Category Archives: Economics and the like

Short-Term Unemployment Is At Normal Levels, But Long-Term Unemployment Is Killing Us

Posted on March 10, 2014 by Ampersand

This graph from today’s 2014 Economic Report of the President is worth considering. The current elevation of the unemployment rate is entirely due to long-term unemployment. In December 2013, the unemployment rate for workers unemployed 26 weeks or less fell … Continue reading →

Posted in Economics and the like | 3 Comments

Want Fewer Heroin Deaths And Users? Give Addicts Heroin For Free

Posted on February 3, 2014 by Ampersand

Well, for free under very controlled circumstances. From a blog post by “M.S.” on The Economist: But we do have a good idea of how to stop more people from destroying themselves specifically with heroin injection, which has a higher … Continue reading →

Posted in Health Care and Related Issues, Prisons and Justice and Police | 17 Comments

Obama Lied, And He Deserves To Be Slammed For It

Posted on November 7, 2013 by Ampersand

Ezra Klein sums it up well: President Obama promised that “if you like your plan, you can keep it.” This is true for the vast majority of Americans, but the small fraction for whom it isn’t true still represent millions … Continue reading →

Posted in Elections and politics, Health Care and Related Issues, In the news | 80 Comments

Decent Debate About Health Care Going On At Ethics Alarms

Posted on October 7, 2013 by Ampersand

I’m having a surprisingly decent debate about healthcare (Obamacare, etc) over at Ethics Alarms, in a thread called The Ethics Of Demanding Charity. Robert is participating too. Check it out, if you like. Below the cut: One of my comments. … Continue reading →

Posted in Health Care and Related Issues | 15 Comments

Cartoon: The Federal Budget Is Just Like Your Family’s Budget!

Posted on August 28, 2013 by Ampersand

[spoiler]Two women are talking, who I will call “Black Dress” and “Sneakers,” respectively. Panel 1 BLACK DRESS: The Federal government’s budget is just like a family budget! SNEAKERS: Really? Your family prints its own currency? Panel 2 BLACK DRESS: Well, … Continue reading →

Posted in Cartooning & comics, Economics and the like | 7 Comments

CNBC Uses Copyright Claim To Block Viral Elizabeth Warren Video

Posted on July 19, 2013 by Ampersand

From AmericaBlog: Earlier this week, Democratic Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) went on CNBC last Friday to debate the Glass-Steagall banking regulations that were adopted in 1933, and her proposal to update and strengthen the law in a way that would … Continue reading →

Posted in Economics and the like, Free speech, censorship, copyright law, etc. | 20 Comments

Another Red State Protects Car Dealerships From Competition

Posted on May 14, 2013 by Ampersand

In North Carolina, a senate committee has unanimously passed a law which would prevent Tesla, a manufacturer of high-end electric autos, from selling to any North Carolina resident. The bill still has to pass the full Senate and the House, … Continue reading →

Posted in Economics and the like, In the news | 34 Comments

The minimum wage and teenagers

Posted on May 6, 2013 by Ampersand

In another thread, JutGory writes: What often gets left out of this discussion are the minimum wage workers who don’t need to pay for rent: unskilled teenagers with no work history. As some have suggested, there are people whose labor … Continue reading →

Posted in Economics and the like, Minimum Wage | 21 Comments

Cartoon: The Minimum Wage Versus The Earned Income Tax Credit

Posted on May 1, 2013 by Ampersand

[spoiler] The cartoon shows two people arguing, a young woman with her hair in a ponytail, and an older man wearing a suit. PANEL 1 WOMAN: We need to help low-income workers, we should raise the minimum wage! MAN (thoughtfully): … Continue reading →

Posted in Cartooning & comics, Economics and the like, Minimum Wage | 28 Comments

Unemployment is not primarily a matter of individual responsibility

Posted on April 9, 2013 by Ampersand

David Blankenhorn wrote: Here’s another one of the ads (and this one blew me away): [Image shows a subway ad, produced by the New York City government, which says “If you finish high school, get a job, and get married … Continue reading →

Posted in Economics and the like | 88 Comments