Greg Mankiw on one of the few things economists agree on: free trade. That's the problem. nyti.ms/1GrLisQ http://t.co/WrLuP3oBSW—
The Upshot (@UpshotNYT) April 25, 2015
Murphy’s Law of Economic Policy
26 Apr 2015 Leave a comment
in applied price theory, applied welfare economics, comparative institutional analysis, constitutional political economy, economic history, economics of bureaucracy, Public Choice, rentseeking Tags: Alan Blinder, evidence-based policy, expressive politics, free trade, protectionism, rational ignorance, rational irrationality, rent seeking
Worldviews and political views
26 Apr 2015 Leave a comment
in Public Choice Tags: expressive voting, political psychology, rational ignorance, rational irrationality
The UK Greens tax and spending plans
22 Apr 2015 Leave a comment
in income redistribution, Public Choice, public economics Tags: British general election, expressive voting, rational ignorance, rational irrationality, Uk Greens, UK politics
Are natural foods better if you are a anti-GM over activist?
16 Apr 2015 Leave a comment
in environmental economics, health economics Tags: activists, GMOs, Left-wing hypocrisy, rational ignorance, rational irrationality
The reasons of supporters & opponents of marijuana legalisation
15 Apr 2015 1 Comment
in economics of crime, health economics, law and economics, liberalism Tags: expressive voting, marijuana decriminalisation, meddlesome preferences, medical marijuana decriminalisation, rational ignorance, rational irrationality, voter demographics
Here are top reasons supporters & opponents of marijuana legalization give for their views pewrsr.ch/1PIaYUC http://t.co/hoPaMMQBXr—
Pew Research Center (@pewresearch) April 15, 2015
These rationales of thoroughly utilitarian and can actually be resolved by appeals to evidence. But the real reasons are the meddlesome preferences of the opponents of legalisation and the desire of the supporters of legalisation to smoke dope.
#Anti-Prohibition #demonstration in #Newark, #NewJersey, #1932 buff.ly/1GAEIOX #wewantbeer #beer #prohibition http://t.co/7Yr2ZjzHeN—
(@Pixxcell) April 06, 2015
Hillary is running as some sort of class war warrior against the big end of town
14 Apr 2015 Leave a comment
in income redistribution, politics - USA, Public Choice, rentseeking Tags: 2016 presidential election, campaign finance report form, expressive voting, Hillary Clinton, median voter theorem, rational ignorance, rational irrationality, special interests
Top 20 Hillary Clinton campaign contributors, 1999-2014, in case you were wondering. http://t.co/c8KTOkJ30X—
Downtown Josh Brown (@ReformedBroker) April 14, 2015
The NZ Greens want to introduce food stamps, but only for part of the year?!
12 Apr 2015 Leave a comment
in income redistribution, politics - New Zealand, politics - USA, poverty and inequality, Public Choice Tags: expressive voting, food stamps, Left-wing hypocrisy, rational ignorance, rational irrationality, school breakfast programs, soup kitchens, welfare reform, welfare state
The welfare state has a long history of providing some of its support to the needy in kind rather than in cash. This can range from soup kitchens to public housing as well as food stamps.
In the USA, food stamps provide provide food-purchasing assistance for low- and no-income people living. Food stamps can only be exchanged for food.
Instead of requiring the poor and needy to attend a soup kitchen, they can be given vouchers to buy food at supermarkets and take it home and cook at themselves. These days some sort of debit card system can be used where purchases are restricted to food at supermarkets and other participating retailers.
A close parallel with food stamps, properly understood, is free school breakfast programs. The welfare state is providing in-kind support to hungry children. This is done at school, to ensure that the children eat the meals.
Rather than rely on their parents to spend their welfare benefits and income support on food for their children, the food is given directly to the children when they arrive at school in the morning. In New Zealand, these free school breakfast programs are restricted to schools in low income areas.
There is a Feed the Kids Bill in Parliament sponsored by the Green Party. I have frequently criticised this proposal as it doesn’t provide breakfast to needy children at the weekends and school holidays. They are left to go hungry. Abandoned by their so called social justice champions through lack of imagination and self-awareness.
If children are showing up at school without their breakfast on a regular basis, their parents should reported that the child protection authorities for intervention. This can start with budget advice and assistance with applying for any additional and emergency financial support they are eligible for from Work and Income New Zealand.
Soup kitchens not only provides people with food, it provides various other assistance to help people to get back on their feet.
If you were proposing a food stamps program in New Zealand because children are going hungry, you’ll be laughed at if you suggested it should only apply the part of the year such as during the school term.
That is precisely what the Greens are doing. The only difference is how they are organised the provision of in-kind support to children, this case, food. Instead of their parents collecting a debit card that can only be used to buy food, the food is eaten by their children at school.
Symposium on Bryan Caplan’s The Myth of the Rational Voter
03 Apr 2015 Leave a comment
in Public Choice Tags: Bryan Caplan, expressive voting, Geoffrey Brennan, Mike Munger, rational ignorance, rational irrationality
https://youtu.be/k1pZHPIS8og?t=10
Recorded at Public Choice Society Meeting, March 7, 2008, San Antonio, TX.
- Chair: Randall Holcombe (Florida State University)
- Participants: Michael C Munger (Duke University)
- Art Carden (Rhodes College)
- Geoffrey Brennan (Australia National University)
- Bryan Caplan (George Mason University)
This admission has much wider application than Anarcho-communism
27 Mar 2015 Leave a comment
in applied price theory, Marxist economics Tags: expressive politics, expressive voting, Leftover Left, rational ignorance, rational irrationality
The Campaign To Make You Care About Climate Change Is Failing Miserably
27 Mar 2015 Leave a comment
in economic history, economics of media and culture, environmental economics, global warming, politics - USA, Public Choice Tags: climate alarmism, expressive voting, global warming, rational ignorance, rational irrationality
Since 1989, there’s been no significant change in the public’s concern level over global warming. To put this in perspective, note that the most expensive public-relations campaign in history—one that includes most governmental agencies, a long list of welfare-sucking corporations, the public school system, the universities, an infinite parade of celebrities, think tanks, well-funded environmental groups and an entire major political party—has, over the past 25 years or so, increased the number of Democrats who “worry greatly” about global warming by a mere four percentage points.
via The Campaign To Make You Care About Climate Change Is Failing Miserably, Climate Change Not a Top Worry in U.S., In U.S., Concern About Environmental Threats Eases and The number of people worried about climate change hasn’t changed since 1989 – The Washington Post.
In Defence of Negativity in Politics – John G. Geer
24 Mar 2015 Leave a comment
in economics of information, economics of media and culture, politics - Australia, politics - New Zealand, politics - USA, Public Choice Tags: Attack Ads, expressive voting, John G. Geer, political psychology, rational ignorance, rational irrationality
John G. Geer, author of In Defense of Negativity: Attack Ads in Presidential Campaigns, argues that negative ads are positive. They focus on important political issues and give voters critical information about differences between candidates. Attack ads do not degrade, but rather enrich the democratic process. When political candidates attack each other, they raise doubts about each other’s views and qualifications. Voters—and the democratic process—benefit from this clash of opinions.
The numbers behind any shift to a lower carbon economy simply don’t add up
24 Mar 2015 Leave a comment
in energy economics, environmental economics, global warming Tags: carbon trading, climate alarmism, expressive voting, global warming, Kyoto Protocol, power prices, rational ignorance, rational irrationality
Utopia, you are standing in it! 
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