Economics

About a year ago, my friend Jennifer was mocking our current lack of school choice with this analogy to the Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program (SNAP): ...the system we have, wherein people are given food stamps to spend at whatever store they please, is FAR better than a system wherein poor people are only able to get food from ONE specified grocery store in … [Read more...] about America’s Harvest Box: Socialism for Republicans

I know I shouldn't be picking on left-leaning goofballs (because they're powerless these days, and all the damage is being done by the right) but Kate Aronoff at In These Times has written the dumbest thing I've seen yet about the Whitefish Energy scandal.The article is titled "Repulsed by Whitefish Energy? Maybe You Also Hate Capitalism." That sounds like it might be a … [Read more...] about The Dumbest Take Yet On the Whitefish Energy Scandal

Everybody seems to be making fun of Salon these days, and I think I'm beginning to understand why. Case in point: Marcy Wheeler's post about the recent GOP debates, responding to some of Rick Santorum's claims about insurance market consolidation under Obamacare: Santorum claimed to be a lot less worried about consolidation in the watery beer market because, “There’s no town … [Read more...] about Free (Brewing of) Beer

The New York Times has a fascinating story by Sarah Maslin Nir about conditions in New York nail salons. According to her, thousands of immigrant nail technicians are being exploited by salon owners.As if on cue, cavalcades of battered Ford Econoline vans grumble to the curbs, and the women jump in. It is the start of another workday for legions of New York City’s … [Read more...] about Some Questions to Ask About Those New York Nail Salons

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