U.S. Auto Commuting Dips to Half Century Low

Bayarea_rail_transit_2021.png

The share of workers commuting to work by auto fell to 75.6%, according to the 2021 American Community Survey (ACS), the lowest level since before the 1970 census, which reported that 77.7% of commuting was by auto (Figure 1).  read more »

The Revenge of the Material Economy

the-ever-conquest-cargo-ship.jpg

America’s narrow escape last week from a major rail-worker strike brought home an important truth: people who make and ship real things – let’s call them material workers – now hold the whip hand over our supposedly ‘post-industrial’ economy.  read more »

The "Tottering Chicago?" Series - Part 2

wls-vacant-lots-chicago.jpg

Here’s part 2 in the “Tottering Chicago?” series. We’re moving on to the second question I raised after reading William Voegeli’s That Tottering Town  read more »

Subjects:

The Geography of Superentrepreneurs

worldmap-nations.png

What parts of the world have given rise to the most successful entrepreneurs? This is a question which is answered in the superentrepreneurs project. This project is about studying high-end entrepreneurship  read more »

Pandemic Reversal?

LABus-echo-park.jpg

A recent article in the San Jose Mercury-News reports that transit ridership in “car crazy” Los Angeles has exceeded ridership in the “transit mecca” of the San Francisco Bay Area, a “reversal that could remake California’s mass transit landscape.” This would be a lot more interesting if the writer hadn’t done the arithmetic wrong.  read more »

Our Sports Conferences Win the Money Game, But Will They Lose Our Hearts?

big-game-day-sign.jpg

It appears my alma mater will fall short of pre-season expectations in football. So I’ve pretty much already accepted the likelihood that the Wisconsin Badgers will disappoint their fans on the gridiron for at least the second year in a row.  read more »

Environmentalism is a Fundamentalist Religion

climate-fundamentalism-global.jpg

Today's climate activists resemble nothing so much as a religious movement, with carbon the new devil's spawn. The green movement is increasingly wedded to a kind of carbon fundamentalism that is not only not realistic but will reduce living standards in the West and around the world.  read more »

Ghana: Sub-Saharan Fertility Case Study

Flag_of_Ghana.png

Sub-Saharan Africa has grown quickly, at a rate about 1.5 times the rest of the world from 1960 to 2020. This has principally been the result of its higher fertility rates and increasing life expectancy.  read more »

The "Tottering Chicago?" Series - Part 1

chicago-skyline-in-the-background.jpg

Let me clearly state this up front. I’m doing something you won’t see very often. I’m writing a review of a book review. And providing an opinion of a book I haven’t read. Given what I’ve read in the review, I do not plan to read the book.  read more »

Is the Automobile Industry Being Mandated Toward a Death Spiral?

auto-assembly-line.jpg

Zero emissions at ANY COST seems to be the direction being mandated by governments and the Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) movements around the world  read more »