Hysteria and paranoia aside, what’s wrong with the book? Salam engages in extreme reverse engineering, where even the most favorable facts about immigration somehow become extra reasons to oppose it.
Tag: markets
Two Economic Tragedies
Two economic tragedies: 1. Refusing to acknowledge any forms of value that don’t make money. 2. Resenting markets for not rewarding all the things we value in terms of money.
Will Elizabeth Warren Take on the Biggest Monopoly of All?
For a “progressive” presidential candidate, US Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) is remarkably, well, conservative. Her proposals are neither new nor of the “democratic socialist” variety. In fact, her aim is, as Matthew Yglesias puts it at Vox, “to save capitalism” with stock proposals from the first half of the last century.
I Win My European Unemployment Bet
In 2009, the U.S. unemployment rate exceeded Europe’s for the first time in decades. Apologists for European labor market regulation rejoiced, so I publicly bet that European unemployment would exceed U.S. unemployment over the next decade. The original authors I targeted turned me down, even after I offered a 1 percentage-point spread. But noted economist John Quiggin took the bait.
The Philosophy of Poverty?: My Opening Statement
The default view is that the government should dramatically expand redistribution programs, forcing the well-endowed – especially business and the rich – to provide a decent standard of living for everyone. I strongly reject this default view.
Who Owns You?
The problem is not this or that regulation. Nor is the problem even the FDA itself. The root problem is the government’s claim to jurisdiction over so-called “public health.” The ultimate question is: who owns you? The answer will determine who is to be in charge of health.
All Hail the Entrepreneurs (and the Carnitas They Bring Us)
This might all seem completely ordinary to you, but bear in mind that I am able to enjoy these culinary delights even though I live at the ends of the Earth, at the far reaches of the Mexican state of Quintana Roo. For Lucio’s making it possible for me to live here so well, I feel much indebted to him.
Give Back, Antifragile, Determinism, Freedom, & Toxic Masculinity (22m) – Episode 280
Episode 280 has Skyler giving his commentary on the following topics: what’s wrong with the phrase “give back”; how the concept of antifragile applies to markets; why we’re just automatons if there is no free will; the costs of freedom; the worst examples of toxic masculinity, which are the armed forces and law enforcement; and more.
The FDA’s Assault on Tobacco Consumers
We’ve all heard horror stories about the run-amok regulatory state. Enabled by open-ended statutes passed by Congress and signed by presidents, regulatory agencies have acquired virtual carte blanche to write rules governing peaceful behavior. Even when a seemingly narrow purpose has been set out, regulatory rule-making has engaged in mission-creep with alarming frequency.
Lookism, Colonizing Mars, Expectations, Gender Expression, & Egalitarianism (25m) – Episode 270
Episode 270 has Skyler giving his commentary on the following topics: what lookism is and why it’s absurd; his view on colonizing Mars and the space program; why parental expectations of children should begin and end with joy; the infinite number of genders in the world; why markets are best suited toward bringing about egalitarian ideals; and more.