Growing nanny-state food control

Last month, the UK government published the outline of a plan intended to address childhood obesity, as discussed in this CapX article by Christopher Snowdon. A summary of the actual proposal can be found here. Looks like another example of nanny-state government. What’s being proposed? Here is a summary of actual and proposed government actions: Sugar reduction: …

History of prosperity (2 of 2)

(This column is an edited repeat of one posted a year ago. I am reposting it because I have many new readers, and because this topic is important enough to repeat.) We have become tremendously more prosperous over the past two centuries, at least those who live in countries that have practiced free-market capitalism for …

The history of prosperity (1 of 2)

(This column is an edited repeat of one posted a year ago. I am reposting it because I have many new readers, and because this topic is important enough to repeat. This post will look at incomes and the next one will look at products.) I think one reason some people don’t appreciate free-market capitalism …

Are we in a new housing bubble?

Most readers probably remember the US housing bubble of the 2000s. The bubble burst starting in 2007, leading to a financial crisis and significant recession. Are we in another housing bubble now? Let’s take a look. Historical housing prices The graph below shows the median selling price of new homes from 1963 through May 2018. …