economics Archives - Page 20 of 50 - Stable Genius Liberal

Freakonomics » We Once Had Self-Driving Cars

The case for high speed rail.

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(via The Game Theory of the Post-Platinum Coin Debt Ceiling) Rortybomb on the debt ceiling, gaming it down to best and worst outcomes.

Calculated Risk: The California Budget Surplus

So are the people who blamed liberals for the budget crisis, which was mostly driven by the length and depth of the recession now going to the praise Brown and the liberal majorities in the state for the structural reforms which put the state in surplus? Not going to hold my breath.

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(via Send Slate your design for the economy-saving $1 trillion platinum coin. – Slate Magazine)

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we have a situation in which a terrorist may be about to walk into a crowded room and threaten to blow up a bomb he’s holding. It turns out, however, that the Secret Service has figured out a way to disarm this maniac — a way that for some reason will require that the Secretary… Continue reading Untitled

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Should President Obama be willing to print a $1 trillion platinum coin if Republicans try to force America into default? Yes, absolutely. He will, after all, be faced with a choice between two alternatives: one that’s silly but benign, the other that’s equally silly but both vile and disastrous. The decision should be obvious. Be… Continue reading Untitled

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They [Republicans] say that their biggest priority is making sure that we deal with the deficit in a serious way, but the way they’re behaving is that their only priority is making sure that tax breaks for the wealthiest Americans are protected,” he (Obama) said. “That seems to be their only overriding, unifying theme. Is… Continue reading Untitled

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The key thing to remember — and what the GOP hopes you won’t understand — is that raising the debt ceiling only empowers the president to spend money that he’s authorized to spend by Congressional legislation; nothing more. Conversely, a party that refuses to raise the debt limit is saying that it’s prepared to inflict… Continue reading Untitled

A Modest Proposal: What If We Required Mandatory Gun Insurance?

If you have a rifle and it’s only used for hunting, low rates. If you have a Glock and you carry it in an open-carry town or state, your rates will be very high – because odds are so much higher that innocent bystanders may get caught in a shootout.
The more training and safety classes you take, the cheaper the premium.

I like this idea. And we can make the insurance tax deductible in cases where it makes sense. No one has to give up their gun, but those who might be putting others at risk with irresponsible gun ownership will pay into a fund to pay for tax deductions for responsible gun owners.

Freakonomics » Will Florida’s Python Hunt Get Hit By the Cobra Effect?

The cobra effect refers to a British cobra bounty that backfired, leading to an increase in the cobra population.