As with just about every issue on Earth, most folks who are providing commentary on the Standing Rock Reservation protests over the Dakota Access Pipeline don’t have very much real information about the particular conflict. In order to have a reasoned and intelligent conversation about it, one would imagine wanting to learn more about the […]
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A surprisingly large number of smart people support raising the minimum wage. In two separate conversations this week with very intelligent people, it was argued to me: That there is some research (I once wrote a book review of this) suggesting that labor markets are monopsonistic. And I can draw you a picture of how […]
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There is a well-regarded theory in economics (and popular?) that suggests that during slack economic conditions, we should welcome a bit of unexpected inflation from the Fed. Why? Well, for one, if you believe in a sticky wage view of the world, and the psychological and practical difficulties with employers lowering wages to existing workers, […]
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You knew that train would be coming to the station soon. Here is the reference, via Marginal Revolution. It is endlessly frustrating to see even the best economists confuse “solving” climate change with “reducing” CO2. Now, you MAY want to do that, but all that the economics of climate change recommends is that “we” pay […]
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Alex Tabarrok has a post today supporting the idea of term limits. He, like me, seems to support them on the grounds that if you know the opposite party may soon be in office, that may soften your governing stand while in office. I want to believe this is what happens. But in a world […]
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Posted in Economic Illiteracy, Politics on Nov 9th, 2016
Folks, remember, the Presidency doesn’t matter much – but I do think there is some writing on the wall from what we see from the messages that have resonated with voters … … we are a country of economic illiterates (and statistical ones too – ahem, polling and uncertainty bands anyone?). If there was ever […]
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Given the rise in PPACA premiums, do we get to rename the program? On a slightly more serious note, recall the vitriol spewed (ex post of course) at “economists” who for some reason were not able to predict the Great Recession. I had quipped why/whether political scientists are not, now, being excoriated for what is […]
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Posted in Price System on Oct 26th, 2016
I’m going dataless for the moment, but I suspect my guesses here are close. If you were to, right now, take 1 additional trip in your car and compare the risk of injury or death to taking 1 additional trip on a bicycle and 1 additional trip on a subway or 1 additional trip on […]
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Posted in Politics on Oct 24th, 2016
In addition to just not posting, I’ve definitely tried to avoid the muck of politics. One thing has really stuck with me however is that I think that the Democratic and Progressive left has turned into quite a selective conservative movement, much in the tradition of the modern conservative movement (does it exist?). What is […]
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Richard Dawkins famously put all kinds of free-thinker signs all over the London bus system over 30 years ago. That’s a kind of advertising I like. One particularly interesting one was: Since most people dismiss all religions except one, why not go the final step? To which I would only add, since I can imagine […]
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