Megan McArdle writes disapprovingly of the minimum wage: Both at Crooked Timber, and in my own beloved comment threads, the suggestion has been made that the minimum wage is really swell because it gets rid of low-productivity jobs that only pay the minimum wage. This sounds lovely–if you are the kind of person who has the skills to get one of the higher productivity jobs. … Continue reading Updrafts
I wrote earlier about Pew research findings that Republicans are happier than Democrats, and, generally, conservatives are happier than liberals. Here was my explanation: I think it’s likely that happy people are more likely to be Republicans, while unhappy people are more likely to be Democrats, for unhappiness gives one an incentive to seek change, and happiness an incentive to resist it. But the causal … Continue reading Why Republicans Are Happier, Part II
Michael Goldfarb points out how amazing our current situation is: What if I told you in 2004 that the Democratic party would run an African American candidate for president in 2008? I tell you National Journal will officially label this candidate the most liberal member of the United States Senate. This candidate will also have served less than three years in that Senate, with no … Continue reading Reactions to Obama’s Speech
The National Association of Scholars has published a report on schools of social work throughout the country, finding that most are committed to ideological indoctrination rather than unbiased research: “Social work education is a national academic scandal.” Stephen Balch, NAS Director: Defenders of the American university claim that the seriousness of the problem of political correctness has been greatly exaggerated by critics. There is, however, … Continue reading Schools of Social Work
They have more money. But they don’t really have all that much more stuff: Looking at a far more direct measure of American families’ economic status — household consumption — indicates that the gap between rich and poor is far less than most assume, and that the abstract, income-based way in which we measure the so-called poverty rate no longer applies to our society. … … Continue reading The Rich Really are Different…
The Washington Post reports: Most studies show that wealthy people are marginally happier than poor ones. People with pets or children are no happier than those without. People with active sex lives are — surprise! — happier than those without. No single morsel of happiness data, though, is more intriguing than this: Republicans are happier than Democrats. A 2006 Pew Research poll found that 45 … Continue reading Why Republicans are Happier
Spain’s Popular Party has proposed that women receive tax breaks for… being women! Since parties to its left are likely to pile on board, Spain will soon have a tax system that discriminates on the basis of gender. There’s a radical feminist argument for this, but there’s also a utilitarian argument based on the Ramsey taxation principle: If the demand or supply of something is … Continue reading Should men pay higher taxes than women?
Victor Davis Hanson: I was watching on television last week both Barack Obama and his wife Michelle speak about the supposedly depression-like conditions in the US, and a people strapped by students loans, near hungry, and without hope of betterment. Neither said anything of substance, though both were engaging, effective speakers. Still, never has so much talent been invested in saying so little. If you … Continue reading Elite Populism
Many have noticed that the Social Security system is essentially a Ponzi scheme, a pyramid that depends on the entry of increasing numbers of people. People who entered the system early profited immensely. People entering it when I did are fated to receive poor returns, assuming the system survives. People entering it now—that means YOU, graduates!—are going to lose big. John Hinderaker notes that the … Continue reading Another Ponzi Scheme
Even though polygamy is illegal in Britain, residents who practice it can now get extra welfare benefits for their extra wives. Continue reading No Remorse– In Fact, Rewards
The View from Alexandria 