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The Ricochet Podcast

Addressing the Elephant in the Room

Episode length: 55m

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Conservatism and the Republican Party have been at an impasse for some time. On the one hand, we're beholden to the enduring principles of our founding, on the other we're proud members of the world's most innovative state. Henry Olsen joins Steve and James this week to discuss life at the conservative crossroads. (Check out his new podcast series of the same name here!)

Plus, Lileks and Hayward celebrate the EPA's move to drop the greenhouse gas "endangerment finding," and mark the departure of a friend of Ricochet. Rest in peace, John Ekdahl.

Hosted by James Lileks and Steve Hayward, with guest Henry Olsen

Discussion (21)

  • RufusRJones@RufusRJones
    There is only one theory that makes property taxes make sense. The money you are spending increases the value or at least stabilizes the value of your house. Police, fire, ambulance, roads. These are actual "public goods" (look it up) that would be silly to privatize. Government schools are patently a bad idea. They aren't public goods. Take those taxes from the homes and give a check to the parents. Furthermore, that's even bad because more expensive neighborhoods end up with better schools, so they should do something else. All of this is obvious.
  • RufusRJones@RufusRJones

    Trading with the Chinese communist mafia was the dumbest thing this country ever did. You can import deflation from anybody else. Oh, but then we run over it with inflation and then complain about the social problems caused by it.

    The Ludwig von Mises Institute Is Right About Everything™

  • Full Size Tabby@FullSizeTabby

    Taxes (and increased taxes) often sound like a fine idea when people think only someone else will be paying them. The "rich" guy (always someone richer than I am). The business owner over there. The guy who owns the big apartment building down the street.

    More government spending sounds great as long as someone else will be paying for it.

    To find out what level of government spending the public is really willing to support, divide the total cost of government by the number of residents in the jurisdiction, and send every single resident a bill for that amount of money. If a lot of people are horrified by how much those per person bills are, then the people don't really support that much government spending.

  • Miffed White Male@MiffedWhiteMale
    ReplyingtoFull Size Tabby

    Full Size Tabby (View Comment):

    Taxes (and increased taxes) often sound like a fine idea when people think only someone else will be paying them. The “rich” guy (always someone richer than I am). The business owner over there. The guy who owns the big apartment building down the street.

    More government spending sounds great as long as someone else will be paying for it.

    To find out what level of government spending the public is really willing to support, divide the total cost of government by the number of residents in the jurisdiction, and send every single resident a bill for that amount of money. If a lot of people are horrified by how much those per person bills are, then the people don’t really support that much government spending.

    Incorrect. They do in fact support that much government spending. They just don't support that much government taxation (of themselves).

  • MikeDoherty@MikeDoherty

    On raising taxes, I would agree with Henry Olsen if the extra money at the federal level went to reduce the debt. I subscribe to the Ferguson's Law that a country that spends more on debt than it's military is a declining power.

    Now to the claim that the volume on commercials vis-a-vis the show is fixed: better, but not fixed, as I understand the term fixed.

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