Interesting blog bits

1. Seamus Hogan asks Oh Treasury, Why Hast Thou Forsaken Us? A good question given this statement: "Within existing constraints then, the best proxy for a progressive Pigouvian tax is an alcohol excise that equates to the net costs of the consumption of alcohol for society as a whole."
2. Eric Crampton on And further on price elasticity. Relative elasticities matter. Heavy drinkers are less price sensitive than moderate drinkers. Just don't tell Brian Easton.
3. Claude Barfield on Presidential leadership and trade. Six months into his presidency, Barack Obama has failed to grasp the nettle on trade and investment policy. Barfield argues Obama has been weak and indecisive in the face of deep divisions within the Democratic Party over international economic policy. His deference to Congress has resulted in poor policymaking.
4. BK Drinkwater on Murphy's Law And The Perception Of Media Bias. Bias is in the eye of the reader?
5. Willem Buiter asks Should Fed chairmen go around kissing babies? Central bank governors should serve one non-renewable term. An interesting idea.
6. Tyler Cowen has a few Sentences to ponder. "The collective optimization of individual driving routes by drivers using realtime traffic maps slows everyone down."