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alphie
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1 month ago
in What’s Wrong With Empathy? on Will Wilkinson
"It’s stupid, but politics is stupid."
No, it's the Republicans who are stupid.
What's more, I'd wager they lower the average I.Q. of all Americans by at least ten points.
No, it's the Republicans who are stupid.
What's more, I'd wager they lower the average I.Q. of all Americans by at least ten points.
2 replies
GilM
Do you mean just by being counted in the average, or because they cause others' IQ's to drop that much?
I'm sure you'd lose your wager either way, but I was just curious about how far below average you were.
I'm sure you'd lose your wager either way, but I was just curious about how far below average you were.
3 months ago
in The Opportunity Cost of the Bailouts on Will Wilkinson
Haha, knb,
On a scale of 1 to 10 (10 being, say, Ghandi), exactly how "influential and widely respected" would you say Richard Florida is?
On a scale of 1 to 10 (10 being, say, Ghandi), exactly how "influential and widely respected" would you say Richard Florida is?
1 reply
knb
With 1 being blog commenters (having zero influence and no respect) and 10 being Ghandi (maximum respect)? I would say Florida is probably a 7-8.
In case you actually are unfamiliar with Florida, he did popularize the notion of the "creative class", and written several well received books. Honestly, how high are your standards for being blog-post worthy. If Tucker Carlson is worthy of a blog post (and I think hes is), then Richard Florida is as well.
In case you actually are unfamiliar with Florida, he did popularize the notion of the "creative class", and written several well received books. Honestly, how high are your standards for being blog-post worthy. If Tucker Carlson is worthy of a blog post (and I think hes is), then Richard Florida is as well.
3 months ago
in The Opportunity Cost of the Bailouts on Will Wilkinson
"The auto and auto-related industries suffer from massive over-capacity and must shrink.
"The auto and auto-related industries suffer from massive over-capacity and must shrink.
The housing bubble not only helped spur the financial crisis, it also produced an enormous mis-allocation of resources. Housing prices must come a lot further down before we can reset the economy - and consumer demand - for a new round of growth."
Florida doesn't have a very good understanding of how markets work, does he?
The next new model from Detroit could touch off a buying frenzy for it worldwide.
Will, where do you dredge up these loons?
"The auto and auto-related industries suffer from massive over-capacity and must shrink.
The housing bubble not only helped spur the financial crisis, it also produced an enormous mis-allocation of resources. Housing prices must come a lot further down before we can reset the economy - and consumer demand - for a new round of growth."
Florida doesn't have a very good understanding of how markets work, does he?
The next new model from Detroit could touch off a buying frenzy for it worldwide.
Will, where do you dredge up these loons?
2 replies
uknowbetter
alphie, have you ever taken an economics class or read an economics text in your life?
Do you even know what 'opportunity cost' is?
Do you think 'how markets work' is that a company should never go out of business and instead should get money from the government to continue running a crappy company?
Do you realize how many people get screwed over because the government is propping up housing prices?
Do you even know what 'opportunity cost' is?
Do you think 'how markets work' is that a company should never go out of business and instead should get money from the government to continue running a crappy company?
Do you realize how many people get screwed over because the government is propping up housing prices?
knb
Right or wrong, someone as influential and widely respected as Richard Florida certainly does not need to be "dredged up".
3 months ago
in New at Cato Unbound: Lott Replies to Loury on Will Wilkinson
Looking over the raw ICVS crime data, Lott sure picked some odd stats for the tables in his piece:
http://rechten.uvt.nl/icvs/pdffiles/ICVS2004_05...
It's appears that he cherry-picked outlier data to "prove" his point that "the U.S. looks remarkably safe."
The 2003-2004 survey (table 12) puts the U.S. sexual assault rate at the very top of all countries surveyed, for example.
http://rechten.uvt.nl/icvs/pdffiles/ICVS2004_05...
It's appears that he cherry-picked outlier data to "prove" his point that "the U.S. looks remarkably safe."
The 2003-2004 survey (table 12) puts the U.S. sexual assault rate at the very top of all countries surveyed, for example.
1 reply
Dave
Nice work. I'd call Lott's claims on crime rates totally busted.
It is interesting that the US does have a relatively low robbery rate (right now). But with the sexual assault rate the highest, and the assault/threat rate also pretty high, the low robbery rate could just be random or an artifact.
It is interesting that the US does have a relatively low robbery rate (right now). But with the sexual assault rate the highest, and the assault/threat rate also pretty high, the low robbery rate could just be random or an artifact.
3 months ago
in Hello? Excuse Me! Brrrring… Anybody Home? on Will Wilkinson
Haha, uknow.
Stock market up three days in a row.
If this continues, U, Will and the other squealers will be known as shrill chicken littles.
Try a little optimism instead of always looking for something nonsensical to complain about.
Stock market up three days in a row.
If this continues, U, Will and the other squealers will be known as shrill chicken littles.
Try a little optimism instead of always looking for something nonsensical to complain about.
1 reply
uknowbetter
Increasing the debt and deficit to unprecedented levels is nonsensical to complain about?
Why don't you go dig up FDR's skeleton and go play with it, little boy?
Why don't you go dig up FDR's skeleton and go play with it, little boy?
3 months ago
in Hello? Excuse Me! Brrrring… Anybody Home? on Will Wilkinson
Will and his kind have yet to offer up any substantial, fact-based criticism of Obama, knb.
It's been more on the level of junior-high school girls deciding which bands they like and which they don't like, as opposed to criticizing Bush's flagrant and obvious violations of the Constitution.
Fortunately, the American public seems to be much more mature than Obama's critics.
It's been more on the level of junior-high school girls deciding which bands they like and which they don't like, as opposed to criticizing Bush's flagrant and obvious violations of the Constitution.
Fortunately, the American public seems to be much more mature than Obama's critics.
1 reply
uknowbetter
You are so deep in the kool-aid.
3 months ago
in Pitching In on Will Wilkinson
"Labor has economic value only."
I suppose the obvious question is: How did all those Wall Street bankers earn millions by losing billions?
The banks probably could have hired rabid chimps as CEOs and done better for much less money.
I suppose the obvious question is: How did all those Wall Street bankers earn millions by losing billions?
The banks probably could have hired rabid chimps as CEOs and done better for much less money.
1 reply
Paul_G_Brown
The banks probably could have hired rabid chimps as CEOs and done better for much less money.
Well obviously the problem was government interference in the market for CEO labor.
Edit to Add: Of course, we are overlooking the possibility of an extreme shortage in the supply of rabid chimps ....
Well obviously the problem was government interference in the market for CEO labor.
Edit to Add: Of course, we are overlooking the possibility of an extreme shortage in the supply of rabid chimps ....
3 months ago
in False Package Deals on Will Wilkinson
"Finally, if we are to win the battle that is now going on around the world between freedom and tyranny, the dramatic achievements in space which occurred in recent weeks should have made clear to us all, as did the Sputnik in 1957, the impact of this adventure on the minds of men everywhere, who are attempting to make a determination of which road they should take."
Hearts and minds.
Also:
"Third, an additional 50 million dollars will make the most of our present leadership, by accelerating the use of space satellites for world-wide communications. "
Oh, yeah...and this, too:
"Fourth, an additional 75 million dollars--of which 53 million dollars is for the Weather Bureau--will help give us at the earliest possible time a satellite system for world-wide weather observation. "
-John F. Adolescent
Hearts and minds.
Also:
"Third, an additional 50 million dollars will make the most of our present leadership, by accelerating the use of space satellites for world-wide communications. "
Oh, yeah...and this, too:
"Fourth, an additional 75 million dollars--of which 53 million dollars is for the Weather Bureau--will help give us at the earliest possible time a satellite system for world-wide weather observation. "
-John F. Adolescent
1 reply
Steve C
Libertarian response:
Hearts and minds: worth $0
Weather & communications satellites: sitting here in my chair, I just thought up a theory about how this could have been privatized, therefore it was a bad idea.
Hearts and minds: worth $0
Weather & communications satellites: sitting here in my chair, I just thought up a theory about how this could have been privatized, therefore it was a bad idea.
On the off chance that you're anything but an obnoxious troll, read it and weep. Democrats 99, Republicans 112.