The Missing Myths

Michael Huemer’s Progressive Myths is the best book on wokeness. One of its many strengths is its focus on basic facts. As the author explains:I have selected beliefs that can be debunked fairly quickly and forcefully. Many other progressive beliefs require long argumentation and subjective judgment calls to assess. About these more difficult issues, I…

The Missing Myths

The Government didn’t move with the science around Covid

The Royal Commission concluded: The case for vaccine requirements of all kinds weakened in early 2022 with the arrival of the Omicron variant since vaccination was now much less effective in preventing COVID-19 transmission and immunity waned over time. While beneficial to the individual concerned, vaccination now offered less protection to others and the public […]

The Government didn’t move with the science around Covid

Seatbelts for a 5 km/hr Santa parade

NewstalkZB report: Santa and his elves must wear seatbelts for Christchurch’s Christmas parade following new health and safety advice – a move labelled by some city councillors as “woke nonsense” and “over the top”.  Christchurch’s Christmas Show Parade director Jason Reekers said an audit of the parade’s floats recommended installing seatbelts on some of them. …

Seatbelts for a 5 km/hr Santa parade

So Much for the one child policy

https://www.facebook.com/share/cnMdpdJY1ueYJijx/

Massachusetts has occupational licensing for fortune tellers

Here is the link, “Prohibits fraudulently taking money by “pretended fortune telling.”” Seen referenced somewhere on Twitter.

Massachusetts has occupational licensing for fortune tellers

Usual suspects want more debt

A group of economists have written to Nicola Willis complaining about the modest fiscal restraint imposed on the public sector. Grant Robertson grew government expenditure by $76 billion/year or a massive 7.6% of GDP, leaving NZ with a structural deficit. Many were champions of his policies or worked for him, and now they complain his […]

Usual suspects want more debt

Unauthorized Immigration and Local Government Finances

This paper examines how unauthorized immigration affects the fiscal health of local governments in the United States. Using detailed data on unauthorized immigrants’ countries of origin and arrival dates from the Syracuse TRAC database, we isolate immigration flows driven by social, economic, and political conditions in source countries. We predict local immigration patterns using a […]

Unauthorized Immigration and Local Government Finances

Desired Fertility versus the Mueller Effect

Six months ago, I’m not sure that I’d ever heard of demographer Lyman Stone. Now, people in my circles randomly drop his name on a weekly basis. His favorite topic, in case you haven’t heard, is global fertility decline. As a longtime natalist, I share his concerns. One of Stone’s top takeaways: Instead of talking…

Desired Fertility versus the Mueller Effect

A defense of the sex binary against Steven Novella’s “multidimensional” definition of sex

At the CSICon meetings in Las Vegas this November, I gave a half-hour talk on the two aspects of evolutionary biology that have been most deeply misrepresented by ideologues: sex and race. “Progressives” maintain that sex is not binary but a spectrum, and also that “race and ethnicity are social constructs, without scientific or biological […]

A defense of the sex binary against Steven Novella’s “multidimensional” definition of sex

Maximum Progress on Progressivism

If you are not yet a fan of Michael Huemer, you should be. Hyperbole is the worst thing in the universe, but I still affirm the following: Huemer’s The Problem of Political Authority is the best book on political philosophy. Huemer’s Ethical Intuitionism is the best book on meta-ethics. Huemer’s Knowledge, Reality, and Value is…

Maximum Progress on Progressivism

Try as they might, the Australian Green party can’t make university education free

The Australian Green party has proposed cancelling all student debt in Australia, as part of an aim for government to provide “free education for life”. However, free education is not free. In an article in The Conversation earlier this month, Bruce Chapman (Australian National University) makes a case against the claim that cancelling student debt…

Try as they might, the Australian Green party can’t make university education free

Milei and populism

Bryan Caplan and Daniel Klein both opine on Milei and populism, Dan being very enthusiastic, while Bryan praising Milei but more reserved in his praise of populism.  I too am a big fan of Milei, and I think he is still on a good track.  If his reforms do not succeed, likely it will not […]

Milei and populism

Popuphobia’s Javier Milei Problem

My dear friend and colleague Dan Klein wrote this. He loves feedback, so please share your thoughts in the comments. And he’d especially appreciate reactions from friends Shikha Dalmia and Nils Karlson, which I’d definitely be glad to run.P.S. Dan asked me to link to the latest Milei news.I define popuphobe as someone who propagates…

Popuphobia’s Javier Milei Problem

Defying cries of “transphobia”, the Washington Post calls for debate on whether trans women should participate in women’s sports

The good news is that the Washington Post, defying the inevitable cries that the paper is “transphobic”, is calling for a “respectful debate on trans women in sports”.  This is, of course, because of the increasing number of biological men who identify as women (I prefer that jawbreaker to “trans women” because the latter plays […]

Defying cries of “transphobia”, the Washington Post calls for debate on whether trans women should participate in women’s sports

The Borjas-Caplan Immigration Debate

Before the fictional musical Borjas-Caplan immigration debate of 2024, there was the non-fictional non-musical Borjas-Caplan immigration debate of 2019. It was an unusual format: Both of us had the floor for over hour each. Borjas:Me:If you pay close attention to my opponent’s presentation, you’ll discover that he’s quite unlike every other critic of immigration. In…

The Borjas-Caplan Immigration Debate

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