites:

Videos:

Organizations:

Bookmarks:

I’m also posting this information on the Information on Issues for Conservatives (II4Cons) wiki. Please let me know if there are resources I should add by commenting on this post or sending me a message on Twitter.

Perlmutter Watch 6-17-09

Sofie — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 13:09:18 +0000

In a press release dated yesterday, Rep. Perlmutter’s office issued his statement “on President Obama’s Regulatory Reform Plan”:

“President Obama’s regulatory reform plan is a step in the right direction. I have long called for regulatory reform to rein in Wall Street while easing the burden on Main Street. We need sound oversight of our financial institutions to strengthen our economy and prevent another economic meltdown. New financial regulatory reform is one piece of the puzzle in addition to a balanced energy policy and an improved healthcare system which will help put our economy back together.

“I will continue to push for appropriate standards, such as my proposal that addresses Mark-to-Market and implements a framework that has the flexibility to consider different types of assets and different types of market conditions. I look forward to working with my colleagues on the Financial Services Committee and the Obama Administration to find common-sense regulatory solutions to our economic crisis.”

It is government “oversight” (i.e., interference) that caused our current economic woes. We need less regulation of the free market–not more.

Rep. Perlmutter is right when he says that we need “an improved healthcare system,” but the only improvement the federal government could make in health care is to get out of it.

Videos: “Rush Limbaugh: Obama is Destroying the Economy”

Sofie — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 19:15:36 +0000

Videos of Rush’s monologue from June 8, 2009, on how Obama is destroying the economy:

EIBNetRocks’ YouTube Channel

Perlmutter Watch 5-29-09

Sofie — Fri, 29 May 2009 13:49:16 +0000

My Congressman, Ed Perlmutter (D-CO), has re-introduced his “GREEN Act [which] provides incentives to lenders and financial institutions to provide lower interest loans and other benefits to consumers, who build, buy or remodel their homes and businesses to improve their energy efficiency and use of alternative energy” (“Perlmutter Re-Introduces Green Resources for Energy Efficient Neighborhoods (GREEN) Act for Affordable Mortgages“).

Under which of powers that the Constitution gives to Congress does this fall? How much will it cost taxpayers? Why do we need to improve energy efficiency when we have access to plenty of oil in the United States?

If individuals and organizations want to “improve their energy efficiency and use of alternative energy,” I have no objection–as long as they pay for it and the federal government isn’t involved.

Perlmutter Watch 5-28-09

Sofie — Thu, 28 May 2009 20:12:46 +0000

Yesterday I received a mailing from my Congressman, Ed Perlmutter.

The cover has the following title:

CREATING JOBS AND INVESTING IN AMERICA

The recipient is then referred to “An Economic Recovery Update from Congressman Ed Perlmutter” inside, where he takes credit for “creating jobs [and] helping families” by

Housing Tax Credit – Ed voted to pass an $8,000 tax credit for first-time homebuyers. The National Association of Realtors projected the change would stimulate an additional 200,000 home sales.

Tackling Credit Cards – Ed voted to pass the Credit Cardholder’s Bill of Rights to protect consumers from bad practices used by many credit card companies, such as arbitrarily raising interest rates without notifying cardholders and puts a stop to excessive “over-the-limit” fees.

Middle-Class Tax Cut – As part of our recovery Ed voted to put more money into the pockets of hard working Americans through a smiple change in teh tax code. This bill provides a refundable tax credit of up to $400 for working individuals and $800 for married taxparyers filing joint returns through 2010.

Creating Jobs – Ed helped secure over $94 million for Colorado’s military construction and facility improvement projects. These funds have created jobs and are making much-needed improvements to Colorado’s military installations, including child development centers, upgrades to building facilities and energy conservation measures.

Accountability and Transparency – Ed sponsored a bill to establish a federal accounting board, designed to keep an eye on the regulatory structure. This board would oversee the application of Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) to the financial markets and establish safeguards to monitor accounting practices.

There is an attached survey with three questions:

1) The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act has started to take effect in our community. What else should Congress do to help the economy and our families?

__ Invest in green jobs to build a clearn energy future
__ Put Americans to work restoring transportaiton infrastructure
__ Modernize our health care system to lower costs and save lives
__ Change the way banks and other financial institutions
__ Other: [cut taxes and spending]

2) The economic downturn is affecting us all but often in different ways. What do you think could help your community the most?

__ Job Training Centers
__ Increased funding to schools
__ Foreclosure assistance
__ Tax cuts for small businesses
__ Other: [tax cuts for everyone and less government spending]

3) Ed, I’m concerned about the following issue(s) and could use your help: [increased government spending and its interference in the private sector]

The bold phrases in brackets are my responses.

I also want to know how much his actions–including the mailing–are costing me and how he can justify any of them under the limited powers granted to Congress in the Constitution.

Video: “Savior Based Economy”

Sofie — Tue, 10 Feb 2009 14:16:11 +0000

Video: “Savior Based Economy“

Video: “RNC Chairman Michael Steele Talks About The Economic Stimulus Plans”

Sofie — Sun, 08 Feb 2009 21:37:17 +0000

Video: “RNC Chairman Michael Steele Talks About The Economic Stimulus Plans“

Unanswered and Unanswerable Questions I Asked on Twitter This Week

Sofie — Sat, 07 Feb 2009 23:49:57 +0000

I guess most of the people who follow me on Twitter follow so many people that they don’t have a chance read all of my tweets. I was hoping for answers to some of these questions; others are rhetorical:

If liberals believe in evolution, why doesn’t the survival of the fittest apply in economic/financial situations?
How did the single mother with six children who had octuplets pay for the fertilization procedure and her medical care?
Don’t you think the liberals want us all on welfare? Isn’t that socialism?
Where in the Constitution does the Congress have the authority to be trying to influence the economy?
How could he [McCain] be what we (conservatives) wanted when he was selected by Democrats, independents, and the media?
Do any of them [Republican Senators] know how to really filibuster–as Jimmy Stewart did in Mr. Smith Goes to Washington?
Can Steele tell Republican senators that if they vote for the porkulus bill, they won’t get any money from the RNC in the future?
If the porkulus bill passes the Senate, doesn’t a joint committee have to reconcile differences, then the houses revote?

I’d still like answers to the second, sixth, and seventh questions.

Video: “‘I Object!’ Inhofe Says Americans Deserve a Vote on Second Half of $700B Bailout”

Sofie — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 15:22:08 +0000