Index of Personal Freedom – when good statistics go bad.

June 20, 2011

A recent article by Andrew Leonard titled “Why do liberals hate freedom so much” caught my attention. (http://www.salon.com/technology/how_the_world_works/2011/06/15/why_do_liberals_hate_freedom) It’s an interesting discussion focusing on a document recently published by the Mercatus Center at George Mason University: “Freedom in the 50 States: An Index of Personal and Economic Freedom.” As one might expect from the Koch … More Index of Personal Freedom – when good statistics go bad.

Emotagogues, emotagogery and emotaticians

June 2, 2011

People formulate opinions based on either emotion or reason.  It might be helpful to use the following terms to describe the phenomenon of emotion superseding reason in the process of formulating opinions. Emotagogue (‘imoʊtəgɒg): A leader who exploits the tendency for people to embrace arguments and formulate opinions based on emotions rather than on facts … More Emotagogues, emotagogery and emotaticians

Is it time to consider nationalizing the US oil industry?

May 31, 2011

While there may be emotional appeal to chants of “Drill baby Drill” and “American oil for Americans” the reality is that oil taken from beneath American soil simply does not belong to America. It belongs to the oil companies that drilled it and not to Americans.  It’s not that way in most of the world … More Is it time to consider nationalizing the US oil industry?

If you make less than $250k why are you a Republican?

April 19, 2011

Answer: Mosquitoes The answer to this question had eluded me especially in light of the increasing income disparity between the wealthy and the rest of us. I don’t think there is much controversy that ever since the Regan years (see previous post) more income shares have been going to the wealthy. This has created a … More If you make less than $250k why are you a Republican?

Two economies: The market basket and The Market

December 23, 2010

In his recent book, Aftershock, Robert Reich builds a strong case for the disparity between the top income earners and the rest of us as the basis for our current economic turmoil.  He argues that there will be chronic, structural economic problems if those who produce goods are not able to purchase them.  Reich defines … More Two economies: The market basket and The Market

Jindal’s berms: Critical thinking and politics

December 17, 2010

One of the most vivid images of the Gulf oil spill is that of Governor Bobby Jindal walking the shoreline and lambasting the administration for not moving quickly to build sand berms to protect the shore. He argued passionately that something had to be done and that the administration was failing.  What the administration did … More Jindal’s berms: Critical thinking and politics