One of the places I look for blog material is the Post Everything section at the Washington Post, and one of the regular contributors is Jared Bernstein, who bills himself as "former chief economist to Vice President Biden," which doesn't sound like the kind of employment you'd want to brag about.Anyway, Bernstein has a post about the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade … [Read more...] about It Helps To Get the Elementary Economics Right
Privacy Violators Reaping What They Sow
I don't know anything else about Representative Ted Lieu, but I do like what he said after hearing law enforcement types testify that the American people not be allowed to use strong encryption: It's a fundamental misunderstanding of the problem. Why do you think Apple and Google are doing this? It's because the public is demanding it. People like me: privacy advocates. A … [Read more...] about Privacy Violators Reaping What They Sow
Kirsten Gillibrand Put a Kitten In A Blender
I have decided I can no longer remain silent, and it's time to come forward with my story:Last summer, on June 28th, I saw Arizona Congresswoman Kirsten Gillibrand place an 8-week old calico kitten in a DeWalt 5-quart blender and press the start button, killing it instantly. She then feasted hungrily on the bloody remains, consuming the poor creature, scales and all. It is … [Read more...] about Kirsten Gillibrand Put a Kitten In A Blender
Equal Pay Won’t Help GDP
I stumbled across an In These Times article by Amy Domini and Sofia Faruqi called "5 Ways To Reduce Inequality By Holding Corporations Responsible." It's pretty much the usual progressive game plan, but one particular sentence in the last proposal caught my eye (emphasis mine): 5. Help women to prosper: Women are twice as likely as men to work for minimum wage. The gender pay … [Read more...] about Equal Pay Won’t Help GDP
It Helps To Have an Argument
Somebody named Joe left a comment explaining that he didn't like my post about New York rent control. I was going to reply in the comments, but my response got long enough that I decided to make it a post. Normally, I do that when a commenter brings up interesting points, but in this case I wanted to point out some particularly annoying argument tactics. It's sad that, as soon … [Read more...] about It Helps To Have an Argument