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Parliament without a people

The elections for the European Parliament are at least as bizarre as the song contest. And just as nobody can remember last year’s Eurovision winners, the results of the EU elections are likely be forgotten soon after they are declared.

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Im Zweifel für die Freiheit

Was sich vielleicht zunächst nach einer naheliegenden Erweiterung der Idee des freiheitlichen Rechtsstaats anhört, entpuppt sich jedoch bei genauerer Betrachtung als Perversion desselben. Die Idee der Rechte zukünftiger Generationen oder einer nicht näher bestimmten Natur ist nämlich in Wahrheit inkompatibel mit Freiheit und Privatautonomie. Damit lässt sie sich auch nicht mit dem Gedanken der Menschenwürde verbinden. Ganz davon abgesehen spricht aus ihr ein tiefes Misstrauen gegenüber der Möglichkeit von Fortschritt durch Veränderung.

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Big government not so smart

Over the past 15 years, Australia enjoyed the benefits of having a comparatively small government, healthy public finances, and strong economic growth. Swan’s budget signifies a departure from all of this. The Treasurer is leading us towards big government, permanent deficits, high debt, and slow growth. As it turns out, this is the very opposite of smart government.

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Oh, joy, the rest of the year is in our pockets

Happy Tax Freedom Day! A tax is “a compulsory exaction of money by a public authority for public purposes, enforceable by law, and is not a payment for services rendered”. At least that is the way the High Court defined it way back in 1938. To put it simply: a tax is something you must pay to the government; what you get in return is another matter.

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Mit Vollgas in die Krise

Europas Industriepolitiker könnten auf einer Zeitreise nach Australien besichtigen, welchen Effekt eine Dauersubventionierung der Autoindustrie auf deren Wettbewerbsfähigkeit hat. Nach Jahrzehnten, in denen sie Autos aus der automobilen Steinzeit produziert haben, gibt es wohl zumindest für GM Holden kein Zurück in die Zukunft. Nur wer sagt es dem Premierminister?

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It’s not easy being green

As Kermit the Frog famously sang “It’s not easy being green”. Well, it certainly isn’t if you’re a politician. Green policies may be popular and they may even win you votes. But the flipside is that such policies usually come at a price to the consumer and the taxpayer. So the temptation for politicians is to find a way that will make them look green without actually hurting anyone.The Australian government’s policy towards the car industry is a good example.

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Taxpayers pay billions for Govt’s car trip

The Commonwealth’s car plan was built around three policy objectives: to strengthen Australia’s industrial base, help the environment, and support jobs. None of these arguments hold up to closer scrutiny. In fact, all that the Rudd Government’s car plan amounts to is an old-fashioned, protectionist industrial policy, neatly hidden behind a giant green smokescreen.

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An end to all lists

There is something irresistible about measuring things, especially when it comes to country comparisons and international rankings. Yet not all measurement is scientific, and not all statistics really broaden our understanding.

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Time to stand up to Detroit

It is time our politicians stand up to the highway robbers of General Motors and protect Australian taxpayers. And it would be far better to help Holden’s workers directly rather than handing out money to an American company on the brink of bankruptcy.

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Economy can kick a winner

Maybe our economists have only been reading the wrong parts of the newspapers. If they skipped the business sections and went straight to the sports news they would look into the future with a bit more optimism. At least that’s what economic research from Germany suggests.

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