Category: economics
Are Guidance Counselors Superfluous?
The Arlington Central School District sends out a newsletter every now and again — oddly enough around budget season. This time it includes a piece titled...
A Little Less Help, Please
For those of you not paying attention, fuel costs are up. This change in circumstances changes the calculation of which mode of operation is optimal. In the cas...
I Spent My Last $10 on Birth Control, and Beer
The bagel shop is raising prices. The pizza place is raising prices. And a six-pack of my favorite beer has just passed $10 at the grocer. What, you may ask, am...
You Made Your Bed, Now Lie in It
I read Joel Spolsky’s “Martian Headsets” post a while back, in which he discusses Microsoft’s about-face with regards to Internet Explor...
Here We Go Again
School budget season has started. This year’s spending increase: 7.2%.
Mandating Health Insurance Will Increase Costs
Providing a health care subsidy or mandating the purchase of health insurance will artificially increase demand which, assuming supply remains constant, will ra...
Counterdisintermediation, in an attempt to remain relevant
A famous character once opined, Never underestimate the power of human stupidity. The executives at ABC are determined to prove that axiom by launching a video-...
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A Fool and His Money
I’ve an urge to run an advertisement counter to H&R Block‘s refund anticipation loan ads: Wait; you’ll get more money. Though I suppose th...
Simple Economics Too Complicated for Lou Dobbs?
I walked past a television at the hospital today, and Lou Dobbs was bemoaning that families could no longer afford college, though I’m sure his can. It se...
Pfaltzgraff disappointments
When we were married, we received a Pfaltzgraff service for eight in the Yorktowne pattern. Over the years, we’ve lost pieces to various calamities, mostl...
Mice or Men?
Randall O’Toole‘s latest book, The Best-Laid Plans: How Government Planning Harms Your Quality of Life, Your Pocketbook, and Your Future argues that...
The Problem of Health Care Costs
When did medical insurance become someone else paying your bills instead of a way to reduce the risk of illness?
Trade-offs
The troubling fact is that taking a lot of exercise and then eating a bit more food is not good for the global atmosphere. Eating less and driving to save energ...
Telephony Substitutes for Transportation
One oddity of visiting my family in Virginia is that there’s little to no cellular phone coverage in Highland County. This is partially due to the landsca...
School Budget Season
The board of the Arlington Central School District approved yet another year of increased spending. I’m sure their hands were tied by the contract negotia...
The Powerlessness of the School District Budget Process
On Tuesday, voters defeated most of the proposed school district budgets in Dutchess County. The New York State Education Department, however, said that state-w...