I don’t think it is a great idea to use historical parallels as a guide to present day actions. Just because things played out a particular way back then there’s no reason they should do so again in the same way. And worse than that, historical parallels can be very bad guides to action. For example, the British Prime Minister Anthony Eden described Egyptian president Nasser as another Hitler to justify invading Egypt to take control of the Suez canal.

Continue reading Trump Isn’t Hitler. He Is Augustus. And That Is Nearly As Bad

There is no particular consensus on who was responsible for the current financial crisis.  Credit was definitely involved somewhere along the way.  But was it the people who lent it, borrowed it or regulated it who are culpable?  Nobody seems to know, though some people have some pretty strong opinions.  But there is one group of people who would seem to be in the clear.  Organised Labour don’t advance loans, issue credit ratings or set the rules for banking operations.  So whatever else you think about your local union, you have to at least concede they didn’t wreck either Wall Street or the EU.

Continue reading Wisconsin and the Gracchi