Smoking Bans – Banning Freedom
14 Jun 2016 Leave a comment
in economics of regulation, health economics Tags: economics of smoking, meddlesome preferences, nanny state
Politically Correct Halloween
05 Jun 2016 Leave a comment
in economics of education, liberalism Tags: crybaby left, free speech, meddlesome preferences, nanny state, political correctness, reactionary left, renegade Left, Twitter left
The dual concepts of Businesses Cannot Discriminate and Her Body, Her Choice have intersected
08 May 2016 Leave a comment
in economics of regulation, health economics, politics - USA Tags: alcohol regulation, meddlesome preferences, nanny state
New York drinking establishments must post warnings against pregnant women drinking but still must serve them.
Straight talking from @BernieSanders on #sugartaxes @JordNZ
06 May 2016 Leave a comment
in applied price theory, health economics, income redistribution, politics - USA, Public Choice, rentseeking Tags: 2016 presidential election, do gooders, heavy-handed Samaritans, meddlesome preferences, nanny state, regressive taxes, sin taxes, soda taxes, sugar taxes
#MorganFoundation errors about @nzinitiative’s Health of the State – part 2
23 Apr 2016 Leave a comment
in economics of media and culture, economics of regulation, health economics, politics - New Zealand Tags: anti-market bias, do gooders, meddlesome preferences, Morgan Foundation, nanny state, political psychology, rational rationality
E-cigarettes as a way of reducing obesity?
23 Apr 2016 Leave a comment
in economics of regulation, health economics Tags: E-cigarettes, economics of obesity, economics of smoking, expressive voting, meddlesome preferences, nanny state, rational irrationality
One of the many interesting things that Maori Party MP Marama Fox said at a panel discussion for the launch of the New Zealand Initiative’s Health of the State report was that the Maori women she knew who smoked did so out of stress relief.
It is also well known that there is a weight gain after stopping smoking. If people cannot smoke because of higher taxes but still need to have an outlet for their stress, they look elsewhere and seek comfort in food.
Source: Weight Gain After Quitting Smoking – Quit Smoking Community.
This is before you consider the general pleasure seeking aspect of smoking. Some people find smoking pleasurable; I find it disgusting.
This suggests to me that the restrictions on E-cigarettes are the worst of both worlds. If people are going to smoke, you may as well let them have access to a technology that is safer.
Instead, the do-gooders prefer to put an extra bullet in the chamber as smokers play Russian roulette.
#MorganFoundation errors about @nzinitiative’s Health of the State – part 1
22 Apr 2016 3 Comments
in economics of information, economics of regulation, health economics, law and economics, politics - New Zealand Tags: Aaron Director, alcohol regulation, economics of obesity, economics of prohibition, economics of smoking, meddlesome preferences, Morgan Foundation, nanny state
The Greens have joined that Morgan Foundation in playing the man rather than the ball on the recently published report of the New Zealand Initiative on sin taxes. Green Party health spokesperson Kevin Hague said:
The New Zealand Initiative cares more about junk-food barons’ bottom lines than it cares about Kiwis who are getting sick and dying because of obesity-related illnesses
The Morgan Foundation was just as keen to argue that their opponents on sin taxes are both ignorant and steeped in moral turpitude as a way of avoiding substantive argument:
The New Zealand Initiative are not interested in reducing obesity, or preventing the looming diabetes crisis where 1 in 3 Kiwis will have the disease. They make no attempt to understand the causes, and don’t propose any way to deal with these issues…
Is there no room for honest disagreement and different views on the ability of further government intervention to be a net benefit? As Aaron Director said:
Laissez-faire is no more than a slogan in defence of the proposition that every extension of state activity should be examined under the presumption of error.
One of the specific claims by the Morgan Foundation that seems to be in error is:
In fact, the report seems devoid of any research outside a narrow economic focus. The food industry has funded an enormous amount of psychological research on how to influence people to eat more junk food through packaging, advertising, product placement etc, much of which is publicly available, but which the New Zealand Institute has roundly ignored. Ironic, given that they funded by the same organisations that funded this psychological research.
The Food industry’s own research shows our choices are hugely influenced by the environment that surrounds us, but the New Zealand Institute conveniently prefers to cling to the oversimplification that we are all rational economic units – known as homo economicus.
The report of the New Zealand Initiative has a nice discussion of the limitations of rationality which did not weigh as heavily as it should in the critique by the Morgan Foundation part of which is in the snapshot below:
Source: Jenesa Jeram, The Health of the State, The New Zealand Initiative ( April 2016, p.10).
George Orwell had it right 80 years ago on the #sugartax
21 Mar 2016 Leave a comment
in health economics, liberalism Tags: George Orwell, meddlesome preferences, nanny state, sugar tax, The fatal conceit
The share market speaks on the UK #sugartax @JulieAnneGenter @GreenCatherine
18 Mar 2016 Leave a comment
in economics of regulation, financial economics, health economics Tags: British economy, libertarian paternalism, meddlesome preferences, nanny state, sugar tax
The biggest drop was in a company that sold its sugar interests in 2009 so that was a rather within the day affair once traders realised their error.
British e-cigarette usage by current smoking status
21 Feb 2016 Leave a comment
in economics of regulation, health economics Tags: economics of smoking, meddlesome preferences, nanny state
The majority of smokers try an e-cigarette. To the extent to which an e-cigarette is a gateway drug to giving up smoking, that is important development.
Source: Office of National Statistics, E-cigarette use in Great Britain, 2015.
British e-cigarette usage, 2015
20 Feb 2016 Leave a comment
in economics of regulation, health economics Tags: economics of smoking, meddlesome preferences, nanny state
A many young people have tried an e-cigarette or have used one in the past.
Source: Office of National Statistics, E-cigarette use in Great Britain, 2015.
Gary Becker on the weak case for junk food taxes @JordNZ @dpfdpf
20 Feb 2016 Leave a comment
in economics of regulation, health economics, liberalism, politics - New Zealand, politics - USA Tags: do gooders, food police, junk food taxes, meddlesome preferences, nanny state, sugar taxes
Source: Gary Becker Fat Taxes, or Just Fat? | Hoover Institution (2010).
Most healthcare expenditures are in the last 3 to 6 months of life. Smokers and overeaters live shorter lives. This can save more than it costs to the health budget. That finding is sufficiently frequent as to put the fiscal case for junk food taxes and sugar taxes on the canvas but still with a chance of getting back up to fight on.
At a minimum, it makes junk food and sugar taxes a legitimate topic for honest disagreement. That is before you consider that people have the right to live their lives according to their own lights and make a few sometimes big mistakes along the way as part of finding their way.
Prohibition ended this day 1933
05 Dec 2015 Leave a comment
in economic history, economics of regulation, health economics, politics - USA Tags: alcohol prohibition, alcohol regulation, meddlesome preferences, nanny state, prohibition era
December 5th 1933 – The night they ended Prohibition http://t.co/OCxvyNfVIR—
Old Pics Archive (@oldpicsarchive) April 11, 2015
“Coddling U vs. Strengthening U" by @JonHaidt
10 Nov 2015 Leave a comment
in economics of education Tags: economics of personality traits, Jon Haidt, meddlesome preferences, nanny state, political correctness, political psychology
Smoking and lung cancer in the USA
07 Nov 2015 Leave a comment
in economic history, health economics Tags: economics of smoking, meddlesome preferences, nanny state
@MaxCRoser Actually did an update to 2010, but still same message http://t.co/R3Euppxhtq—
Bjorn Lomborg (@BjornLomborg) April 16, 2015
Utopia, you are standing in it! 
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