Private investors were begging governments to borrow more money in 2015. Interest rates were extremely low: Government debt cannot significantly be a significant burden when interest rates are that low. For example, when interest rates are zero, there is no…
Yearly Archives: 2018
Keep marriage within the family?
Robin Fox believes that 80% of all marriages in all of history were between second cousins or closer relatives, but that has been changing rapidly since the advent of industrialization. Today, only about 10% of marriages are consanguineous. Little of…
Posted in Labor
Naming aspirations
If “A rose by any other name would smell as sweet,” does it matter what names we have? Rafael Cruz thinks so. He is better known by his nickname, Ted Cruz, the 2016 presidential candidate from Texas who prefers a stereotypically Anglo name, Ted,…
Posted in Discrimination, Labor
The mistaken libertarian/anarchist theology underpinning bitcoin and other blockchain currencies
Ian Bogost writes that Cryptocurrency Might be a Path to Authoritarianism. You should read the full article for full effect, but he says that “Extreme libertarians built blockchain to decentralize government and corporate power,” but he warns that blockchain could…
Posted in Macro, Public Finance
Lost secrets of happiness or at least avoiding depression
Tim Harford reviewed a new book, The Origins of Happiness, which argues that happiness should guide government policy. Richard Layard has long argued that depression is an avoidable disease which should be one of the top health priorities of government. Unfortunately,…
Posted in Health
If #Pence2018, then is Trump Guilty? Does Trump deserve impeachment?
We already know that Trump deserves impeachment. He has admitted to obstruction of justice involving a known Russian crime that his top advisors and family members are guilty of being accessories to. Done. That is worse than the stain on…
Posted in Pence2018
#Pence2018: Staying where things are cool and clean while Trump burns down the White House
Pence is diplomatic enough to be able to meet with enemy leaders and mentally stable enough to be able to avoid rash diplomatic accidents. [Pence] agreed to a secret meeting with North Korean officials while in South Korea at the…
Posted in Pence2018
Medianism 