Reverse Musical Chairs

One of the main problems with selling housing deregulation is the perception that new construction “only benefits the rich.”  Rich developers of course, but also rich home-buyers.  It’s easy to see where casual observers get this idea.  New housing is usually nice housing, because over time technology improves and capital depreciates.  Since richer people are more willing to pay the upcharge for nicer housing, the future residents of new construction are usually well-to-do. So what do casual observers miss?

Dr. Seuss Monetizes the Culture Wars

On March 2 — the late Theodor Seuss Geisel’s 117th birthday — Dr. Seuss Enterprises announced that, some time last year, it ceased publishing/licensing six of the popular author’s children’s books which “portray people in ways that are hurtful and wrong.” Cue woke approval, deplorable outrage, investor interest, and low-information reader fear, all of which are good for business.

A Tool for Labor Negotiations

The movements against standardized testing has little to do with learning, children, testing, epistemology, or psychology. These movements are predominantly supported by teachers and unions as a means of leveraging school districts, parents and governments into minimizing accountability.

Harvard Study: An Epidemic of Loneliness Is Spreading Across America

Loneliness among Americans has been growing in recent years, but the policy response to the COVID-19 pandemic has drastically exacerbated the problem. A new report by Harvard University researchers finds that 36 percent of Americans are experiencing “serious loneliness,” and some groups, such as young adults and mothers with small children, are especially isolated.