Volcanoes are erupting in The Philippines, but on-fire Australia received some welcome rain. The Iran war cries have been called off and The Donald’s military powers are about to be hamstrung by the Senate. Meanwhile, his impeachment trial is starting, and we’re all on Twitter for a front-row seat.
12/17/2021
Opinion: The case against “creating jobs”
The infrastructure legislation that Joe Biden signed earlier this fall is formally known as the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, and it descends in some sense from the American Jobs Plan that the White House rolled out at the beginning of the year.
12/14/2021
Curtailing labor supply is a terrible way to boost wages
Strong demand for labor is good both because it allows continuously employed people to bargain for higher pay and better working conditions and also because it creates opportunities for people who might otherwise lack them due to prior problems with the law, mental health, substance abuse, discrimination, or disability.
12/08/2021
Opinion: Our public health agencies should follow the science
On dose-spacing, testing, and treatment recommendations, we’re behind the curve.
11/30/2021
Omicron is a reminder of how little we’re doing on pandemic prevention
In January of 2021, the Bipartisan Commission on Biodefense issued a proposal for an ambitious Apollo Program for Biodefense.
12/03/2021
Public opinion was very conservative in the 1990s
Lately, some people have suggested that the Democratic Party could use an ideological recalibration, specifically invoking the legacy of Bill Clinton and often the idea of a “Sister Souljah moment.”
11/29/2021
America should invest in its federal legislature
One of my most popular takes on Capitol Hill is that both members of Congress and their staff should be paid more, a take that is sadly not that popular with the mass public.
11/29/2021
America should invest in its federal legislature
One of my most popular takes on Capitol Hill is that both members of Congress and their staff should be paid more, a take that is sadly not that popular with the mass public.
11/22/2021
How to be an anti-racist
Diversity training doesn't work — here's some stuff that does.
11/15/2021
Expanded legal immigration is the ultimate supply side reform
Right now, a lot of people have a lot of money and want to buy a lot of stuff, which is good. But this is outstripping the economy’s productive potential, which is not good.
11/09/2021
“Critical Race Theory” and actual education policy, part two
In yesterday’s post I wrote about two recent trends in progressive education policy that have (rightly, I think) annoyed a lot of people: prolonged school closures and the view that standardized tests that show Black and Latino students doing worse than white and Asian ones reflect a failing of the tests rather than the school system.
11/02/2021
Energy innovation needs more than R&D
Back in September, voters in Norway — probably the most socialistic of the Nordic states — went to the polls, booted the incumbent right-wing coalition, and installed Labor Party leader Jonas Gahr Støre as the new prime minister.
08/12/2021