The 10th and Final Edition of Coronavirus Humor

I started sharing politically-themed coronavirus humor back in March and that’s now been a tradition for nine consecutive weekends (see here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, and here). This will be the final edition. We’ll start with a clever video from Kevin James. It could be entitled, Revenge of the Karens. Next we […]

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Coronavirus Humor

Continuing with an unfortunate tradition, here’s our eighth weekend collection of satire about the mix of public policy and coronavirus. We’ll start with one of Remy’s Reason videos, which are always worth watching. I wrote last year about superior education outcomes for home-schooled kids. Apparently there are other benefits to being away from government schools. […]

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Another Weekly Edition of Coronavirus Humor

As a policy wonk, I wish people would get excited about my columns about topics such as “tax depreciation” and “trade data” and my missives about issues such as “budget concepts” and “cost-benefit analysis.” Instead, I notice that my humor-oriented columns generate a lot more traffic, which is somewhat humbling since I’m not contributing anything. […]

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Coronavirus Humor, Part VII

For this seventh edition of coronavirus humor (previous versions here, here, here, here, here, and here), let’s start with a clever video from Reason. There are many reasons why the Founding Fathers are rolling in their graves. The coronavirus is merely the most-recent example. While law-abiding people are worried about crime and societal breakdown, it […]

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The Sixth Edition of Coronavirus Humor

Having written about serious and depressing coronavirus-related issues during the week, it’s time for some politically-themed coronavirus humor. Regular readers know that I’m a long-time proponent of this message for healthy thinking. Moreover, I think it’s safe to say that coronavirus won’t come close to killing as many people as the various strains of socialism. […]

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Coronavirus Humor

Time for the 5th edition of coronavirus humor (previous versions here, here, here, and here). Our first item is one that may me laugh out loud, perhaps because it also reminded me on another cameo appearance by Bill Clinton. Next, we have Bernie Sanders celebrating America’s coronavirus-inspired experiment with socialism. My friends on the left […]

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Coronavirus Humor

A new tradition (which I hope is very temporary) is sharing coronavirus humor every weekend. But not just random jokes about things like toilet paper hoarding. I’m only sharing humor that has some connection to politics or public policy. We’ll start with Bernie Sanders, who says that the Venezuela-ish conditions in some grocery stores don’t […]

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Coronavirus Humor

Until the crisis is over, I plan on sharing coronavirus-themed humor every weekend (previous versions here and here). We’ll start with a meme that actually does a very good job of capturing the reaction when economists explain that there’s a tradeoff between economic damage and lives saved. The Remy video at the bottom of this […]

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More Coronavirus Humor

I shared an initial collection of coronavirus-themed humor last weekend. Here’s a second round, though you’ll notice that I’m actually mocking politicians (a long-standing tradition) and simply using the coronavirus as an excuse. Remember Andrew Yang, the guy who ran for president promising every American a monthly check (a.k.a., universal basic income)? Well, somebody has […]

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Coronavirus Humor

I’ve addressed the public-policy implications of the coronavirus, both in general and looking at a couple of specific issues. Now it’s time for some Gallows Humor about the disease. We’ll start with this item that’s related to Wednesday’s column about gun ownership and the potential breakdown of civil order. For what it’s worth, there’s been […]

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Gun Control Humor

It was back in May when I last shared some satire about gun control, so let’s update the collection. We’ll start with this very important public service announcement about the horrible consequences of drinking and smoking during pregnancy. Next, we know that Texans have a gun-loving reputation, both nationally and internationally. Now they’re taking the […]

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Long-Run Policy Lessons from the Coronavirus Pandemic, Part I

Between March 2020 and January 2021, I authored a five-part series (see here, here, here, here, and here) on how big government hindered a quick and effective response to the coronavirus pandemic. In this discussion with Brad Polumbo, I summarize some of my key points. While I criticized the dismal performance of the FDA, CDC, and WHO, I […]

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Communism Humor

I mostly mock socialism, but its authoritarian cousin also is a good target for satire. So here are some additions to our collection of communism humor. I’m among the small minority of people who have never watched Game of Thrones, so I don’t know the backstory on these characters, but this meme has a very […]

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Coronavirus and the Failure of Big Government, Part V

I wrote a four-part series last year about coronavirus and big government (here, here, here, and here), so it goes without saying that the first two lines of this tweet deserve some sort of accuracy award for hitting the nail on the head. But the sentiment expressed in the last line of the tweet also […]

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Trump Humor, Part II

Yesterday’s column featured some anti-Trump humor. Today, in the interest of providing equal time, here’s some pro-Trump satire. We’ll start with this nightmare for left-wing parents. By the way, I raised my daughter correctly, though I now worry she’s drifting in the wrong direction. The satirists at the Babylon Bee report on anti-Trumpism in the […]

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Trump Humor and the Ninth Theorem of Government

I know pro-market people who plan on voting to re-elect Trump because they like his record on taxes or regulation. I also know pro-market people who plan on voting against Trump because they don’t like his record on spending or trade. I understand their motives. What baffles me, however, are people who have decided – […]

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Coronavirus and Gun Ownership

Back in March, I explained that the coronavirus pandemic showed why it’s so valuable for people to have the right of gun ownership. Let’s revisit the topic and we’ll start with the bad news. As illustrated by this Reason video, Senator Elizabeth Warren wants to exploit the crisis by imposing sweeping limits on our civil […]

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Coronavirus and the Failure of Big Government: A Closer Look at the CDC

I’ve written four columns (here, here, here, and here) on the general failure of government health bureaucracies to effectively respond to the coronavirus. The pattern was so pronounced that it even led me to unveil a Seventh Theorem of Government. I’m not surprised at this outcome, of course, given the poor overall track record of […]

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Gun Control Humor

Looking through my archives, I shared three column of gun control humor in 2019 (March, August, and December). So it’s definitely time to add some new items to our collection. We’ll start with a cartoon that shows how gun-control zealots would try to stop the coronavirus. And I’m sure it will work just as well […]

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Coronavirus and Price Gouging

Exactly one month ago, I wrote “A Primer on Price Gouging” to explain why government-mandated price controls are an unwise response when prices for certain goods climb after a disaster. Here’s a video from Johan Norberg on the topic. And here’s Professor Michael Munger from Duke University on the same issue. Those are both excellent […]

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Coronavirus, Economics, and Saving Lives

I’ve shared plenty of jokes about how America is getting a trial run of life under socialism thanks to the coronavirus. But, as discussed in this interview, there are some very serious issues relating to economic policy during a pandemic. I started the interview by stating that we’re in uncharted territory. And I openly acknowledge […]

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Coronavirus and the Failure of Big Government, Part IV

Over the past few weeks, I’ve shared headlines and tweets to illustrate how bureaucratic inefficiency and incompetence have hindered an effective response to the coronavirus. Time to beat that dead horse one more time. But not just for the sake of mocking the clowns in Washington. I want to help people understand that we would […]

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The Farewell-and-Good-Riddance Edition of Bernie Sanders Humor

Say goodbye to “Crazy Bernie.” The socialist senator from Vermont has ended his bid for the Democratic nomination. I have mixed feelings. Given his genuinely awful views about socialism, I’m glad there’s no risk Bernie Sanders will be in the White House next January. On the other hand, he deserves credit for being honest about […]

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Communism Humor

In recent weeks, I’ve mocked socialism, both as a general concept and as the ideology of Crazy Bernie. Today, let’s focus on communism, which is socialism’s authoritarian cousin. We’ll start with an unusual article from Babylon Bee, a must-read satire site. There’s nothing but a headline and an image. Though this story is only partly […]

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Trump and the Politics of Coronavirus

Notwithstanding dalliances in other fields, I’m a policy wonk. But I will pontificate (often incorrectly) on politics when asked, which is what happened in this interview about the electoral impact of the coronavirus. My basic point is that Trump is much better than the average Republican about “controlling the narrative.” In other words, he doesn’t […]

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Donald Trump Supports Massive Tax Increases on Middle-Class Americans, Part I

Copying some self-styled national conservatives, Donald Trump this week endorsed major tax increases on lower-income and middle-class Americans. But he embraced huge tax increases in an indirect fashion. He did not say “let’s adopt money-siphoning value-added taxes” like they have in Europe. Nor did he say “let’s impose very high income tax rates on ordinary […]

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European Fiscal Policy Week, Part V: The European Union, Centralization, and Redistribution

The European Union started as a good idea (unfettered free trade between member nations) and has morphed into a troubling idea (a super-state based on centralization, harmonization, and bureaucratization). And I fear it is heading further in the wrong direction since many European politicians want European-wide taxes and spending to facilitate more redistribution (on top […]

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Government Inefficiency, Captured in a Headline

Way back in 2009, in the early days of writing this column, I shared an image that aptly summarizes the bad things that happen when politicians interfere with economic liberty. The simple message is that more government is almost always the wrong answer. Wrong on taxes Wrong on money Wrong on trade Wrong on red […]

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Government Intervention Hurts the Poor

A big argument for free enterprise over statism is that the former delivers growth while the latter leads to stagnation. And that’s very apparent when you review decades of data. The case for capitalism is especially powerful if you care about what’s best for the disadvantaged. As the chart from Economic Freedom of the World illustrates, […]

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Biden’s Anemic Jobs Market

I’ve long argued that it’s generally better to focus on employment rather than unemployment when assessing the health of the job market, and I had a chance to pontificate on that topic for Labor Relations Radio. Sadly, labor force participation numbers weren’t good under Obama and they improved only marginally under Trump. And, as you […]

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