Rep. Campbell's Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Bill

Rep. John Capbell, a California Republican, has introduced what may well be the worst Republican-led bill of the current session. His proposal, H.R. 3125 (there's no short title) is a pre-funded bailout for California's state-run, currently privately funded California Earthquake Authority (CEA). …

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Written by Eli Lehrer on Friday October 7, 2011

Will Japan Crisis Hike Interest Rates?

In the aftermath of the recent earthquake, will Japan stop purchasing U.S. debt and instead focus on its own recovery? Japan is the second largest foreign holder of US debt after China. In the aftermath of the recent earthquake it is expected that Japan will likely stop purchasing US debt and …

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Written by Noah Kristula-Green on Sunday March 27, 2011

Japan's Economic Aftershocks

The quake that struck Japan could have serious consequences well into the summer as a damaged energy sector slows the nation's economy. This is Part 1 of a Two-Part Series on what the long-term consequences of the Japanese earthquake will be on America and Japan's economies. The aftershocks …

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Written by Noah Kristula-Green on Saturday March 26, 2011

Japan's Damaged Reactors: No Chernobyl

UPDATED: The quake-damaged reactors still haven't released enough radiation to harm the public, a testament to good design and emergency planning. "The first quality for a commander-in-chief is a cool head to receive a correct impression of things. He should not allow himself to be confused by …

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Written by Sean Linnane on Wednesday March 16, 2011

The Right Way to Defend Nuke Power

The accident in Japan shouldn't make us abandon nuclear energy. The nuke industry though is doing a poor job convincing the public. The tragedy in Japan has led to much criticism of nuclear energy (mostly by the left), attempts to defend it (mostly by the right), and a lot of confused and …

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Written by Charles Kozierok on Wednesday March 16, 2011

Counting Japan's Quake Dead

A huge tragedy has struck Japan. Yet, there are still reasons to be optimistic that the final death toll will not hit the projected 10,000 count. A huge tragedy has happened in Japan; the economic and cultural damages to the nation are immense. All that said, there’s a very good reason to be …

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Written by Eli Lehrer on Sunday March 13, 2011

The Fake Japanese Nuke Scare

An explosion at an earthquake damaged nuclear plant in Japan has raised fears of a nuclear incident. How worries should we be? An explosion at an earthquake damaged nuclear plant in Japan has raised fears of a nuclear incident. But how realistic are the fears? This dramatic headline blasts out …

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Written by Sean Linnane on Saturday March 12, 2011

Japan Prepared for Wrong Quake

While scientists in Japan had been predicting a large earthquake for years, they may have spent resources safe-guarding the wrong region. According to my father, who lives in Tokyo, you would only have noticed there was an earthquake in Tokyo the day before by the many people out on the streets …

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Written by Noah Kristula-Green on Saturday March 12, 2011

Tea Party: Disaster Readiness = Big Brother

Japan was able to properly prepare for a massive earthquake thanks to a proactive public sector. Would today’s conservatives oppose similar regs? Earlier today I wrote about how Japan was able to properly prepare for a massive earthquake due to strict building codes and a proactive public …

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Written by Noah Kristula-Green on Friday March 11, 2011

Japan's Remarkable Disaster Readiness

Only Japan could face an 8.9 scale quake and come out of it with only hundreds dead. When it comes to earthquake preparedness, the country sets the gold standard. I grew up in Japan from Kindergarten through high school, so when I learned about the earthquake that struck the country this morning, …

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Written by Noah Kristula-Green on Friday March 11, 2011

Japan's Quake: Assessing the Damage

The tsunami and earthquake that hit Japan appear to have done enormous damage, but many factors may have helped limit the final death toll. There's a lot that remains unknown about the tsunami and earthquake that appears to have done enormous damage in Japan. Three things that I'd keep in mind: …

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Written by Eli Lehrer on Friday March 11, 2011