Bizzy’s AM Coffee Biz-Econ-Life Links (051706)

Free Links:

• John Stossel had a great discussion with BizzyBlog’s non-favorite reporter, The Washington Post’s Howard Kurtz, on pervasive newsroom bias in business coverage (transcript is here; HT The Manufacturers’ Blog). Here’s a bit of it:
  

  KURTZ: You say that the media are clueless, especially on science and economic matters. That sounds like a pretty sweeping indictment to me. Are all journalists clueless or just some journalists clueless?

  STOSSEL: I would say most journalists are clueless when it comes to science, and there this pride in the newsroom of not being able to do your expense account. We hear all these stories about record-high gas prices and this being so evil. I’d say journalists are hostile to capitalism and clueless about science and economics.

  KURTZ: OK. Now, you say that reporters go along with environmental activists and other activists who you more or less describe as scare mongers. How much of this is influenced by your views about government regulations? You’ve been critical of the regulatory bureaucracies. You said that you wouldn’t mind if the Food and Drug Administration just went away. So how much of this has to do with your own philosophy on these things?

  STOSSEL: From my years of consumer reporting I have concluded that almost all government regulation makes life worse, so, yes, I look at life with that spin. I have a point of view.

• The Communist Party isn’t dead in Russia — in fact, there’s a youth movement (HT “S.O.B.er” Interested-Participant).
• Memo to shouldn’t-be Ohio Governor Bob Taft — Honda has announced that they will build a 6th North American Plant, but hasn’t decided on the location. Indiana is already on it. Get to work, and maybe you won’t leave in total disgrace. Update: It looks like Ohio is in the running.
• There would be more if it weren’t for Sarbanes-Oxley — Ten IPOs were filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission last Friday, the highest number since March 2000.
• I am REALLY liking this guy — The Skeptical Optimist talks about the right way to leave our kids and grandkids having to pay trillions of dollars in taxes. We should grow our way into it.