Author Archives: Josh Smith
“We Need You to Work on Saturday, So We Cut Your Pay”
[This post was originally written for my employer’s blog, Show-Me Daily.] In one of Christine Harbin’s recent posts here at Show-Me Daily, she made the point that having higher sales taxes or excise taxes is a boon for stores just across the state line. A commenter by the name of Dempster Holland cited this to … Continue reading
Tourney Report: Paris PTQ, St Louis *First*
So, I’ve been playing magic for quite a few years, but yesterday I won my first PTQ. I would like to write a proper tournament report, but my notes from the event are nonexistent and my memory is pretty bad. I do however have all of the cards, so this lets me at least recreate … Continue reading
At Long Last: The Payne-Stokes Debate Is Online
[This post was originally written for my employer’s blog, Show-Me Daily.] On Sept. 30 of this year, at Dressel’s Pub in the Central West End, a small crowd gathered to watch David Stokes and John Payne debate the topic “Are Libertarians and Conservatives Natural Allies?” Now this wonderful debate and its ensuing audience Q&A are … Continue reading
Wasting Green on Going Green
[This post was originally written for my employer’s blog, Show-Me Daily.] If you care about going green, you should care about internalizing the costs of pollution. If you care about sustainability, you should care about property rights. Why do I bring this up? According to an article over at the Post-Dispatch, Jefferson City has been … Continue reading
New Blog Feature: Random!
[This post was originally written for my employer’s blog, Show-Me Daily.] Whether you are a regular reader of Show-Me Daily, a sometimes visitor, or a first-time glancer, you can see that there are plenty of great posts right on the front page. But there’s also prolific content from our many authors going back all the … Continue reading
A Minor Point About Minimum Wage
[This post was originally written for my employer’s blog, Show-Me Daily.] The first job I ever got paid for was probably mowing lawns in the ’90s when I was a teen. Earning $10 per lawn sometimes didn’t seem worth it while pushing the mower in the sweltering heat — but I had a friend named … Continue reading
The Earnings Tax Is Still Bad, for All the Reasons We’ve Already Said
[This post was originally written for my employer’s blog, Show-Me Daily.] The Kansas City Star‘s website has a piece today by two Saint Louis University professors arguing against the repeal of the earnings taxes in St. Louis and Kansas City. The bulk of their commentary is intended to be a criticism of this 2006 study … Continue reading
The Scales of Justice
[This post was originally written for my employer’s blog, Show-Me Daily.] There’s an article on the Wall Street Journal‘s website about fishing rights in New England. It’s a very interesting case. It seems that a small-time commercial fisherman refuses to get the mandated fishing license, asserting that his right to fish the waterways is protected … Continue reading
Jailhouse Barack
[This post was originally written for my employer’s blog, Show-Me Daily.] According to an article over at the Springfield News-Leader, the Missouri prison population has inexplicably reached an all-time high. On a related note, I’d like to take this opportunity to commend President Barack Obama for scaling back the police state milieu slightly with his … Continue reading
High Time for a Change in Higher Education
[This post was originally written for my employer’s blog, Show-Me Daily.] Aristotle said that “Education is the best provision for old age,” and I believe that this insight applies to both of the common purposes for pursuing a college degree: investment in human capital and personal enrichment. This piece in the Post-Dispatch discusses the gap … Continue reading