Monthly Archives: June 2009

The Evolution of God

Bloggingheads.tv – The Evolution of God via Tyler Cowen at Marginal Revoution.

Posted in Religion | Leave a comment

Rational rationing?

I think Leonhardt is maybe half right or maybe even three quarters. He's right that the choice isn't between rationing and not rationing. But I don't agree that the choice is between rationing well and rationing badly. I don't know … Continue reading

Posted in Economics, Government, Health Care | Leave a comment

How I Raised My Social Intelligence

Advice for economists *and* programmers: How I Raised My Social Intelligence, Bryan Caplan | EconLog | Library of Economics and Liberty. The major points: 1. Good conversation is an exchange. 2. Be friendly. 3. Keeping friends is more important than … Continue reading

Posted in General, PHP | Leave a comment

Pictures from Iran’s Disputed Election

These are great pics: Iran’s Disputed Election – The Big Picture – Boston.com.

Posted in Civil Rights, Politics, World War IV | Leave a comment

Health care reform: The real problem is lack of competition

The reason for rising frustration with insurance companies is that patients can't do what patrons they do when they receive poor service at a restaurant, which is to go elsewhere. Most health insurance is tied to employment, so most patients … Continue reading

Posted in Economics, Government, Health Care | 1 Comment

Economic View – Obama’s Difficult Choices on Medicare Spending – NYTimes.com

MEDICARE expenditures threaten to crush the federal budget, yet the Obama administration is proposing that we start by spending more now so we can spend less later. This runs the risk of becoming the new voodoo economics. If we can’t … Continue reading

Posted in Economics, Government | Leave a comment

Nixon Lives?

In other words, the narrative about Goldwater as the guiding light of the post-war GOP is wrong. Nixon, and his allies, have driven the agenda since the late 1940s. Other Republicans (Eisenhower, Goldwater, Reagan) represented factions who, at most, were … Continue reading

Posted in Politics | Leave a comment

What Judith Warner Left Out

Two weeks ago, a Muslim extremist shot two soldiers, killing one, outside a recruiting station in Arkansas. Abdulhakim Mujahid Muhammad acted alone, just as James von Brunn apparently did. He was, like von Brunn, captive to a supremacist ideology that, … Continue reading

Posted in Civil Rights, Defense | Leave a comment

Think Again About “Blaming Bush”, Part 2

Obama has more reason to be mad at Johnson and FDR for bequeathing him intractable legacy costs than at Bush: they will substantially reduce the scope of the things that Obama can do. But I don't expect to hear him … Continue reading

Posted in Economics, Government | Leave a comment

The Anti-Stimulus

As we know, most of the stimulus spending does not take place until next year and beyond, so the short-run gains are puny. On the other hand, the big increase in the projected deficit creates the expectation of higher interest … Continue reading

Posted in Economics, Government | Leave a comment