Found anything interesting in your travels around the internets?   It's election year and there's bound to be stuff that is  "Hey, read this!" worthy.   So share!  This is an open thread.

My first and best economics "teacher", Henry Hazlitt, who wrote the classic "Economics in One Lesson" back in the 1940s graced the pages of the WSJ the other day with two very relevant paragraphs to explain bubbles. His entire book forms the foundation of how my brain perceives economic phenomena. The mind-numbing crap that passes for basic econ in high school and college textbooks and forms the popular conception of what economics  is all about came across my eyes after I read Hazlitt. 

As Obama looks forward with the prospects of facing Romney, his team is in search of some policy initiatives to build a campaign narrative around. Enter, the Buffett Rule. 

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/11/us/politics/obama-to-make-case-for-buffett-rule.html?partner=rss&emc=rss  

This is the kind of story that makes a libertarian like me sneer and chuckle with delight in the same story:

http://bastiat.mises.org/2012/04/the-gift-that-stops-giving/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+MisesBlog+%28Mises+Economics+Blog%29&utm_content=Google+Feedfetcher  

It's truly remarkable. Regardless of what your personal or ideological feelings are about ObamaCare's mandate and overall plan, there is no denying that the arguments among the Justices in this article:  http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5jVI-5FrT9rnC_jcuPxybOarMs47w?docId=00c0c0d18d914f6a80d3a6d43431c7c3  make it clear that "constitutional law" is not the point of debate between the factions.

Why can't they be mutually exclusive?? 

I saw a story that Occupy protesters were picketing outside the home of the CEO of Wells Fargo today. Little did I know that after I read the story, I'd actually almost think that the CEO ought to be picketing one of the protesters!

What caught my eye was the fact that the protester interviewed for a story in the San Francisco Business Times was protesting because she had been foreclosed on her second home:

Will put it back soon. Need to restore from backup.

Will put it back soon. 

I am not sure whether all polls should be taken at face value. I've been quite suspicious ever since I saw the ridiculous PPP national poll - 
Romney 23, Santorum 38, Gingrich 17, Paul 13  - from 2/11. It was not even close to the 2 other major national polls. Fox News from 2/10 has 
Romney 33, Santorum 23, Gingrich 22, Paul 15 , while Gallup Tracking has been in the field every day and on 2/12 is showing 
Romney 34, Santorum 27, Gingrich 16, Paul 8 .

Will put it back soon. 

Hello all! Hope everyone is well!

In a stroke of irony I have a post on my blog which considers whether Obama = Jimmy Carter.  Read the full story there .

So why is this ironic?  Because I personally have been arguing here that Obama = George W. Bush .  :)

Read the full analysis on my blog .

The highlights:

Cross posted from The Right Counterpoints - GoRight

This is yet another example of how the EPA under the Obama Administration has become an activist organization which is working against the interests of the United States.

A combination of Obama's energy policies which keep us dependent on foreign oil coupled with speculation over the unrest in the Middle East have caused gas prices to skyrocket to record highs.

EDITORIAL: Gas prices and the Gulf oil spill

Things aren't looking good, folks.

S&P Slashes Outlook on U.S. to 'Negative' Amid Soaring Debt

Sounding the alarm about the country’s deep fiscal problems, Standard & Poor’s on Monday downgraded its outlook on the U.S. credit rating to “negative," raising the likelihood the U.S. will lose its coveted 'AAA' rating as Washington struggles to fix its beleaguered balance sheet.

This is just totally hilarious.  Ever since taking office Obama, Mr. Hope and Change, has ended up vindicating everything ... and I mean literally EVERYTHING that George W. Bush did in the war on terror.  Here is just the latest example:

In abrupt reversal, 9/11 suspects to get Guantánamo military tribunals

http://content.usatoday.com/communities/ondeadline/post/2011/02/military...

Most of these people don't even know what they are celebrating for or really care or understand what they are getting in return. In time, the predictable, corrupt process will pit opposition factions against each other as they scramble and jockey to secure power on the backs of the rubes who just helped them create enough hysteria to get Mubarak down.