I think you're right about the timing of elections. Governments tend to prefer to hold elections in summer and close to the weekend too.

I think the correlation between religion and the benefits you mention above are actually affected by a third variable, namely community. It is a sense of community that makes people more trusting (of fellow members of the community). Religion isn't the only source of community, nationalism is another one. I would still argue that the negatives of religion greatly outweigh the benefits. Of course not all religious people are like the Taliban, but the reason religion isn't so bad in Europe is that it is so weak and diluted. Were the Catholic church to have the power it had in the Middle Ages, it would be just as bad. It is secularism that is holding the worst abuses of religion in check. A look at the history of Ireland shows the horrendous abuses committed by the Church. The negatives far outweigh the benefits. (One quick final point, can we avoid name calling? A militant is someone who advocates violence to further their aims. Atheists do not.)

Great post. I think people need to realise that the market is not perfect and that inefficient firms do exist and stay in business. If we view the market as it is, not as it should be, then we can properly understand and use it.

Agree. Economics is determined far more by power than by supply and demand.