Americans are getting richer, agriculture is becoming more efficient, apparel is increasingly made by Bangladeshis or robots, etc. At the same time, computers and other electronic gadgets are getting cheaper in real terms. And if some things shrink as a share of our income, other things need to grow. The biggest of those things has… Continue reading We’re actually purchasing shockingly little in the way of improved health for all that money
Deja vu all over again
I don’t watch cable news, or actually any kind of TV news. But I gather that there’s a virtual blackout on the huge demonstrations in Wisconsin, except on Fox, which portrays them as thuggish and violent. What that makes me think of is January-February 2003, when anyone watching cable news would have believed that only… Continue reading Deja vu all over again
Ronald Reagan on Union Membership as One of the Most Elemental Human Rights
Reagan was the only president in American history to have belonged to a union, the AFL-CIO affiliated Screen Actors Guild. And he even served six terms as president of the organized labor group. Additionally, Reagan was a staunch advocate for the collective bargaining rights of one of the world’s most famous and most influential trade… Continue reading Ronald Reagan on Union Membership as One of the Most Elemental Human Rights
Making Things
As we’re able to produce more material goods with fewer people, that ought to lead not only to more chefs and yoga instructors and private security guards but also more preschool teachers and cops and home health aides. There’s an argument out there that “we can’t afford” the larger public sector that’s currently projected for… Continue reading Making Things
Monkeys Fattened Up to Study Human Obesity
They also drink a fruit-flavored punch with the fructose equivalent of about a can of soda a day. In all, they might consume about twice as many calories as a normal-weight monkey. Dr. Grove and researchers at some other centers say the high-fructose corn syrup appears to accelerate the development of obesity and diabetes. “It… Continue reading Monkeys Fattened Up to Study Human Obesity
Monopoly, Milton Friedman’s Way
Mr. Zelenty owned the greatest of treasures any of us could imagine because it combined those two passions. He had asked Mr. Friedman to sign his Monopoly board at one of those sherry hours. The Nobel laureate did so, writing, “Down with” above the game’s name. We didn’t play on that board. No one ever… Continue reading Monopoly, Milton Friedman’s Way
Unions and Budget Deficits
Do high unionization levels lead to state budget deficits, as some claim? John Sides shows that the answer is no: From Unions and Budget Deficits If you look at the numbers, the basic argument against public unions as budget busters is pretty bogus.
Wisconsin Power Play
There’s a bitter irony here. The fiscal crisis in Wisconsin, as in other states, was largely caused by the increasing power of America’s oligarchy. After all, it was superwealthy players, not the general public, who pushed for financial deregulation and thereby set the stage for the economic crisis of 2008-9, a crisis whose aftermath is… Continue reading Wisconsin Power Play
Realism on Defense Spending
if we’re talking about fiscal issues, you have to bear the arithmetic in mind. We’re not living in the 1950s, when defense was half the federal budget. Even a drastic cut in military spending wouldn’t release enough money to offset more than a small fraction of the projected rise in health care costs. From Realism… Continue reading Realism on Defense Spending
Wisconsin Draws the Line on Austerity Opportunism and Class War.
Wisconsin Draws the Line on Austerity Opportunism and Class War.
Technical analysis of the Wisconsin budget battle. Takeaway line is Austerity Opportunism.