Newsletters
I Want It Now! (Newsletter 024)
It seems like many politicians view themselves as entertainers first, and legislators or representatives a distant second. After all, you must be popular to be elected, the thinking goes
My Two Cents
The common thread running through this series is human psychology: how we think, what we think, and how we can be led astray by our thoughts and those of others. Here we cover: questionable science, current politics, provocative statistics, predictable incentives, and more.
Newsletters
Is Your Country A GDPaholic? (Newsletter 022)
People all over the world are telling us something about their well-being that is not being captured in measures of GDP. They are telling us this loudly and clearly if you look for the data, and policymakers are largely ignoring them.
My Two Cents
Where Does The 2% Inflation Target Come From Anyway?
Would you rather have greater purchasing power, or "output that is close to the economy's maximum sustainable level of output"?
My Two Cents
Aspirin Recommendations Make My Head Hurt
How could so many experts have been so wrong about something that everyone believed for decades?
My Two Cents
Hold Fast To Truth
Holding fast to truth is not an easy path, but it is the least difficult of all other alternatives. This is a tribute to Alexander Solzhenitsyn's 1974 essay "Live Not By Lies"*
Newsletters
You Get What You Incentivize (Newsletter 016)
If your appetite is unlimited, no amount will ever be sufficient to satisfy your wants. No amount of tax is "fair" when there is no limit on what you aim to spend and redistribute.
My Two Cents
Don’t Be An Idiot!
This list is for amusement only. Any overlap between my list and an idea you hold dear, or something you may have done, or even someone you believe you recognize, is purely coincidental. Really.
My Two Cents
America, We're Failing The Marshmallow Test
The dynamics of delayed gratification help explain why as individuals and as a nation we spend beyond our means. Consumption today is worth more than consumption tomorrow.
My Two Cents
If You Did Your Performance Review Like A Central Bank
This one is for everyone who's wondering what's up with "core inflation" and "transitory" inflation.
Newsletters
Don't WFH Yourself Out Of A Job (Newsletter 014)
If it is true that your job can be performed perfectly well remotely, does it necessarily follow that your job can only be performed by you?
My Two Cents
The Oppressed Olympics
To be a champion in these games, you look not to who has power, but to who is powerless.
My Two Cents
Freedom Of Speech
We each have a role to play in making the world the way we want it to be, and this extends to how we interact with our fellow citizens.