Outside the Beltway

Philip Greenspun wonders, “How did the New York Times manage to spend $40 million on its pay wall?”

The American people have no idea what’s really in the Federal Budget, which makes any discussion about what to cut virtually impossible.

Since November, the Unemployment Rate has fallen a full percentage point, a sign that this is more than just a minor recovery.

A new study suggests that increases in the price of gasoline have very little impact on consumer behavior. If that’s true, it has serious implications for energy policy.

A new study finds that the robust growth of the financial sector in the United States in recent decades has come at the expense of entrepreneurship.

Customers at a Radio Shack in Montana have an opportunity to get a free gun if they switch to Dish Network.

GE made $14.2 billion in profits last year but paid zero corporate taxes to the United States Government. Legally.

Natural disasters in Japan have lessened the supply of pigments necessary to make black paint.

People and businesses are sitting on cash out of fear, creating a vicious cycle.

In less than two weeks, much of the content of The New York Times will go behind a paywall.

Bastiat vs. the Second Law of Thermodynamics

Can the massive destruction caused by the Japanese earthquake, tsunami, and nuclear meltdowns stimulate the economy?

NPR is a collection of local stations, not a single station. And it’s run that way.

We’ve been hearing about peak oil for years. But now some experts are warning of an even more serious crisis: Peak coffee.

We’re heading towards a future of higher food prices and more hunger.

As gas and oil prices rise, the pressure is increasing to tap into the Strategic Petroleum Reserve. It’s a dumb idea.

How to shave 40 percent off your grocery bill: Buy less meat!

Much like the buds starting to appear on the Cherry Blossom trees in Washington, D.C., February’s jobs report offers some signs of new life for the labor market.

At what point does the legitimate right to demonstrate cross the line into infringing on the rights of others?

Speaking before Congress yesterday, Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke debunked the assertion that the GOP’s relatively modest $61 billion spending cut package would significantly harm economic growth.

It’s not the size of your government that counts — it’s what you do with it that matters.

The privitization of Federal helium reserves is a textbook example of the damage to the nation that can be caused by imprudent budget cutting.

The most likely cuts in federal spending are likely to actually increase the deficit over time.

Moodys warns the the Republican plan to cut spending could cost the economy 700,000 jobs.

Whites make more money than non-whites throughout our food distribution system.

Google erects some much-needed defenses in the optimization arms race.

The Social Security “trust fund” may actually be worse than worthless.

The U.S. housing market is a long way from the glory days of the housing bubble, and that’s a good thing.

The continuing chaos in Libya could have a serious impact on the U.S. economy, especially if it spreads to other oil producing nations.

Federal laws designed to protect unions add yet another wrinkle to the Wisconsin standoff.

The Affordable Care Act has been ruled Constitutional in Holder v. Mead.