Interesting article in the New York Times discussing the evils of the Canadian health care system. They actually prohibit you from getting private health care. So you have to drive to the US to get around the long waiting lists they have.
Makes me of the price controls on gasoline the US had in the 1970s and all the long lines. The real cost of filling your tank was pretty high as you had to wait to get your gas. If you make $40k after taxes (that's $20/hr) and have to wait just 15 minutes, you pay an extra $5 to fill your tank. It gets worse if you are more affluent and there are long lines.
People seem to forget that time and inconvenience cost you something. Sometimes its even something important like your health or life.
Sunday, February 26, 2006
Monday, February 20, 2006
The Click That Broke a Government's Grip
Interesting look at how information can travel via the Internet even in a society where the media is controlled by censors.
Thursday, February 16, 2006
Old Chinese Communists Protest Restrictions on Free-Speech
Former high-ranking communist party officials wrote a letter protesting restrictions on free speech.
Tuesday, January 17, 2006
Democrats Can Take Over
If they whack the Republicans over the separation of church and state.
If they whack the Republicans over Nixon dropping the gold standard and causing all that inflation worldwide. Honest money helps the poor and middle class more than those who have accountants and lawyers!
If they come up with a reasonable reparations plan for the slavery issue that is amenable to at least 50% of both African Americans and the rest of the population (it wasn't nothing!). Let's have a referendum. We can make it a combination of tax cuts and a tax credit so it would help both the poor and the middle class. It could be spread out over a number of years.
If they can finally see that lower taxes help the poor more than redistribution. The Democrats should propose a program that gets rid of the income tax for foster children, victims of child abuse, anything traumatic like that. At least for five years anyway.
The Democrats should propose that we lower the income tax rate by 1% a year until revenues from the tax go down for more than two years and then raise it until revenues go down so that we can find the optimum rate for growth and revenue. We should do this separately for the capital gains tax. Once we find the optimum rates, we should stick to them! And we should have a flat tax, with the first so many dollars exempt.
There is no reason for the right to own these economic issues. The debate over socialism is over and the debate should now be whether the government is going to tample your individual rights or not. Most people who vote Republican would switch in a minute if offered an alternative that embraced economic AND individual freedom.
If they whack the Republicans over Nixon dropping the gold standard and causing all that inflation worldwide. Honest money helps the poor and middle class more than those who have accountants and lawyers!
If they come up with a reasonable reparations plan for the slavery issue that is amenable to at least 50% of both African Americans and the rest of the population (it wasn't nothing!). Let's have a referendum. We can make it a combination of tax cuts and a tax credit so it would help both the poor and the middle class. It could be spread out over a number of years.
If they can finally see that lower taxes help the poor more than redistribution. The Democrats should propose a program that gets rid of the income tax for foster children, victims of child abuse, anything traumatic like that. At least for five years anyway.
The Democrats should propose that we lower the income tax rate by 1% a year until revenues from the tax go down for more than two years and then raise it until revenues go down so that we can find the optimum rate for growth and revenue. We should do this separately for the capital gains tax. Once we find the optimum rates, we should stick to them! And we should have a flat tax, with the first so many dollars exempt.
There is no reason for the right to own these economic issues. The debate over socialism is over and the debate should now be whether the government is going to tample your individual rights or not. Most people who vote Republican would switch in a minute if offered an alternative that embraced economic AND individual freedom.
Tuesday, January 03, 2006
Education Common Sense
Refreshing perspective on education that totally meshes with my own experience.
You do need to learn how to think and how to acquire exisitng and new knowledge on your own. Do you need to sit in a room and learn in a government-prescribed fashion? Does it drum the spontaneity out of us?
Maybe we should randomly select a couple of school districts and try some completely different approaches to education (like vouchers), and then see what happens. We can measure the results by seeing how many enter college and how well they do.
You do need to learn how to think and how to acquire exisitng and new knowledge on your own. Do you need to sit in a room and learn in a government-prescribed fashion? Does it drum the spontaneity out of us?
Maybe we should randomly select a couple of school districts and try some completely different approaches to education (like vouchers), and then see what happens. We can measure the results by seeing how many enter college and how well they do.
Friday, December 16, 2005
How Tax Rates Affect Economies
I finally picked up Jude Wanniski's "The Way the World Works" again. He makes an interesting case for low tax rates when describing the effects of tax rates on various economies following the first world war.
Britain, France and German maintained the high rates (70% on the wealthiest taxpayers) and the US and Italy slashed theirs back to pre-war levels. And which countries boomed throughout the twenties? The US and Italy.
His case is more detailed than that. For example, he cites speeches given by various US politicians who argued for cutting the rates because of the decline in total taxes collected on high incomes while the high rates were in effect. And how Congress continued cutting the rates as the economy revived. Ironically, the national debt DECLINED from $24.3 billion in 1920 to $16.9 billion in 1930.
Jude Wannaski is a conservative (he worked in the Reagan White House), but no apologist for the Bush administration (he actually wrote articles for Al Jazeera denouncing the war).
I also don't think cutting today's rates necessarily has the same effect. Rates are nowhere near as high as they were. But paying taxes does impede economic activity, especially when you can avoid getting taxed for gains not yet realized in a sale of assets. It pays to wait in many cases.
I wonder if a complete switch to consumption taxes (complete with a tax on income and profits leaving the US) would remove this friction from the creation of wealth. It ought to be a low tax (15% maybe?).
I also think there is a fair number of people who are just annoyed that the rich don't pay a lot more. Is it jealousy? Who knows. I do know that when a person has wealth, that wealth has to be earning a return somewhere and that means economic activity is happening and people are working. If you punish such investment with high taxes, such activity declines.
Britain, France and German maintained the high rates (70% on the wealthiest taxpayers) and the US and Italy slashed theirs back to pre-war levels. And which countries boomed throughout the twenties? The US and Italy.
His case is more detailed than that. For example, he cites speeches given by various US politicians who argued for cutting the rates because of the decline in total taxes collected on high incomes while the high rates were in effect. And how Congress continued cutting the rates as the economy revived. Ironically, the national debt DECLINED from $24.3 billion in 1920 to $16.9 billion in 1930.
Jude Wannaski is a conservative (he worked in the Reagan White House), but no apologist for the Bush administration (he actually wrote articles for Al Jazeera denouncing the war).
I also don't think cutting today's rates necessarily has the same effect. Rates are nowhere near as high as they were. But paying taxes does impede economic activity, especially when you can avoid getting taxed for gains not yet realized in a sale of assets. It pays to wait in many cases.
I wonder if a complete switch to consumption taxes (complete with a tax on income and profits leaving the US) would remove this friction from the creation of wealth. It ought to be a low tax (15% maybe?).
I also think there is a fair number of people who are just annoyed that the rich don't pay a lot more. Is it jealousy? Who knows. I do know that when a person has wealth, that wealth has to be earning a return somewhere and that means economic activity is happening and people are working. If you punish such investment with high taxes, such activity declines.
Tuesday, August 30, 2005
Jude Wanniski has Passed Away
Economist Jude Wanniski passed away yesterday. A very smart man. He was a visionary and had a great knack for explaining things. And he's spent quite a bit of energy lambasting Bush policies, particularily the war in Iraq.
Until I read his book "The Way the World Works" (still haven't finished it) , I'd always wondered what the deal with the gold standard was. He makes the case that it is the most stable of all commodities, as most of all the gold mined is still in existence and the supply cannot change by a great deal in a given period, making its value one of the more constant ones on the planet. In short, ideal as an agreed-upon exchange mechanism.
He will be missed.
Until I read his book "The Way the World Works" (still haven't finished it) , I'd always wondered what the deal with the gold standard was. He makes the case that it is the most stable of all commodities, as most of all the gold mined is still in existence and the supply cannot change by a great deal in a given period, making its value one of the more constant ones on the planet. In short, ideal as an agreed-upon exchange mechanism.
He will be missed.
Friday, July 08, 2005
A new model for the UN
I am thinking of a new model for a replacement for the UN, one that cuts out governments and lets the people directly participate. The people of each country would be represented if the government allowed its people to join and vote for representatives in this new body. This would mean ditching the unfair Security Council and encouraging democracy.
Proportional representation would keep the politicians from interfering with what the people really want, which is peace.
I can even see the possibility of setting up such an organization independently of the UN. If the people of the world were to form an organization outside of the existing framework, it could gain its own legitimacy by passing judgment on the issues on hand.
After all, what could be more legitmate than the judgment of all the free individuals in the world that care to express their opinions about an issue.
Proportional representation would keep the politicians from interfering with what the people really want, which is peace.
I can even see the possibility of setting up such an organization independently of the UN. If the people of the world were to form an organization outside of the existing framework, it could gain its own legitimacy by passing judgment on the issues on hand.
After all, what could be more legitmate than the judgment of all the free individuals in the world that care to express their opinions about an issue.
Tuesday, June 21, 2005
Facing Global Warming
Scientific American had an article on some research that indicates that the earth should already have entered an ice age and that this hasn't happened due to human activity, mostly agriculture that has been going on for thousands of years.
Natural cycles of the earth movement around the sun and other mechanisms are responsible for the cooling and warming cycles and I expect when the natural warming begins, along with our industrial activities, we are in for some problems.
We need to understand how these mechanisms work so that we can maintain the climate status quo. We can neither afford to ignore this problem or simply cease all industrial and agricultural activity. We must instead master it. There is no other alternative but to try.
Natural cycles of the earth movement around the sun and other mechanisms are responsible for the cooling and warming cycles and I expect when the natural warming begins, along with our industrial activities, we are in for some problems.
We need to understand how these mechanisms work so that we can maintain the climate status quo. We can neither afford to ignore this problem or simply cease all industrial and agricultural activity. We must instead master it. There is no other alternative but to try.
Monday, May 23, 2005
Secession and the Right to Self Determination
One of the basic reasons for fighting wars is the desire to end a political union. The US, for example, fought a civil war that cost over 600,000 lives.
So it seems that real peace cannot be established in the world without addressing this issue. People have the right of free association and can freely form groups and associations. By banding together. those individuals do not lose this right. So these groups also have the right to enter into associations with other groups and to end those associations.
The right of peoples and territories to peacefully leave political entities is the ultimate way to make government accountable. To paraphrase a heavily advertised mortgage website, when governments compete, you win!
This is actually in practice in Switzerland. There, people in any area can vote to leave their canton (like a county or state, I guess) and join another or form their own. Government, since it is the user of force, has to be a geographic monopoly, but does not have to be a temporal one. Just like any relationship, there has to be an out. A contract without an exit clause is a recipe for disaster.
That doesn't mean there shouldn't be a protocol or process, or that territories can leave a union without taking their share of any debt.
So it seems that real peace cannot be established in the world without addressing this issue. People have the right of free association and can freely form groups and associations. By banding together. those individuals do not lose this right. So these groups also have the right to enter into associations with other groups and to end those associations.
The right of peoples and territories to peacefully leave political entities is the ultimate way to make government accountable. To paraphrase a heavily advertised mortgage website, when governments compete, you win!
This is actually in practice in Switzerland. There, people in any area can vote to leave their canton (like a county or state, I guess) and join another or form their own. Government, since it is the user of force, has to be a geographic monopoly, but does not have to be a temporal one. Just like any relationship, there has to be an out. A contract without an exit clause is a recipe for disaster.
That doesn't mean there shouldn't be a protocol or process, or that territories can leave a union without taking their share of any debt.
Monday, March 21, 2005
A Smart Guy
George Kennan came up with the policy of containment that was the primary element in the United States' approach to dealing with the Soviet Union. I was impressed with him because he really could see clearly how our own leaders are often compromised by special interests.
This page has some audio files about his contributions.
It's a shame people like this guy don't have more influence.
This page has some audio files about his contributions.
It's a shame people like this guy don't have more influence.
Thursday, January 13, 2005
Gerrymandering
American RadioWorks has an interesting feature on gerrymandering and its stifling effect on American politics. This practice is, of course, non-existent in a system of proportional representation that lets voters be accurately represented in a legislature.
Tuesday, December 14, 2004
Who is Purchasing Your Legislator?
The top 100 organizations buying political influence at the national level in the US.
But don't worry, the politicians insist they aren't getting any special consideration for their money.
But don't worry, the politicians insist they aren't getting any special consideration for their money.
Monday, November 22, 2004
Some More Crazy Taxi2000 Ideas
How about a low power electric car that get on a PRT line AND get charged while on it? It would have to be compatible, of course.
What is needed is the creation of standards for both hardware and software. Such standards may make it more difficult for one company to own an entire market, but the size of the market will grow much faster if anybody can build a PRT line or build cars for them to an open standard.
Such standards should also encompass automated inspections of both cars and lines by each other (cars would inspect lines and lines could inspect cars) for compliance to the standards.
I think the latter notion actually has some merit. While letting electric cars in is not very feasible, having a standard would certainly help comfort those who would pay for such a system.
Once purchasers see inertia building with several companies building cars and/or lines to a standard, the investment starts to look predictable and that is certainly needed here.
An open standard would encourage companies to get into the business as well.
What is needed is the creation of standards for both hardware and software. Such standards may make it more difficult for one company to own an entire market, but the size of the market will grow much faster if anybody can build a PRT line or build cars for them to an open standard.
Such standards should also encompass automated inspections of both cars and lines by each other (cars would inspect lines and lines could inspect cars) for compliance to the standards.
I think the latter notion actually has some merit. While letting electric cars in is not very feasible, having a standard would certainly help comfort those who would pay for such a system.
Once purchasers see inertia building with several companies building cars and/or lines to a standard, the investment starts to look predictable and that is certainly needed here.
An open standard would encourage companies to get into the business as well.
Saturday, November 20, 2004
I think its significant that Taxi2000 is a private initiative. Public works with access to your taxes frequently overlooks the simpler, lower-cost, strangely more elegant solutions. There is no pressure to find or create such alternatives.
One of the biggest boondoggles around where I live (San Jose, California) is the light rail system. Its positive effect on the traffic situation is minimal. Apparently, it costs at least 12 times to move someone on light rail as it does on the freeway. The federal incentives apparently make it easier to make bad decisions like this.
One of the biggest boondoggles around where I live (San Jose, California) is the light rail system. Its positive effect on the traffic situation is minimal. Apparently, it costs at least 12 times to move someone on light rail as it does on the freeway. The federal incentives apparently make it easier to make bad decisions like this.
Friday, November 19, 2004
The future of transportation
Salon has an article (get a day pass by viewing an ad) about this on-demand, automated taxi monorail system that seeks to address the major problems of mass transit. The big annoyances seem to be that you have to wait a lot, you have to ride with a bunch of strangers and how expensive it is to build mass-transit networks that are easy enough to access.
These guys envision elevated tracks going everywhere, but I think the real deal will happen underground. The more places this system goes to, the uglier it will become.
I also see this system being used to move packages securely directly into the home. I mean, really, why should you have to move 3000 pounds around just to get some milk moved to your house? You do want that to be underground, or this world starts looking really ugly. In any case, FedEx starts looking redundant, as do half of the trips you make on the weekends to Home Depot.
I think that an underground system will actually end up being pretty competitive with air travel and will replace it all together for short to medium trips. No waiting! No terrorists traveling with you. No reservation required. And once you get smaller sections in place, it becomes easier to piece together a coast-to-cost system.
And when robotic tunneling and strong, flexible nano-materials become feasible, we should start seeing a wholesale replacement of the surface streets with an underground network. These underground networks might even be evacuated, making it possible to go extremely fast with no air resistance. Then we can get rid of all of those parking lots.
These guys envision elevated tracks going everywhere, but I think the real deal will happen underground. The more places this system goes to, the uglier it will become.
I also see this system being used to move packages securely directly into the home. I mean, really, why should you have to move 3000 pounds around just to get some milk moved to your house? You do want that to be underground, or this world starts looking really ugly. In any case, FedEx starts looking redundant, as do half of the trips you make on the weekends to Home Depot.
I think that an underground system will actually end up being pretty competitive with air travel and will replace it all together for short to medium trips. No waiting! No terrorists traveling with you. No reservation required. And once you get smaller sections in place, it becomes easier to piece together a coast-to-cost system.
And when robotic tunneling and strong, flexible nano-materials become feasible, we should start seeing a wholesale replacement of the surface streets with an underground network. These underground networks might even be evacuated, making it possible to go extremely fast with no air resistance. Then we can get rid of all of those parking lots.
Monday, November 08, 2004
Doing Electronic Voting Right
To go along with the verification mechanisms in the voting system I proposed October 18th, here's an organization pushing for an open source system. Open source is the way to go, clearly.
Friday, November 05, 2004
Thursday, November 04, 2004
Thankfully a Decisive Election
I was gratified to see a clear, if not big, majority in the popular vote and electoral college in Tuesday's presidential election.
Of course, the appetite for "reinventing democracy" would be greater if there were a lot of turmoil again, but its probably not a good thing to make such changes just because circumstances are driving things. Its better if a concensus is reached that the system can and should evolve into something better.
Of course, the appetite for "reinventing democracy" would be greater if there were a lot of turmoil again, but its probably not a good thing to make such changes just because circumstances are driving things. Its better if a concensus is reached that the system can and should evolve into something better.
Thursday, October 21, 2004
Here's a more permanent link for the cost of the presidential race:
http://www.opensecrets.org/pressreleases/2004/04spending.asp
http://www.opensecrets.org/pressreleases/2004/04spending.asp