http://www.politonomist.com ƒ(supply, demand) Tue, 08 Nov 2011 08:09:30 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en The countdown is on until the United States defaults on its national debt. Just 11 days remain before the deadline to raise the debt ceiling for the country. If it is not raised the United States will be forced to default on its $14 trillion deficit on the August 2nd ... http://www.politonomist.com/the-countdown-is-on-002658/ There is an odd contrast between the idea that some laws are considered jus cogens, and the apparently voluntary nature of international law. If a law is considered jus cogens it means that it cannot be violated anywhere in the world, no matter what the laws of a country may ... http://www.politonomist.com/international-voluntarism-vs-jus-cogens-002623/ There has been a sharp change in the nature of Canadian politics over the last few years. Canada’s political scene has been typified by a politeness and respect not found in many other developed nations. It was a cross between Britain without the heckling in parliament and America without the ... http://www.politonomist.com/canada-the-new-america-002604/ *All costs are in Canadian dollars and reflect rates in Canada. If stripped down to simply an economic concern, the argument for decriminalization and legalization of marijuana and other narcotics is rather compelling. The costs inherent in criminalization of drugs are vast and not fully comprehended. They have become hidden parts ... http://www.politonomist.com/the-economic-argument-for-legalization-002525/ Before one can decide whether or not making certain drugs illegal is an appropriate course of action, one must consider the principle question behind it: can government tell citizens what they can and cannot do as long as their actions do not impinge on the rights of other citizens? On ... http://www.politonomist.com/the-philosophical-argument-against-prohibition-002554/ The Canadian government has been experimenting with different laws prohibiting drugs since 1908. As more drugs came to the attention of authorities, laws were modified to deal with their impact, real and imagined, on Canadian society. While at first there were laws on specific types of drugs such as opium, ... http://www.politonomist.com/history-of-drug-prohibition-in-canada-002550/ When elections come around people want to elect candidates whose ideals directly reflect their own. One of the ways candidates try to signify their beliefs is through the name of the party they are affiliated with. They hope that by labelling themselves a Liberal or Conservative that they will win ... http://www.politonomist.com/how-political-party-names-can-be-misleading-002511/ Many developing nations in the Global South have issues being able to break the cycle of poverty and dependence on foreign aid. No country has had a harder time with this than the Caribbean nation of Haiti. Once the most prosperous French colony, Haiti has had a history of totalitarianism, ... http://www.politonomist.com/the-economics-of-aid-haiti-002472/ Turkey has been flirting with European integration since it applied to be part of the European Economic Community in 1959. Despite applying to join the European Union in 1987 and not beginning its formal application process until 2005, Turkey is no where near close to being admitted to the EU ... http://www.politonomist.com/will-turkey-ever-join-the-eu-002475/ The nationalization of two of North America's largest automotive companies may have many sociopolitical effects, the extent of which is not yet known. Of course, this is not strictly what is happening: the U.S. and Canadian governments are intervening simply to keep the companies alive, and mandating a new business ... http://www.politonomist.com/the-politicking-of-general-motors-002261/ Gold as an investment. The price of gold is moving, and it's moving fast; the last decade of political and economic instability, and a social superstructure that has fostered a climate of uncertainty and unknown responsibility has created a speculative skyrocketing of gold prices. It seems reasonable to conclude that ... http://www.politonomist.com/the-buying-power-of-gold-002038/ Barack Obama has not lived up to his promises — claims of change and credibility were seemingly just shows of charisma and ego. From claims of restoring confidence in government to discussion of balanced budgets, accountability and general reform; it seems clear only now that none of this is likely ... http://www.politonomist.com/lies-of-obama-credibility-or-charisma-001686/ In a candid interview with Wall Street Confidential, Jim Cramer host of CNBC's Mad Money spoke actively about decisions he made while managing his hedge fund — from things explicitly illegal, that he simply claims are easy to achieve because the "SEC doesn't understand," to things which are not entirely ... http://www.politonomist.com/jim-cramers-financial-fraud-expose-001667/ It seems axiomatic that crime is a social problem; that we should be aiming for a complete reduction — it also seems self-evident to any economist that this is simply false. Of course, in saying this, I'm more saying that there is a nonzero optimal amount of 'everything,' whether this ... http://www.politonomist.com/the-nonzero-optimal-amount-of-theft-00255/ In an interesting change during the regional elections in Spain on March 1st, the Basque Nationalist Party (PNV) lost it's 29 year hold on the parliament in the Basque Autonomous Community. Approximately 1.7 million Basques of the 2.1 million living in the region are eligible to vote. The new government ... http://www.politonomist.com/the-decline-of-basque-nationalism-001558/