What’s New on AEI
Accurate weather information vs. inaccurate economic information before, during and after natural disasters
| AEIdeas
Everybody agrees that weather information before, during and after a natural disaster like Hurricane Dorian should be as accurate, truthful and precise as possible, free from any political influence. But those who support anti-price gouging laws inadvertently want economic information before, during and after a natural to be as inaccurate, untruthful and imprecise as possible, primarily for political purposes.
Black voters are no longer the furthest left flank of the Democratic Party
The most liberal flank of the Democratic Party is far whiter than it used to be, and decidedly to the left of many of the party’s blacks and other racial minorities on a wide range of issues.
Revisiting public opinion on the Kavanaugh confirmation battle
| Forbes
What has the fallout of the confirmation fight been? Voters in the 2018 network exit poll opposed his confirmation by 47 to 43 percent. But a “Kavanaugh effect” appeared to contribute to losses for several Democratic Senators who voted against him.
1619 and all that
| AEIdeas
In our current confusion, a deeper dive into the origins of the American experience is well warranted, but there’s much more to those origins than is dreamt of in the New York Times’ philosophy.
Trump and Biden have the same message: You may not like me, but you must vote for me
They’re giving voters an ultimatum rather than inspiration.
Faster! No wait, slower! An update on broadband speeds
| AEIdeas
Over the last decade, one of the chief arguments of those pushing greater regulation of US broadband networks was that America severely lagged behind the rest of the world on data speeds. But the Wall Street Journal reports that America’s internet speeds are in fact “blazing” fast, and the report contains many useful specifics.
An Argentine canary in the coal mine?
| AEIdeas
The Argentine government has announced that it intends to seek a US$100 billion government debt restructuring. This might be an early warning sign of what might happen in other corners of the global credit market where very risky loans have also been made.
Storing public records at home: James Comey is the dead-tree version of Hillary Clinton
James Comey in 2016 investigated Hillary Clinton for her violation of public records laws. After Donald Trump became president, Comey in 2017 apparently did the exact same thing — except with paper records rather than emails.
Why Democratic candidates risk Martin O’Malley’s fate
Anyone heard anything lately about Martin O’Malley? Four years ago the former Democratic official was busy out in Iowa running for president. Yet this year, like most of the Democratic candidates running, he got just about zero support.
If Trump causes a recession, how severe will it be?
President Trump’s destructive trade policies and volatile behavior could spark an economic recession that would be difficult to ameliorate with monetary or fiscal policy.
Trump is rude but right about the Fed
It was grossly unjust for President Trump to cast Federal Reserve chairman Jay Powell as an enemy of Americans, but the disconcerting truth is that on several of the issues that divide the two men, Trump has been right and Powell wrong.
Et tu, Financial Times? ‘State planning,’ Elizabeth Warren, and a ‘new approach to trade’
| AEIdeas
Recently, Warren rolled out her plan for a “new approach” to trade. While there certainly are novel concepts in Warren’s plan, there are also striking similarities to the policies of her nemesis, President Donald Trump.
The new hospital price disclosure rule is important, but only a first step
The administration’s proposal is a step in the right direction, but more steps are needed to make prices both transparent and understandable.
The EU’s failed innovation policy offers lessons for the US
| AEIdeas
European Commission president-elect Ursula von der Leyen is eager to bolster tech competition with the US and China, but EU innovation policies have failed for years. In fact, the EU’s past mistakes could provide useful lessons for lawmakers in the US.
Don’t give up on biosimilars — Congress can give them a boost
The opportunity offered by biosimilars is still unfolding. But the value they can offer is clear. Congress should take new steps to accelerate their adoption.
Of democrats and dictators
China’s rise will raise serious challenges to India’s commitment to democracy.
The squad and the speaker
This year’s fight between freshman members of Congress and the House leadership is the latest in a long series of such battles—but it also differs in important ways.
A market-oriented framework for reforming Medicare Part B drug payment
Reforms for Medicare Part B drug payments need to be balanced between encouraging development and ensuring affordability.
The Department of Education is not a national school board
A teacher who wants to influence education policy would be better advised to run for school board or for the state legislature than to go to Washington.
China’s take on trade
| AEIdeas
The bottom line is that the Chinese Communist Party views the current Sino-US trade tensions as an attempt by the US to slow Chinese growth. In response, the CCP’s strategy is to wait out the trade negotiations because it believes that US businesses and consumers cannot prosper without growing economic relations with Beijing.
1,000 days of continuing resolutions in 10 years
| AEI.org
Continuing resolutions negatively impact the military in three main ways.
Four tidbits on trade
| AEIdeas
The economics of Trump’s trade agenda are in fact, to a first approximation, fairly simple: impose taxes on imports and create non-tariff barriers to imports, which will block mutually beneficial transactions between Americans and foreigners and incentivize retrenchment from the global economy.
Who are the most alienated Americans?
| AEIdeas
There is no doubt about it: America has a loneliness epidemic. Millions of Americans suffer from strong feelings of alienation, and that number only seems to be increasing.
From the archives: Fed chair nominee Powell on housing finance reform
| AEIdeas
Federal Reserve Governor Jay Powell, just nominated by President Trump to be the next Fed Chairman, came to AEI this past July to stress that reform of the housing finance system is long past due.