The Casey Lartigue Show!

An elderly Korean man may have a story about a near riot experience from yesterday. Not the one that is circulating the Internet. Yesterday I was boarding the subway, a Korean friend called me to wish me a happy birthday (he was wrong, early by one week). I was standing, as I often do on the subway, and talking on my cell. As I thanked my (very busy) buddy for taking the time to call, an elderly Korean man softly tapped me on my knee about two or three times and signaled for me to be quiet. I'm not surprised about Korean men, whether sober or drunk, initiating contact, so I just ignored him, walking down to the other part of the subway car--and continuing the conversation. As I noted to my buddy on the phone, I wasn't the only one talking on a cell phone. This morning, I saw the video of a black man going off and getting into a physical altercation with an elderly Korean man. People often say that black people all look alike, but I guess in this case that I don't ne...

I have greatly reduced my already slim chances to go to heaven with an article in today's Korea Herald opposing a universal free lunch program . Two weeks ago I was the MC for an event that brought Aristides Hatzis of the University of Athens to Seoul ( photos ). In addition to him speaking at a major event at the Plaza Hotel (photos), he addressed the National Assembly. Yesterday, he was mentioned by South Korean president Lee Myung-bak. Yonhap article in English , link in Korean to the president's bi-weekly address , .

What a surprise--the folks at Tennessee School Choice have posted a series of posts reviewing the 2004 book I co-edited for the Cato Institute. As they write:"... Educational Freedom in Urban America: Fifty Years After Brown v. Board of Education edited by David Salisbury and Casey Lartigue Jr. Part one is available to read Here , part two Here and part three Here . Keep in mind we are only sharing that which really jumped out at us as enlightening, helpful, informative or, in some cases, profound, but there is much we aren’t sharing that you may find helpful by reading the book in full. Should we stir your interest to learn more the ebook is available for $9.99 Here ." The folks at the Cato Institute were kind enough to ship me a box of books here in Korea. Next time I am in America, I will stop by Tennessee to give a talk, and see if Cato will send books for me to sign. My chapter is reviewed in post #2 . CJL

I will be the MC for an event featuring: Aristides Hatzis, University of Athens Oh Se-hoon, Mayor of Seoul Moo Sung Kim, National Assembly of South Korea Sungkun Ha of Yonsei University The event will be held in Seoul, Tuesday, August 9, from 10:30 a.m.-12:40 p.m., RSVP ASAP cjl(@)cfe.org * * * Last Tuesday I was the host of a roundtable discussion with Prof. G. Marcus Cole of Stanford University Law School . CJL

The Korea Herald published my analysis of Willam Easterly's paper "Benevolent Autocrats." Check it out at the CFE Website . Easterly questions if "benevolent autocrats" really deserve credit for high economic growth. The Idiots' Collective calls it "a must-read" piece. I agree. [Casey Lartigue, Jr.] Park Chung-hee: Dictator or benevolent autocrat? It ain’t necessarily so. That’s what New York University economics professor William Easterly essentially says about crediting “benevolent autocrats” like South Korea’s Park Chung-hee for high growth rates. In “Benevolent Autocrats,” a provocative working paper posted in May, Easterly 1) argues that economists should be skeptical of the “benevolent autocrat” theory; (2) questions whether benevolent autocrats truly deserve credit for growth; (3) and concedes he is making a losing argument because cognitive biases lead many to believe in benevolent autocrats regardless...

Korea Herald columnist Kim Seong-kon  argues in favor of the incorporation of Seoul National University. One of the reasons he notes is too much government control now, including, even the temperatures in government-related institutions. He writes: 26 degrees, by government mandate. "Personally, I support the incorporation of Seoul National University. Currently, SNU faculty members are tied up with all sorts of bureaucratic procedures and government red tape that seriously hamper their research activities. For example, government regulations stipulate that all rooms shall be set at 26 degrees Celsius in government-related institutions." I don`t have a problem with the government controlling the temperature in government-related institutions. I do have a problem with government control of temperatures in private homes and businesses. If I want a sauna in my home, that`s my business. Or, on the contrary, if I want it so cold that I have icicles hangin...

July 2011: Once upon a time, I was focused on political and economic issues in South Korea. I was then Manager of International Relations at the Center for Free Enterprise, later promoted to director. I wasn't determined to stay in Korea at that time, but several months later that changed, destroying my professional career. In this particular photo, I was one of the organizers of a conference about the Korea-EU Free Trade Agreement in July 2011. A few notes: The think tank world is much easier and pays much better than founding and developing an organization focused on North Korean refugees. Sometimes, I wonder what I was thinking when I left that soft cushy think tank world routinely holding events at plush hotels. I can't blame anyone, because I left the think tank world TWICE, and rejected overtures to return to it a few years ago. Fool myself once, blame myself. Fool myself twice or more? * Parenthetically, some people ask if I take photos for Facebook. This conference was ...