The WSJ today reports that protectionist measures are rising world wide, which will result in a 10% decrease in global trade in 2009. Smoot-Hawley lives, apparently.
Trade is Good!!! TRADE IS GOOD!!!
Monday, September 14, 2009
Better than watching football.
Since it appears that my Buffalo Bills are about to embark on a 16 game march towards the number 1 draft pick, it might be a good idea for me to find something to do on Sundays that is better than watching football. Even though the Bills don't play until this evening, I did one of those things yesterday.
It had been a few years since I'd gone up to Rocky Mountain National Park for Elk Bugling season. Every Fall, the male elk round up as many females for mating purposes as possible by letting out a loud, high-pitched noise and showing off their racks. If you've never been in Colorado for this, you need to come and check it out.
Yesterday we had a great day of elk watching. First, on the way to the park we happened upon 4 young bighorn sheep, enjoying the grass along the side of the road. Then, while we were on a short hike before elk time (they tend to become most active a little before dusk) a good size, brightly colored red fox ran about 10 feet away from us. So, we had already chalked up some bonus critters before the elk show even started.
Not only did we see a bunch of large elk belting out their mating noise, but we also saw 2 young males going antler to antler in a process they apparently do to show off to the young ladies what good mating partners they are. This looks kind of like a couple of wrestlers locked head to head. It is pretty common to see the elk bugle, but not all that common to happen upon he antler wrestling.
We also saw a few females who switched guys......when we first saw them they were with one male, but they then wandered across the street to another dude, who then chased off the other males around.
Nature. Pretty cool stuff. If only there had been a guy with a telestrator and instant replay to explain it to us.
It had been a few years since I'd gone up to Rocky Mountain National Park for Elk Bugling season. Every Fall, the male elk round up as many females for mating purposes as possible by letting out a loud, high-pitched noise and showing off their racks. If you've never been in Colorado for this, you need to come and check it out.
Yesterday we had a great day of elk watching. First, on the way to the park we happened upon 4 young bighorn sheep, enjoying the grass along the side of the road. Then, while we were on a short hike before elk time (they tend to become most active a little before dusk) a good size, brightly colored red fox ran about 10 feet away from us. So, we had already chalked up some bonus critters before the elk show even started.
Not only did we see a bunch of large elk belting out their mating noise, but we also saw 2 young males going antler to antler in a process they apparently do to show off to the young ladies what good mating partners they are. This looks kind of like a couple of wrestlers locked head to head. It is pretty common to see the elk bugle, but not all that common to happen upon he antler wrestling.
We also saw a few females who switched guys......when we first saw them they were with one male, but they then wandered across the street to another dude, who then chased off the other males around.
Nature. Pretty cool stuff. If only there had been a guy with a telestrator and instant replay to explain it to us.
Thursday, September 10, 2009
Looking at problems from another angle
Two stories in today's NYT that deal with different but important issues, but take an approach to them that differs from what Congress is debating.
First is an op-ed piece by Micheal Pollan, a healthy diet guru who has authored several books on the crap that we eat. He would like to see the horrible diet of Americans added to the health care debate. In particular, he is rightfully upset over the fact that our tax dollars subsidize the production of corn, which becomes high-fructose corn syrup, which is incredibly bad for us.
Clearly, eating better will not cure all the ills of our health care system, but it sure would help. We subsidize corn, which is not good for us, but not broccoli. In other words, our tax dollars go to making us less healthy, which then costs us more in health care. Could we be more stupid?
Meanwhile, Congress is also debating a "cap and trade" system to reduce greenhouse gasses that cause global warming. A story in the Times business section notes that some countries in Europe, which has had a cap and trade system for several years, are now considering taxing carbon emissions directly instead. The first line in the story says it all:
It is clear that a tax is a much more fair and simple way to decrease carbon emissions than cap and trade. But since merely saying the word "tax" will cost an American politician his next election, we will instead get a costly, ineffective, and probably corrupt system instead. And it will allow politicians to give out the right to pollute to the industries in their districts. We need to realize that "TAX" is not a bad word when placed on something that is clearly bad for society (we call that "negative externalities" in econ talk!).
First is an op-ed piece by Micheal Pollan, a healthy diet guru who has authored several books on the crap that we eat. He would like to see the horrible diet of Americans added to the health care debate. In particular, he is rightfully upset over the fact that our tax dollars subsidize the production of corn, which becomes high-fructose corn syrup, which is incredibly bad for us.
But so far, food system reform has not figured in the national conversation about health care reform. And so the government is poised to go on encouraging America’s fast-food diet with its farm policies even as it takes on added responsibilities for covering the medical costs of that diet. To put it more bluntly, the government is putting itself in the uncomfortable position of subsidizing both the costs of treating Type 2 diabetes and the consumption of high-fructose corn syrup.
Clearly, eating better will not cure all the ills of our health care system, but it sure would help. We subsidize corn, which is not good for us, but not broccoli. In other words, our tax dollars go to making us less healthy, which then costs us more in health care. Could we be more stupid?
Meanwhile, Congress is also debating a "cap and trade" system to reduce greenhouse gasses that cause global warming. A story in the Times business section notes that some countries in Europe, which has had a cap and trade system for several years, are now considering taxing carbon emissions directly instead. The first line in the story says it all:
Economists have long seen a carbon tax as a good idea because of its simplicity: Polluters pay at a level that is set by decree.
It is clear that a tax is a much more fair and simple way to decrease carbon emissions than cap and trade. But since merely saying the word "tax" will cost an American politician his next election, we will instead get a costly, ineffective, and probably corrupt system instead. And it will allow politicians to give out the right to pollute to the industries in their districts. We need to realize that "TAX" is not a bad word when placed on something that is clearly bad for society (we call that "negative externalities" in econ talk!).
Monday, September 7, 2009
Stuff you might have missed this weekend.
While you were out enjoying the Labor Day weekend, we here at The Tall Thin Guy were diligently scouring the intellectual world for important work......okay, we were mostly drinking beer, but we did stumble across 2 interesting pieces in the online print media that are well worth reading.
First and foremost is Paul Krugman's article in the NY Times Magazine section called "How did Economists Get It So Wrong". This is a long but interesting story about the history of macroeconomics, and will leave you with the impression that these guys have no idea what they are talking about. He's particularly harsh on the Chicago school of Economics, the true believers that markets are always right despite all the evidence to the contrary. Worth the time to read it. It will give you an idea how dismal the Dismal Science really is.
And if you weren't frightened by the idea of President Sarah Palin already, you need to read Max Blumenthal's article from The Daily Beast "Inside Sarah's Church". If you can read this and still not conclude that she is batshit crazy, then you may just be batshit crazy yourself. Frightening!
Hope your holiday weekend was more festive than mine.
First and foremost is Paul Krugman's article in the NY Times Magazine section called "How did Economists Get It So Wrong". This is a long but interesting story about the history of macroeconomics, and will leave you with the impression that these guys have no idea what they are talking about. He's particularly harsh on the Chicago school of Economics, the true believers that markets are always right despite all the evidence to the contrary. Worth the time to read it. It will give you an idea how dismal the Dismal Science really is.
And if you weren't frightened by the idea of President Sarah Palin already, you need to read Max Blumenthal's article from The Daily Beast "Inside Sarah's Church". If you can read this and still not conclude that she is batshit crazy, then you may just be batshit crazy yourself. Frightening!
Hope your holiday weekend was more festive than mine.
Thursday, September 3, 2009
Portugal's success with liberalized drug laws
I have been harping on health care for a while, and ignoring one of my other favorite subjects, our moronic war on drugs. The Economist has a story this week about a report from the Cato Institute claiming that things have improved in many ways in the 8 years since Portugal decriminalized drugs. More addicts feel comfortable getting treatments, AIDS cases among drug users is down, and there has been no rise in drug usage as a result. In Portugal now, drug users are treated as people with a disease that needs treatment, not criminals. Read the Economist story here.
Or, you can read the complete Cato Institute report HERE. Here is a quote from the summary at the beginning of the report:
One weakness of this report is that it contains no data on the amounts of money spent by taxpayers under the current system as opposed to before decriminalization. It would be interesting to know if Portugal is getting these results and also spending less taxpayer money on drug issues, as one might guess.
I am not in agreement with the libertarians at the Cato Institute on too many issues, but when it comes to the war on drugs, these guys are right on the mark.
Or, you can read the complete Cato Institute report HERE. Here is a quote from the summary at the beginning of the report:
decriminalization has had no adverse effect on drug usage rates in Portugal, which, in numerous categories, are now among the lowest in the EU, particularly when compared with states with stringent criminalization regimes. Although postdecriminalization usage rates have remained roughly the same or even decreased slightly when compared with other EU states, drug-related pathologies — such as sexually transmitted diseases and deaths due to drug usage — have decreased dramatically. Drug policy experts attribute those positive trends to the enhanced ability of the Portuguese government to offer treatment programs to its citizens — enhancements made possible, for numerous reasons, by decriminalization.
One weakness of this report is that it contains no data on the amounts of money spent by taxpayers under the current system as opposed to before decriminalization. It would be interesting to know if Portugal is getting these results and also spending less taxpayer money on drug issues, as one might guess.
I am not in agreement with the libertarians at the Cato Institute on too many issues, but when it comes to the war on drugs, these guys are right on the mark.
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
Smoke gets in your eyes......from far away!
It's been very hazy here on the usually sunny and clear Front Range of Colorado the past few days. Yesterday when I was out riding I thought that the sky last looked as it did when we were having large fires in nearby forests.
Well, it turns out I was right. The Daily Camera reports that the haze covering Boulder is the result of smoke getting into the jetstream and being swept here from Utah and California fires. In fact, it is enough smoke for it to be unhealthy for some folks to go outside.
This is a reminder that in matters of the environment, there is no such thing as a local issue. You burn coal in Wyoming, it effects people everywhere. You pollute the river in Pittsburgh, and it pollutes the water everywhere. You cut down your forest, and it raises the temperature all over the world. Some people think all decisions like this should be local, but that is ridiculous. We are all on this planet together, and we impact each other with our actions.
Finally, the comic Prickly City is picking on Economists this week. I can't get it to embed properly, so you can enjoy it HERE.
Well, it turns out I was right. The Daily Camera reports that the haze covering Boulder is the result of smoke getting into the jetstream and being swept here from Utah and California fires. In fact, it is enough smoke for it to be unhealthy for some folks to go outside.
This is a reminder that in matters of the environment, there is no such thing as a local issue. You burn coal in Wyoming, it effects people everywhere. You pollute the river in Pittsburgh, and it pollutes the water everywhere. You cut down your forest, and it raises the temperature all over the world. Some people think all decisions like this should be local, but that is ridiculous. We are all on this planet together, and we impact each other with our actions.
Finally, the comic Prickly City is picking on Economists this week. I can't get it to embed properly, so you can enjoy it HERE.
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
A Scary Moment and Advice from an Economist
2 things today that are not at all connected:
First, earlier today I witnessed a woman fall off her bike while riding down the hill near my house. Well, I didn't really witness it, I heard it. I was riding up the hill with my head down, and she was riding down when I heard a thud, looked up, and saw her lying face down in the street about 100 yards away. A woman working in her yard got to here before me, and I quickly pulled out my phone and called 911, even before I saw the blood on her head. She hadn't moved in the time it took me to ride up to her. By the time the paramedics arrived, she had rolled over and was breathing, but didn't know her name or what happened. I am pretty sure she had a concussion, but did not appear to injured anywhere else. None of us actually saw her fall, so we don't know what made her go down, but there was nothing in the road she would have hit, and no other vehicles near her. We did, however, notice her I-phone lying in the street next to her. I see far too many people using their phones to talk or text while riding their bikes, or driving their cars.
On a happier note, Fiona sent me this story from NPR "Pricelss Advice from "The Undercover Economist". This guy writes an advice column in the Financial Times, giving advice about every day issues to folks from an Economists perspective. You may want to pay particular attention to his advice about choosing the right gift, siting the classic Deadweight Loss of Xmas. I have added a link to his column on the right.
First, earlier today I witnessed a woman fall off her bike while riding down the hill near my house. Well, I didn't really witness it, I heard it. I was riding up the hill with my head down, and she was riding down when I heard a thud, looked up, and saw her lying face down in the street about 100 yards away. A woman working in her yard got to here before me, and I quickly pulled out my phone and called 911, even before I saw the blood on her head. She hadn't moved in the time it took me to ride up to her. By the time the paramedics arrived, she had rolled over and was breathing, but didn't know her name or what happened. I am pretty sure she had a concussion, but did not appear to injured anywhere else. None of us actually saw her fall, so we don't know what made her go down, but there was nothing in the road she would have hit, and no other vehicles near her. We did, however, notice her I-phone lying in the street next to her. I see far too many people using their phones to talk or text while riding their bikes, or driving their cars.
On a happier note, Fiona sent me this story from NPR "Pricelss Advice from "The Undercover Economist". This guy writes an advice column in the Financial Times, giving advice about every day issues to folks from an Economists perspective. You may want to pay particular attention to his advice about choosing the right gift, siting the classic Deadweight Loss of Xmas. I have added a link to his column on the right.
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