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2 months ago | 
econlib.org | Pierre Lemieux |Scott Sumner |Tyler A. Watts
Prices on the real estate market in Los Angeles County confirm elementary economic theory. The economically illiterates seem surprised. See “Rent Rose by 10 Percent Across L.A. Country After Fires. That’s Illegal,” Washington Post, January 23, 2025.
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2 months ago | 
econlib.org | Scott Sumner |Tyler A. Watts |Pierre Lemieux
High food prices were a big problem for the Biden administration. It will be interesting to see if the problem reoccurs under the new administration. Here’s Bloomberg, discussing a recent crackdown on illegal aliens in Florida:
The law, SB1718, requires businesses to use a federal system called E-verify to confirm that every employee can work legally in the US — or face $1,000-a-day fines. On Jan.
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2 months ago | 
econlib.org | Tyler A. Watts |Pierre Lemieux |David Henderson
Until Joe Biden came along, conservatives rated Jimmy Carter as the worst US presidents in the post-WWII era. There are many reasons to criticize Carter’s record: high inflation combined with economic stagnation, weak foreign policy, and a general sense that America’s best days were behind us. Ronald Reagan crushed Carter in the 1980 election with a promise of American renewal—renewed prosperity, renewed strength, renewed optimism in the American Dream (sound familiar)?
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Dec 18, 2024 | 
chronicle-tribune.com | Tyler A. Watts
I reached a middle-age milestone this year: my oldest child got married and moved out — one down, three to go. My daughter and son-in-law, ages 19 and 21 and both employed, quickly learned about the payroll tax. Like the rest of us, they see 12.6 percent of every paycheck taken by the government and handed over to people like my upper-middle class parents, who definitely don’t need it. kAm%92E’D $@4:2= $64FC:EJ 7@C J@Fi 2 A6CG6CD:@?
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Dec 8, 2024 | 
lakeshowlife.com | Tyler A. Watts
The Los Angeles Lakers must make moves before the trade deadline. They have lost seven of their last nine and appear to be headed back into the Play-In Tournament. LeBron James is nearing the end of his career, and the Lakers must push now if they want to win another ring with King James. The rumors will certainly be heating up with Dec. 15 approaching. That is the first day players who signed new contracts in the offseason are eligible to be traded.
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Dec 8, 2024 | 
lakeshowlife.com | Tyler A. Watts
The Los Angeles Lakers have lost three straight and seven of their last nine to fall to 12-11 on the season. They are currently tenth in the Western Conference and clinging to the final Play-In Tournament berth. Head coach JJ Redick upgraded the offense, but fans knew this roster was not a title contender. The Lakers ran it back after finishing seventh in the West and desperately need an upgrade. Los Angeles cannot return more money than they send out in a trade, but they have contracts to move.
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Dec 6, 2024 | 
dailywire.com | Tyler A. Watts
In previous articles, we looked closely at two of the three main pillars to President-elect Trump’s supply-side economic growth agenda: Increasing energy production and cutting taxes. Now for the third and final pillar, regulatory reform. As anyone who’s ever taken a decent Principles of Economics course knows, prices are determined by the “market forces” of supply and demand.
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Dec 5, 2024 | 
dailywire.com | Tyler A. Watts
In a previous article, we looked at three policy areas ripe for large “positive supply shocks” and a rapid return of the U.S. economy to a high-growth, low-inflation situation: Energy production, tax cuts, and regulations. First, Americans could see a significant reduction in energy costs under Trump’s “drill, baby, drill” plan designed to unleash American “energy dominance.” Next, we turn to phase two of Trump’s supply-side suite, the tried-and-true tool of widespread tax reductions.
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Dec 4, 2024 | 
dailywire.com | Tyler A. Watts
The day after Donald Trump was confirmed the winner of the 2024 presidential election, the U.S. stock market took off like one of Elon Musk’s rockets. Major stock indices posted gains for the day ranging from 2.5% (S&P 500) to 6% (Russell 2000). The stock market is forward-looking, a mechanism for discounting expected future cash flows into present valuations of companies’ shares.
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Oct 31, 2024 | 
lakeshowlife.com | Tyler A. Watts
The Los Angeles Lakers won their first three games to start the 2024-25 season before dropping two straight. Their issues are bubbling up, including a lack of production from their second unit and Gabe Vincent struggling to find his role. New head coach JJ Redick has made several positive adjustments, but the team’s biggest issue may be D’Angelo Russell’s inconsistency.
