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Tag Archives: Steven Landsburg
Much ado about rubbers?
In this post, I wrote why I think cost benefit analyses suck. Here HHS bureaucrat Kathleen Sebelius gives a great example of a bad cost benefit analysis. She explains: The reduction in the number of pregnancies [from forced contraceptive coverage] compensates … Continue reading
Posted in Government, Health Care, Politics, Power of Incentives
Tagged Birth control, Georgetown, Kathleen Sebelius, Obamacare, Steven Landsburg
9 Comments
Jacob Marley is a good salesman
So was Charles Dickens. I agree with Charles Rowley that Jacob Marley simply re-framed generosity for Ebenezer so that it appealed to his self-interest. And it seems that Dickens’ story has lived for over 150 years, retold in many different … Continue reading
Posted in Value Proposition
Tagged Charles Dickens, Christmas, Christmas Carol, Dickens, Ebenezer Scrooge, Scrooge, Steven Landsburg
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Third time’s a charm
I had one of those third time’s a charm moments this week. 1st Time: On his blog, Idiot’s Collective, Aaron McKenzie asks What Would It Take to Change Your Mind? I started this blog to catalog the things that changed … Continue reading
Posted in Changing Minds, Critical Thinking, Debate
Tagged EconTalk, Harvard Business Review, Jenny McCarthy, Steven Landsburg
1 Comment
Who controls the capital?
As I wrote here, this isn’t a blog about Ronald Reagan. It’s a blog inspired by a quote from Reagan. But, chapter seven in F.A. Hayek’s The Fatal Conceit, entitled Our Poisoned Language, reminded me of my second favorite quote … Continue reading
Posted in Bookmarks, Capitalism, Emergent Order, Government, Liberty, Markets, Trade
Tagged F.A. Hayek, Ronald Reagan, Steven Landsburg
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Great Explanation of QE2
Here’s the best explanation I’ve seen on Quantitative Easing from Steven Landsburg. I recommend reading the whole post, but if you are curious about what exactly QE is, here it is in a nutshell: They’re creating 600 billion new dollars … Continue reading
Restore Sanity? II
At about the 8:30 mark in John Stewart’s closing speech at his rally last Saturday, he starts a segment with: We do impossible things, only made possible by the little, reasonable compromises we all make. He then shows video of … Continue reading
Posted in Critical Thinking, Debate, Feedback, Government, Liberty, Markets, Politics
Tagged Don Boudreaux, Jon Stewart, rally, Steven Landsburg
2 Comments
Steven Landsburg on Trade Deficits
On page 205 of his book More Sex is Safer Sex, Steven Landsburg offers and excellent explanation on why we shouldn’t be concerned about trade deficits: Here’s the final thing to keep in mind when you read about the nation’s … Continue reading
Posted in Bookmarks, Economics, Liberty, Markets, Reading Recommendations
Tagged More Sex is Safer Sex, Steven Landsburg, Trade deficits
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“Delight in Losing Arguments”
In his book The Big Questions, Steven Landsburg offers valuable advice (p. 235): Argue passionately for your beliefs; listen intently to your adversaries, and root for yourself to lose. When you lose, you’ve learned something. Rooting for yourself to lose … Continue reading
Posted in Changing Minds, Critical Thinking, Debate, Feedback, Trial and Error
Tagged advice, argument, Debate, Steven Landsburg, The Big Questions
3 Comments
Stagnant Wages! Really?
A commenter on Cafe Hayek this week lamented about stagnant wages. While it’s unclear whether the comment was based on fact or the commenter’s gut feel, it did remind me of this passage from Steven Landsburg’s book More Sex is … Continue reading
Here’s the new thing I learned today
On this blog, The Big Questions, Steven Landsburg explains how we incorrectly view taxes on capital gains and interest in today’s post, Getting it Right. We normally view income from capital gains and interest the same as income from wages. … Continue reading
