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Political Science
« Previous EntriesPolitics, Manufacturing, and Change
Saturday, October 25th, 2008In the United States, the victorious presidential candidate must win a majority of the electoral votes. Almost all states are winner takes all. The magnitude of victory or defeat is irrelevant, all that matters is the outcome. It is not surprising then, that presidential candidates spend most of their time campaigning in […]
Why I Won’t Vote for Obama
Thursday, October 16th, 2008I saw this ad on T.V. the other day. Obama may understand the benefits of free trade, but he preys off the average American’s fear of it. That is even more disgraceful than American-made laws.
Note: I try not to talk too much about politics on this blog, but this video really disturbed me. […]
Assorted Bailout Thoughts
Friday, September 26th, 2008I’m not a Macroeconomist. And, I’m conflicted about the Paulson plan. But, given the recent unprecedented events, I figure I should chime in. A few thoughts:
I had a Macroeconomics test today. In our models we assume No Ponzi Schemes. Representative agents aren’t allowed to pay off their debts by borrowing […]
What’s So Special About Email?
Thursday, September 18th, 2008As you problem know, someone recently hacked into one of Sarah Palin’s Yahoo! email accounts and posted a number of her messages on the web. As I suspected, the “hack” was nothing more than resetting the password on Palin’s account by answering her secret question. Apparently, Governor Palin didn’t consider someone might […]
Favorite Lines of the Day
Sunday, September 7th, 2008From Will Wilkinson:
That Palin reminded my of my school teachers is a matter of her acquired manner and the assumptions beneath them, a matter of her Upper-Midwest-sounding accent. I’m from a small town. She’s from a small town! And damn straight: people who study at the University of Idaho (which is, in fact, where my […]
Are Payday Loans Repugnant?
Monday, February 18th, 2008I didn’t get my first credit card until I was 22 years old. Up until that point, I had no need for one. I had adequate savings and paid for most of my expenses with scholarship money and part-time jobs. However, when my savings dwindled I wanted some credit in case of emergency. It was […]
The Insufficiency of Efficiency
Friday, February 8th, 2008I recently came across the book No One Makes You Shop at Wal-Mart, by Tom Slee. I didn’t purchase it, but read the first chapter which is available for free at Slee’s website. Slee’s title is a bit misleading. He argues that while no one makes you shop at Wal-Mart, it is […]
Carbon Emissions Fall
Tuesday, December 4th, 2007From the December 3, Wall Street Journal opinion page:
The Bush Administration announced last week that U.S. emissions of carbon dioxide fell by 1.8% from 2005 to 2006. Output of all greenhouse gases was down 1.5% last year. All this while the American economy grew by 2.9%. It’s the first time since 1990, when the U.N. […]
Chavez Constitution Fails
Monday, December 3rd, 2007Voters rejected the proposed amendments to the constitution 51 to 49 percent. The new constitution would have eliminated term limits, making it possible for Chavez to rule indefinitely. The United States is still the single largest buyer of Venezuala’s oil. However, much of the oil is consumed internally.
Petróleos de Venezuela, the state oil company, says […]
Republican Agricultural Subsidy Delusions
Sunday, December 2nd, 2007I found the Republican CNN/YouTube debates very entertaining. If you missed them you can check out the transcript here. While I disagree with Huckabee on a number of issues, I found him to be very personable and humorous. Thompson had a great sense of humor, but didn’t seem the least bit presidential. The most interesting […]
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