economics

No Linkpost 6/20/11

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Instead, a quote from Robert Heinlein:

Throughout history, poverty is the normal condition of man. Advances which permit this norm to be exceeded â€” here and there, now and then â€” are the work of an extremely small minority, frequently despised, often condemned, and almost always opposed by all right-thinking people. Whenever this tiny minority is kept from creating, or (as sometimes happens) is driven out of a society, the people then slip back into abject poverty.

This is known as â€œbad luck.â€

From Time Enough for Love.

Post-Christmas Linkpost

Dec 28th, 2010

by Mark.

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How Superstarsâ€™ Pay Stifles Everyone Else. This is a fascinating article from the point of view of information presented. Its conclusions, however, fall flat. (This is a link to a NY Times article; they’ve gone behind a registration wall.)
What makes the US health care system so expensive. A ten-part series (completed) that covers where the U.S. spends more than you’d expect on health care. If you pay attention, you can data that support my identification of the root causes: a demand for redundancy, and market distortions caused by government and insurance.
Browns’ front office tells off a complaining fan in a 1974 letter.
Newest supporter of marijuana legalization: Pat Robertson?
Mars Movie: I’m Dreaming of a Blue Sunset. Spliced together from pictures taken by Opportunity.
Counter-Terrorism: A Frustrating Shortage.Â Turns out that they’re short bomb builders, which is why intelligence agencies are so concerned about Mumbai II.
British soldier took a shot to the head to save 10-year-old girl.
What Do the â€˜Holiday Terror Warningâ€™ Targets Have in Common? “If you guessed that all of these are (a) places whereÂ large crowds gather, and (b) places where authorities have outlawed the otherwise legal carry of concealed weapons, you were right!”
Census: Fast growth in states with no income tax.
Public Educationâ€™s Silver Bullet. Terry Moe seems to think that the technology is available for a labor-reducing revolution in education.

Linkpost, 10/29/10 to 11/3/10

Dec 14th, 2010

by Mark.

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Fermilab is Building a ‘Holometer’ to Determine Once and For All Whether Reality Is Just an Illusion.
A cure for the common cold may finally be achieved as a result of a remarkable discovery in a Cambridge laboratory. For those of you who don’t pay attention to the source, that’s Cambridge, England.
Rushdie on Jon Stewart. A bit of old news, sure, but just more confirmation that Stewart is a tool.
The Economic Misconceptions of College Students. Joe Carter rightly points out that college students probably shouldn’t be singled out. Click the link and see if you fare better. (I did OK on 3 of the 4. The increase in median salary surprised me.)
Breakthrough: Microchip Implant Restores Partial Sight.

And I’m caught up! It only took a cold-induced bout of insomnia to do it.

Linkpost, 11/4/10

Dec 14th, 2010

by Mark.

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New Report Reveals Ozzy Osbourne is a Genetic Mutant. I quote: “The biggest differences in Osbourne’s genes compared to other people is how he processes drugs and booze.” I can’t say I’m surprised.
San Diego religious leader among those charged with aiding Somali terrorists. The dude’s name is “Mohamed Mohamed Mohamud”. If I were profiling people, that would be +3 on my terrorists detection system. (+1 for each instance of a variant of Mohammad in your name.) It’s not necessarily sufficient by itself â€” that’s reserved for people who name their kids “Osama” â€” but you probably wanted to watch that guy.
Hayek and Keynes Battle at The Economistâ€™s Buttonwood Gathering. Not as cool as the first video. But then, what is?
The Limit of Tax Revenues. A great look at “Hauser’s Law” which posits that the revenue of the federal government is limited to around 19% of GDP. While the data supports that theory, Dan Mitchell over at the Cato Institute points out that other nations get around that limitation. The rub is that they don’t do it by taxing the rich (who can avoid the taxes through relocation and other dodges) â€” they do it by taxing the middle class, which Mitchell doesn’t think is politically feasible in the United States.

Linkpost, 11/23/10

Dec 14th, 2010

by Mark.

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Was the Big Bang Preceded by Another Universe (Which Was Preceded by Another Universe)? This is a link to the Popular Science article, which includes a link to the actual paper. (The Kotaku article didn’t.)
Is the Ben Bernank Stupid Like a Fox? Apparently there’s some question whether the Fed is actually printing money, or just claiming to.
Adam Savage Mythbusting Security. Now, I don’t think an Isreali-style profiling system would bother with Adam Savage, but this just goes to show how useless the “find the bomb” strategy really is.
The Well-Pilfered Clavier. Tim Cavanaugh ponders the actual effectiveness of our current Intellectual Property approach.

The Quantitative Easing

Nov 18th, 2010

by Mark.

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Why Can’t Chuck Get His Business Off the Ground?

Nov 15th, 2010

by Mark.

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Semi-linkpost, 10/27/2010

Nov 8th, 2010

by Mark.

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I link to the second more to talk about framing your argument. In paragraph four:

The latest numbers from the IRS – based on 2008 tax returns – show that the top 1% of income earners paid 38.02% of individual income taxes paid. That’s a lot, but it’s actually a smaller share of the total tax bill than the top 1% paid in 2007. That year they paid 40.42%.

The tax rate didn’t change in that period, so the raw amount of money that the top 1% earned actually dropped. You couldn’t tell by the way the article framed the information, however.

Linkpost, 10/22/2010

Nov 3rd, 2010

by Mark.

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Cowardly WisCon ConCom Caves. (I’ve learned this new word studying the Qur’an: dhimmi. I think it might apply here.)
Washington Post Blockbuster Confirms Worst Fears About Holder Justice Dept. Race Policies. Welcome to the party, guys.
70% Of All Stock Market Trades Are Held for An Average of 11 SECONDS. I am both impressed by the ingenuity, and disturbed at the disconnect of value and trade.
Debbie does downloads. Just remember, even downloading pr0n goes on your permanent record.

Linkpost, 10/18/2010

Oct 29th, 2010

by Mark.

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OK, so I’m really behind. Hopefully, none of these have lost anything in the intervening week and a half:

Beating the incandescent bulb ban. Or, if you’re in San Diego, the 100-yen shop on Mercury has got tungsten bulbs. (Sadly, they’re designed for your work space and not your living room.)
The Muslim Brotherhood calls for jihad against the United States. It’s been pretty much ignored the same way al Qaida’s declaration of war years ago.
Facebook apps apparently share your information, and your friends’ information, no matter what the privacy settings say. At some point, I’m going to install the SSL plug-in for WordPress, and everybody can just switch over to No Serf.

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