Wednesday, January 25, 2012

The Falklands And Other Dangerous Disputed Territories -- A Market Solution | Steve H. Hanke | Cato Institute: Commentary

The Falklands And Other Dangerous Disputed Territories -- A Market Solution | Steve H. Hanke | Cato Institute: Commentary: 'For the Falklands, the governments of the United Kingdom and Argentina would agree that those Falklanders who were qualified to vote would be allowed to do so in a referendum. The referendum would allow the settlers — who are English-speaking and English by custom, institutions and loyalties — to vote on whether they prefer the status quo, or whether they would agree ("yes") to an Argentine take-over. A super-majority "yes" vote, of say 80%, would be required by the Falklanders to allow Argentina to claim sovereignty.

This is where markets come in. The Falklanders would have to be compensated by Argentina. The referendum would be designed so that Argentina could offer a cash incentive. Before the referendum, Argentina would deposit an amount (let's say USD $500,000) in escrow, in Swiss bank accounts for every man, woman and child who had proven their Falklands residence prior to the referendum.

If the referendum went in Argentina's favor (over 80% of eligible voters casting a "yes" vote), then the funds in escrow would be transferred and Argentina's unambiguous sovereignty over the Falklands would be established. Argentina's cost, in this hypothetical, would be about USD $1.6 billion.'

The Great Renewable Energy Scam: Is There A Change in the Wind? | Patrick J. Michaels | Cato Institute: Commentary

The Great Renewable Energy Scam: Is There A Change in the Wind? | Patrick J. Michaels | Cato Institute: Commentary: 'Nor do RPSs allow for natural gas. There are massive quantities in shale formations around the country, and new horizontal drilling techniques are releasing so much of it that it is now the cheapest source of electrical power. If our environmentalist friends were at all serious about climate change, they would enthuse over it becaus. it produces significantly less carbon dioxide than an equivalent quantity of coal when used for power generation. Instead, they are horrified that cheap gas will destroy solar and wind.'

'One needs to look no further than ethanol as a motor fuel, mandated by the feds. Sold as “renewable” and reducing pernicious carbon dioxide emissions, it actually produces more in its life cycle than simply burning an equivalent amount of gasoline. It also—unconscionably—consumes 40% of U.S. corn production, and we are the by far the world’s largest producer of this important basic food.'

American, Dane rescued by US commandos inside Somalia - CSMonitor.com

American, Dane rescued by US commandos inside Somalia - CSMonitor.com: 'Obama’s warning that abductions of Americans abroad “would not be tolerated” sent a strong signal of future missions targeting Somali pirates should they seize more US citizens.'

That sounds like something our forces should be doing but it doesn't seem like that has happened very often so it seems weird to proclaim that.