The curious task of economics is to demonstrate to men how little they really know about what they imagine they can design. – F.A. Hayek
Posted in Environment on Feb 28th, 2011
Today I am doing my best not to comment, so again, as with the “Save the Kids” commercial, I’ll leave the comments for another day. I cover these claims in Environmental Economics, in case students are interested in learning more/ From a new LA Times Interview with Paul Ehrlich (author of the Population Bomb, and [...]
Posted in Health Care on Feb 28th, 2011
On the Massachusetts Health Care reform from 2006: So, how are things going in Massachusetts? The easy part was getting more people insured. Coverage increased from about 88% to 96%. But the number of emergency room visits, which everyone expected to drop once people had to purchase insurance, is still going up. Surveys show roughly [...]
Posted in Uncategorized on Feb 28th, 2011
No comment necessary today.
Posted in Economic Illiteracy, Government Thuggery, If I Really Hated the Poor ..., Property Rights on Feb 28th, 2011
Michael Graham describes the apoplexy of Boston’s Mayor Menino in regard to Walmart’s proposed entry into downtown: Wal-Mart does not suit the clientele we have in the city of Boston,” Menino said. “I don’t need employers like that in our city. Read the whole piece. Menino’s position is nothing short of hateful and tyrannical. Graham [...]
Posted in You Can't Have it Both Ways on Feb 26th, 2011
“The rich in America really have nothing to complain about.” Why? “The overall rate of taxation as a share of GDP is only about two-thirds of what it is in OECD countries.” I gotta admit, I really have never encountered that argument before. I think comments on it are unnecessary, but it did make me [...]
Posted in Welfare State, You Can't Have it Both Ways on Feb 25th, 2011
If instead of the Wisconsin Senators leaving the state to avoid voting on Governor Walker’s bill, everybody else (aside from the teachers’ unions of course) left Wisconsin permanently, would the public employees still have a right to their salaries and retirement benefits?
Posted in Resources on Feb 25th, 2011
Have you ever stopped to appreciate the awesome size of a single mountain peak? What would it take for us to mine the entire volume of rock from the prominence of Mt. Whitney (the amount the peak rises from the base, which could be well above sea level), the tallest mountain in the lower 48? [...]
Posted in Taxation on Feb 24th, 2011
Have you ever heard an argument claiming that certain taxes (such as corporate taxes) are too low because the data suggests that those tax revenues as a share of GDP are small, or shrinking, or lower than in some other country? I have. I hear it rather frequently. Does the possibility that revenues are low [...]
Posted in Market Failures, You Can't Have it Both Ways on Feb 24th, 2011
An interesting argument came up among students of mine recently. They are talking among themselves about the justification for allowing a closed shop. A closed-shop is perhaps the most objectionable and coercive aspect of unionization. Sure, people ought to have the right to associate and bargain collectively for compensation with an employer, but from that [...]
Posted in Politics on Feb 24th, 2011
… when government stops monopolizing the sectors those unions operate in. For starters, end the public school monopoly and I’ll even go to Madison to lobby on behalf of the angry teachers to be allowed to collectively bargain.
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