Who is harmed the most from higher energy costs? The poor, who spend almost 25% of their disposable income on energy? http://t.co/YOn28COXy8—
Mark J. Perry (@Mark_J_Perry) June 22, 2015
Do the @NZGreens care about the fuel poverty consequences of carbon taxes?
24 Aug 2015 Leave a comment
in energy economics, environmental economics, global warming, politics - Australia, politics - New Zealand, politics - USA, poverty and inequality Tags: carbon tax, climate alarmism, expressive voting, fuel poverty, global warming
The Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact was signed #OnThisDay 1939
23 Aug 2015 Leave a comment
in economic history, Marxist economics, politics - Australia, politics - New Zealand, politics - USA Tags: communist party, left-wing traitors, World War II
The Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact was signed #OnThisDay in 1939. Stalin was no less evil than Hitler econ.trib.al/iCowG41 http://t.co/yxr5FCW1xg—
The Economist (@EconEurope) August 23, 2015
How big is Uber
23 Aug 2015 Leave a comment
CHART: How Big is Uber vs. Legacy Taxis? VERY, VERY BIG nationalpost.com/m/wp/blog.html… http://t.co/gz0vXPZDip—
Mark J. Perry (@Mark_J_Perry) August 22, 2015
via Summer of Uber: Everything you need to know about the upstart ride-sharing service.
Marginal tax rates of 2-income couples with 2 children in USA, UK, Australia and New Zealand since 2000
23 Aug 2015 Leave a comment
in economic history, economics of love and marriage, labour economics, labour supply, politics - Australia, politics - New Zealand, politics - USA, public economics Tags: Australia taxation and labour supply, British economy, marriage and divorce
Source: OECD StatExtract.
Why some billionaires are bad for growth, and others aren’t
22 Aug 2015 Leave a comment
in applied price theory, applied welfare economics, economics of bureaucracy, economics of regulation, financial economics, income redistribution, industrial organisation, politics - Australia, politics - New Zealand, politics - USA, Public Choice, rentseeking, survivor principle Tags: Australia, billionaires, Russia, top 0.1%, top 1%
…Bagchi and Svejnar carefully went through the lists of all the Forbes billionaires, and divided them into those who had acquired their wealth due to political connections, and those who had not. This is kind of a slippery slope — almost all billionaires have probably benefited from government connections at one time or another.
But the researchers used a very conservative standard for classifying people as politically connected, only assigning billionaires to this group when it was clear that their wealth was a product of government connections. Just benefiting from a government that was pro-business, like those in Singapore and Hong Kong, wasn’t enough.
Rather, the researchers were looking for a situation like Indonesia under Suharto, where political connections were usually needed to secure import licenses, or Russia in the mid-1990s, when some state employees made fortunes overnight as the state privatized assets.
…The negative effects of wealth inequality are largely being driven by politically connected wealth inequality. That seems to be the primary channel that drives this relationship…
a 3.72 percent increase in the level of wealth inequality would cost a country about half a percent of real GDP per capita growth. That’s a big impact, given that average GDP growth is in the neighbourhood of two percent per year
Marginal tax rates of a nuclear family in USA, UK, Australia and New Zealand since 2000
22 Aug 2015 Leave a comment
in economic history, economics of love and marriage, labour economics, labour supply, politics - Australia, politics - New Zealand, politics - USA Tags: Australia, British economy, marriage and divorce, taxation and labour supply
Source: OECD StatExtract.
What Can We Learn From National Primary Polling?
22 Aug 2015 Leave a comment
in politics - USA, Public Choice Tags: 2016 presidential election, expressive voting, opinion polling, rational ignorance, rational rationality, voter demographics
The 2012 race was even crazier. GOP voters flirted seriously with nearly every other candidate before finally settling on Romney.
via What Can We Learn From National Primary Polling? Virtually Nothing. – Reason.com.
How is the environment going under the ravages of 21st century capitalism
22 Aug 2015 Leave a comment
in applied price theory, applied welfare economics, economic history, economics of regulation, energy economics, environmental economics, environmentalism, politics - USA Tags: doomsday prophecies, doomsday prophets, environmental law, environmental protection, environmental regulation, free market environmentalism, green scaremongering, tear pollution, The Great Escape, The Great Fact, water pollution
U.S. population has grown since 1980, yet pollution rates either haven't moved or are falling. buff.ly/1ILu7RM http://t.co/PXriaKlsZO—
HumanProgress.org (@humanprogress) August 14, 2015
The power of coincidence
22 Aug 2015 Leave a comment
in economic history, politics - USA Tags: Abraham Lincoln, coincidence, conspiracy theories, conspiracy theorists, JFK
Poverty in America
22 Aug 2015 Leave a comment
in economic history, labour economics, politics - USA, poverty and inequality, welfare reform Tags: 1996 U.S. welfare reforms, child poverty, family poverty
Half as many blacks in the U.S. today are living in poverty as in 1960. buff.ly/1KTT5Sz http://t.co/PKK5REXr0P—
HumanProgress.org (@humanprogress) August 07, 2015
Taxes on dividend income across the OECD
21 Aug 2015 Leave a comment
The U.S. places a high #tax on corporate income: tax.foundation/1Jf0ytp http://t.co/6inEfqftpQ—
Tax Foundation (@taxfoundation) August 18, 2015
The U.S. has the highest corporate income #tax rate in the developed world: tax.foundation/1WlGhIf http://t.co/Cp35sRwHjo—
Tax Foundation (@taxfoundation) August 13, 2015
The U.S. corporate #tax rate is out of line with our trading partners: tax.foundation/1UO4gy5 http://t.co/FzWDDTNrvC—
Tax Foundation (@taxfoundation) August 17, 2015
Why do unilateral actions to combat global warming fail in Congress?
21 Aug 2015 Leave a comment
in economics of regulation, energy economics, environmental economics, global warming, politics - USA Tags: climate alarmism, evidence-based policy, expressive politics, expressive voting, global warming, rational irrationality
Why did @jeremycorbyn never split from @UKLabour despite 30 years on the outer? #torysforcorbyn
21 Aug 2015 1 Comment
in constitutional political economy, politics - Australia, politics - New Zealand, politics - USA, Public Choice, rentseeking Tags: British general election, British politics, Leftover Left
If you think equality and fairness in Britain is important you should do this: labour.tw/1MH6f4M http://t.co/7gCDkX7fj5—
The Labour Party (@UKLabour) August 06, 2015
Jeremy Corbyn had 30 years to split from the Labour Party, which he voted against 25% of the time, establish his own party and receive the same reception presumably he would have got without needing to have to run for leader of the Labour Party.
Conservatism and nationalism destroy the Labour Party nickcohen.net/2015/06/02/con… http://t.co/ue0XzXTEFo—
Nick Cohen (@NickCohen4) June 02, 2015
The reasoning Corbyn never split from the Labour Party, and the reason why the left never splits from the Labour Party, is the left knows that it would get far fewer votes on its own rather than piggybacking on the right wing of that party.
The right split from the British Labour Party in the early 1980s to form the Social Democratic party. The right-wing split from the Australian Labor Party at least four times over its history.
The left is never split from the New Zealand Labour Party because it knows that it could never get anywhere even under proportional representation without the image of being part of the traditional Labour Party, centre-left, social democratic, not socialist. Jeremy Corbyn and the rest of the left of British Labour are practising mild mannered entryism. By stealing the brand of the Labour Party, the left obtains far more power than it ever could standing on its own two feet as true believers.
Our vision is of an economy that works for all, provides opportunity for all and invests in all. #jeremy4leader http://t.co/59Gk9AN7Xf—
JeremyCorbyn4Leader (@Corbyn4Leader) July 22, 2015
The working hypothesis of the far left everywhere is if the Labour Party were to adopt hard left policies is many more votes.
Fabulous scenes wherever we go, but this picture of the Opera House in Newcastle is quite something. #voteCorbyn http://t.co/GzB96CjB7d—
JeremyCorbyn4Leader (@Corbyn4Leader) August 18, 2015
Labour would win many more votes because the offer of a genuine socialist alternative would shake voters loose of their false consciousness.
The left of the Labour Party never went out on its own to test that hypothesis because they knew in their hearts be lucky to not to lose their deposits.
This is despite the strong rise in third parties in British politics despite first past the post.
The remnants of the communist parties do well at elections in countries such as France, Germany (Linke or Left Party) and Japan and are in government in Greece.
- 53 communist and anti-capitalist parties have been elected worldwide to freely elected parliament in 39 countries.
- The Trots regularly get 4% in French presidential elections while the British SWP is still in the same league as the monster raving loony party.
The right wing of the Labour Party was willing to take its chances under first past the post voting in the House of Commons because it knew that a large part the electorate would vote for it in preference to the remnant of a left-wing run Labour Party.
The combination of these splitters from the British Labour Party and the Liberal party won 25% of the vote, two percentage points behind the British Labour Party.
Marginal tax rate of average earners in USA, UK, Australia and New Zealand since 2000
21 Aug 2015 Leave a comment
in applied price theory, business cycles, economic growth, economic history, labour economics, labour supply, macroeconomics, politics - Australia, politics - New Zealand, politics - USA, public economics Tags: Australia, British economy, productivity shocks, real business cycles, taxation and labour supply
Interesting to notice that in New Zealand and the USA after these increases in marginal tax rates on single taxpayers, their economies slowed down. What appears to have happened is a number of people reached the next income tax marginal tax rate threshold.
Source: OECD StatExtract.
Utopia, you are standing in it! 
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