It seems to me that most anti-market voices actually DO understand and appreciate the “virtues” of competition. My sense is that they only see the force of competition working in some places and not others. Think of the fears that some people have from open immigration. Think of the fears people have with the “deskilling” […]
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DD sends me the following article which suggests that Uber is losing quite a bit of money, is not going to turn profitable, and presumably is the worst thing to ever happen to America. Two quick points, should you care to read through the article. The author argues (and I am not sure I disagree […]
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I once saw a famous actor make a claim about the natural gas industry, This is an industry that is the dirtiest, slimiest, most arrogant and negligent that you can imagine Granted, this was before the rise of Hillary and Donald. And then, you know, we have other technologies and they are better and most […]
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This was a really interesting article from Vox about whether we are becoming too reliant on GPS. One point that seemed spot on was that by relying on GPS and not on maps and planning (at least in conjunction with it) people’s navigational senses are dulled. I am sure you have seen other applications of […]
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Is it a widely held view that “other countries’” medical systems are superior to the United States? Is it a widely held view that “other countries” get better medical outcomes for lower costs than in the United States? Then, riddle me this: why is it so impossibly difficult for a foreign trained doctor to come […]
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What was the (net) profit margin for Walmart in the most recent quarter for which I can fund data? In other words, for every $100 of goods that Walmart sells, how much profit do they “take home?” My bet is that if you asked a typical person they would think the number would be very […]
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Reader warning – this is not well thought out, and I am narrating it to my phone via voice as I am driving to work this morning. It occurs to me that either retail financial institutions are intensely sclerotic, old-school, dinosaurs, or that regulation is strangling what they are able to offer retail customers, or […]
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Posted in Competition, Disingenuous on Aug 10th, 2015
1. I wonder why running shoe and hiking gear or really almost all apparel manufacturers rarely if ever advertise on the durability and “long-lastingness” of their product? I don’t mean general claims but rather things like, “these new La Sportiva’s will give you 450 miles of class3 and below hiking!” 2. I once took Koch […]
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I’m not much fun to go out with anymore (that presumes I ever was fun in the first place). Any sign, slogan, bumper sticker, protest, comment, etc. elicits a reaction from me – mostly simply with me asking the question, “How do you know?” That’s not a way to make friends or keep wives happy. […]
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