Milton Friedman makes the case for school choice and a voucher system:

Why can multi-national big business provide such value (not only lower prices, but improved availability of products, convenience, and, at times, quality)? In large part, it is a phenomenon called economies of scale. The larger a firm’s production volume is, the less input costs allocated to each individual unit. The local food model does not transport its food on semi’s or jetliners. Already, you have less space to store transported food. Put another way, each individual food item bears a greater cost of the fuel. Imagine a 1974 Chevy truck bed compared to a semi stuffed to the rafters. Now imagine organic strawberries in each. Which supply chain model do you think will deliver the lowest carbon emission per strawberry? Not to mention cost per unit. Here is a study debunking the food mile myth, with Kenyan green beans transported to the United Kingdom.

Steven Levitt and Stephen Dubner, authors of Superfreakonomics, discuss cheap solutions to global warming thatdon’t involve Cap and Trade. Ahh, a sensible solution, how blasphemous!

Tim Berners-Lee, the man most responsible for inventing the Internet (shockingly, it actually wasn’t Al Gore), discusses his concerns over net neutrality, Internet privacy and regulating the Internet. A very interesting discussion:

I’m about to tell you why non-ideological economists get so frustrated with global warming zealots (brace yourself): frankly, there are more pressing issues facing the world. I know, in the wake of NBC’s “Green Week” and Prius’ taking over the streets, it’s hard to believe. This isn’t to say that environmental preservation is not on the short list of world concerns. It is. And this isn’t to say that environmentalism is not a worthy cause. Again, it is. Unfortunately, some of the brightest minds in the world, who look at things from a perspective of costs and benefits, do not see the need for public tax dollars to be funneled vigorously into combating climate change. Just ask the Copenhagen Consensus.

Will the massive increase in money cause hyperinflation? I certainly think that high inflation will come when velocity picks up, however, YouTube user ramzpaul makes a good case that given the way our economy is set up, one thing we won’t have to worry about is hyperinflation. For the Austrians out there, it’s worth taking a listen to:

In terms of private sector experience, the cupboard is bare within President Obama’s Cabinet. Take the following graphic with a grain of salt. It came from a recent JP Morgan report in which I cannot vouch for the author’s research practices, or ideology. The author took all presidential administrations since 1900, looking at the private sector experience of 432 Cabinet secretaries whose activities touch most on the private sector. Here are the findings:

For any college football fan with a pulse, nobody needs to point out the inherent flaws of the BCS; but I will anyways because they are so mind-boggling and laughably entertaining.

Last seen discussing the 10 principles of economics, stand-up economist Yourman Bauman takes on the financial crisis:

The spirit of the season is upon us. With Black Friday and Cyber Monday at our backs, rounding out those holiday wish lists for loved ones will consume the collective American conscious. With all of these efforts brought about by the desire to bring a smile to someone’s face, the wonder and awe of the Christmas season is truly something to be thankful for. But as chestnuts are roasting on my open fire, peppermint snow mocha’s cease to leave my hand and mistletoe is strategically placed around my home, I would be remiss if I failed to do the right thing: confront the deadweight loss of Christmas.