American Consequences

P. J. O’Rourke

February 2019

Sympathy Versus Empathy

By P.J. O’Rourke There’s a difference between sympathy and empathy – the difference between understanding what others feel and feeling what they feel. Whether you’re sympathetic or empathetic can make a big difference in business. (And, of course...

February 2019

Learning to Love Our Emotions

Starting With ‘Greed’ and ‘Fear’ Letter from the Editor: Editor in Chief P.J. O’Rourke It’s an old Wall Street saying: “Markets are driven by greed and fear.” If so, markets are a sort of one-man full-court basketball game...

January 2019

Trade Routes

By P.J. O’Rourke The definition of a free-market trade: Each party gives something he or she values less in return for something he or she values more, and both parties benefit. This issue of American Consequences is (mostly) about those benefits...

January 2019

The Bet

How Julian Simon Revealed the Earth’s Most Valuable (and Abundant) Natural Resource… And How Paul Ehrlich Wanted to Get Rid of It By P.J. O’Rourke All trade depends on natural resources – the stuff with which goods are made and services are...

January 2019

The Real Meaning of Trade

Letter from the Editor: Editor in Chief P.J. O’Rourke It’s “International Trade” that gets all the headlines. We think, in our imaginations, that we could do without it – drive Buicks, use old Motorola flip phones, and own one T-shirt made in...

December 2018

Useless Christmas Trivia

That You May Find Pretty Useful By P.J. O’Rourke You’re having a great big old-fashioned family Christmas dinner? Good luck with that. I know the crowd. There’s Uncle Louie in a MAGA hat and “I’m With Her” Aunt Edna and their son “Feel the Bern” Lou...

December 2018

Santa-Tation

Out Clutter! Out Jumble! Out Smelly Old Trunks! On Clean-Up! On Sweep-Out! Away With the Junk! What if Santa Came for Grown-Ups? By P.J. O’Rourke Well, for one thing, he wouldn’t land on the roof! Do you know what roofs cost? We had ours re-shingled...

December 2018

My Christmas Wish

Letter from the Editor: Editor in Chief P.J. O’Rourke Of course, what we’re supposed to wish for is “Peace on earth, good will to men.” But that’s asking a lot. Requesting a footprint of the American chicken          flipping-the-bird+1 absolute end...

November 2018

Economic Collapse

What would I do in case of COMPLETE ECONOMIC COLLAPSE? UMM… Write something about it? By P.J. O’Rourke Maybe it’s a sign of the age we live in. I used to daydream about enormous wealth – champagne and caviar. Now I find myself daydreaming...