Ben Atkinson, PhD

When did rock stars tell artists to stay out of politics? In a recent ramble, Kiss bassist Gene Simmons reflected a strange demand for art to remain separate from politics. Read more here.

“Should Jimi Hendrix have avoided playing his scorching excoriation of US foreign policy in his blistering Star Spangled Banner at Woodstock? Perhaps The Beatles should have skipped their subversive ‘rattle your jewellery’ dig at the British class system...” faroutmagazine.co.uk/when-did-roc...

a cartoon character from bob 's burgers is wearing a pink cat hat and making a funny face . ALT: a cartoon character from bob 's burgers is wearing a pink cat hat and making a funny face .

I mean, who would want to take public transit when it is dangerous to drive?

Theo Moudakis: Airport expansion Click here to view this article from www.thestar.com.

Theo Moudakis: Airport expansion www.thestar.com/opinion/edit...

Every Friday the 13th Movie Ranked by How Often It’s Used as an ICE Training Video Slasher fans rejoice! Friday the 13th is upon us, that special day of the year (or two, or sometimes three when we’re... Get the full story

Every Friday the 13th Movie Ranked by How Often It’s Used as an ICE Training Video thehardtimes.net/uncategorize...

My Goals and Inspirations When Teaching Economics, and Also When Writing Articles for This Newsletter Later this morning, I will begin tutoring a new student, and preparing for it got me to thinking about why I love to teach so much, as well as the teachers who inspired me when I was their student.

Later this morning, I will begin tutoring a new student, and preparing for it got me to thinking about why I love to teach so much, as well as the teachers who inspired me when I was their student. wallsandbridges.substack.com/p/my-goals-a...

StatGPT: The Dangers of Asking AI about Statistics - Conversable Economist Asking a question of the generative AI tools often produces a reasonable first draft of the desired output. Sure, it may have some inaccuracies and even hallucinations, but first drafts are always imp...

StatGPT: The Dangers of Asking AI about Statistics conversableeconomist.com/2026/03/13/s...

Governments Should Take Advantage of Rising Gas Prices by Making Cleaner Alternatives More Accessible and Attractive An extension of my article from March 7

The purpose of my article today is to add to what I wrote on Sunday, particularly as it relates to governments’ roles in easing transition costs of consumers to cleaner alternatives to personal vehicles. wallsandbridges.substack.com/p/government...

Braid: First Nations fury over separatism sends leaders to Buckingham Palace The visit of First Nations chiefs to King Charles III show how fearful they are of Alberta's separatist climate, writes columnist Don Braid.

Don Braid: “This devotion to section 35 was mentioned several times, both by Smith and Sawhney.

“But the First Nations don’t believe the government, for good reason."

...

“Wounded and angry, chiefs looked for somebody to trust.

“They went to see the king.” calgaryherald.com/opinion/colu...

Varcoe: 'We haven't seen anything yet' — Volatile oil markets, escalating conflict, meet Alberta's royalty roller-coaster As oil production in the province continues to set new records, the revenue swings are amplified for the Alberta treasury.

The comments by Dr. Tombe quoted in this article are what inspired my Walls and Bridges article on Wednesday. calgaryherald.com/opinion/colu...

ANALYSIS: Toronto has bigger issues than the island airport | TVO Today The city needs to address housing, transit, and homelessness. The premier is focused on convention centres and jets.

“Thinking that you’re going to save Toronto’s economy by building a massive multi-part temple to business-class travel is a tragic case of the premier and his government putting the cart before the horse. But sometimes, I guess, the cart is all you want.” www.tvo.org/article/anal...

Enmax open to mayor's call for it to run Calgary's water system | CBC News The utility wasn't as warm to Jeromy Farkas's idea that it sell a U.S. power company to help cut Calgary rates.

Jason Markusoff: “Councillors are split on Mayor Jeromy Farkas’s pitch to let Enmax take over Calgary’s beleaguered water system, but the city-owned power utility itself said it’s ‘well positioned’ to run another service.” www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...

Theo Moudakis: A really small caucus Click here to view this article from www.thestar.com.

After the 1993 federal election, Jean Charest was on the Royal Canadian Air Farce New Year’s Eve special where he joked that he and Elsie Wayne held their PC caucus meetings in a phone booth. I did not think it could get worse! :-) www.thestar.com/opinion/edit...

Live Nation employee mocks customers in internal Slack messages released in court case Over two dozen U.S. states are weighing whether to continue antitrust trial against Ticketmaster’s parent company

This one is *not* satirical. www.theglobeandmail.com/business/int...

Carney eyes Bloc MP to complete his collection OTTAWA – Prime Minister Mark Carney was spotted in the halls of Parliament checking out passing Bloc Quebecois MP Patrick Bonin as the missing piece to complete his collection of MPs from major partie...

"OTTAWA – Prime Minister Mark Carney was spotted in the halls of Parliament checking out passing Bloc Quebecois MP Patrick Bonin as the missing piece to complete his collection of MPs from major parties." www.thebeaverton.com/2026/03/carn...

Live Nation restricts ticket buying and selling exclusively to bots NEW YORK - Following Live Nation's settlement in an antitrust case over unfair ticket prices, the multinational entertainment company has announced that ticket buying and selling will now be restricte...

It would not surprise me if it was true. www.thebeaverton.com/2026/03/live...

Climate Change, Food Insecurity, and Generally Helping People in Need Includes suggestions for how we can help those in need, whether they be unhoused, housed but food-insecure, or in need of assistance for other reasons such as domestic abuse or substance abuse.

Includes suggestions for how we can help those in need, whether they be unhoused, housed but food-insecure, or in need of assistance for other reasons such as domestic abuse or substance abuse. wallsandbridges.substack.com/p/climate-ch...

ANALYSIS: Can anything solve Ontario’s homelessness crisis? | TVO Today A new report says homelessness is only set to worsen.

John Michael McGrath: “The persistence of homelessness in wealthy countries is a policy choice...

“And according to a new report from one of the province’s budgetary watchdogs, it’s going to get worse.” www.tvo.org/article/anal...

Breakenridge: Premier blows through fiscal policies; says Calgarians wanted increased spending The UCP pose as fiscal conservatives railing against consumption taxes, then crank up spending, blowing through its own fiscal framework.

“The UCP pose as fiscal conservatives... Then...cranks up spending... onus is on...selfish and heartless critics to come up with an itemized list of spending cuts, as though there’s zero accountability for a government that keeps taxes low and spending high.” calgaryherald.com/opinion/colu...

NDP MP Lori Idlout crosses to Liberals, nudging Carney closer to majority Liberals now have 170 seats, two shy of a majority, but two upcoming byelections in safe Liberal seats suggest achieving one is inevitable

Floor crossers to the left of me! Floor crossers to the right of me!

“Nunavut MP Lori Idlout is crossing the floor to join the Liberals.” nationalpost.com/news/politic...

The Secret to Danielle Smith's Success: Dumber-Than-Dumb Luck She essentially won the lottery, but Albertans are paying those winnings.

Yesterday, I attended a talk by Dr. Trevor Tombe at the U of C’s downtown campus on the Alberta budget, and as he was near the end of his presentation it hit me: Danielle Smith just might be the luckiest living politician in the world!

Let me explain. wallsandbridges.substack.com/p/the-secret...

B.C.’s switch to permanent DST adds to the ‘perfect storm’ for poorer adolescent sleep and mental health The adoption of permanent DST in B.C. raises significant concerns about social jetlag and long-term health impacts, especially for young people.

“Scientific evidence indicates that permanent DST results in a chronic mismatch between people’s daily clock-based schedules and their internal biological clock.” theconversation.com/b-c-s-switch...

Will the Real Adam Smith Please Stand Up? While reading articles on Adam Smith and his writings, I was reminded of how much his admirers and critics alike misunderstand him and his views.

While reading articles on Adam Smith and his writings, I was reminded of how much his admirers and critics alike misunderstand him and his views. wallsandbridges.substack.com/p/will-the-r...

Ticketmaster Owner Live Nation Settles Antitrust Lawsuit, Here's What Happens Next Payouts and "structural changes" could be coming as part of the settlement.

"As part of the reported deal, Live Nation will pay nearly $200 million to states that participated in the lawsuit. But it appears the money is only a small part of what could be coming for Live Nation and Ticketmaster.” loudwire.com/live-nation-...

Pierre Poilievre Wants You to Believe Adam Smith Was a Conservative. He Wasn’t. Today is the 250th anniversary of Adam Smith’s Wealth of Nations. Pierre Poilievre has marked the occasion with a National Post op-ed arguing that “free markets are moral” — invok…

Lindsay Tedds: “Pierre Poilievre...invoking Smith as patron saint of Conservative tax cuts, deregulation, and fossil fuel expansion.

“I’d like to offer a different reading. One that is, I’ll gently suggest, more grounded in what Smith actually wrote.” deadfortaxreasons.wordpress.com/2026/03/09/p...

ANALYSIS | How good is Alberta 'tax advantage' when it requires deficit borrowing? | CBC News Alberta has a revenue problem, a spending problem and 'budget amnesia,' says a former senior UCP advisor and Finance official.

To be clear, I was quoting Dr. Tedds, but it is nice to be noticed! :-)

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“Calgary-based economist and blogger Ben Atkinson recently put it like this: ‘Alberta is not a low-tax province. It is a province that taxes its oil instead of its people.’“ www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...

Yes, Economists *Do* Estimate Values of Leisure I am not suggesting our work is perfect by any means, but we are doing our best to make the world a better place, even if we are often too quiet about it.

Today, I want to do my small part to demonstrate that economists do try to estimate values of leisure by directing you to just three academic papers published over the last few years. wallsandbridges.substack.com/p/yes-econom...

Sunday Fun-day Post: Metallica and the Net-Benefits to a Business of Taking Calculated Risks To be successful in the long-term, a business needs to avoid becoming complacent.

To be successful in the long-term, a business needs to avoid becoming complacent. wallsandbridges.substack.com/p/sunday-fun...

Potential Effects of the Illegal War in Iran on the Fight Against Climate Change Ironically, anti-tax climate change deniers are unwittingly helping fight climate change with their active participation and/or promotion of his war!

Ironically, anti-tax climate change deniers are unwittingly helping fight climate change with their active participation and/or promotion of his war! wallsandbridges.substack.com/p/potential-...

Why Economists Often (But Not Always) Like Dynamic Pricing Charging different consumers different prices for the exact same thing can be anti-competitive, but it can sometimes instead be pro-consumer.

Charging different consumers different prices for the exact same thing can be anti-competitive, but it can sometimes instead be pro-consumer. wallsandbridges.substack.com/p/why-econom...

My pleasure! I am happy to see you writing on your blog again!