Archive for the ‘Economics’ Category
Severing Community from Geography
The traditional conception of democratic citizenship roots itself in a specific polity, and will for the foreseeable future. Disparate political communities, each with their own form of governance and view of the human good, do not serve as a deterrent to virtuous citizenship, but in some cases serves as a boon for good citizenship. Most people believe in national identity and attachment to it as both inevitable and desirable. Few and far between are cosmopolitans—at least outside of the halls of liberal academia—who bemoan particularistic and provincial attachment to nation, state, or local space. “For the vast majority of human beings,” Leon Kass writes, “life…is lived parochially and locally, embedded in a web of human relations, institutions, culture, and mores that define us and—whether we know it or not—give shape, character, and meaning to our lives.” This idea of citizenship and its connection to community is alive and well. Read the rest of this entry »
Investing Illusions and Delusions
The latest issue of my company’s newsletter, Chiefist Positions, went out today. In it, we examine “investing illusions and delusions,” through the lens of two powerful and outstanding books:
- Thinking, Fast and Slow, by Daniel Kahneman
- The Halo Effect, by Phil Rosenzweig
You can find Kahneman’s book on Amazon or in most bookstores. You can find Rosenzweig’s book in used bookstores, Amazon marketplace, Alibris.com, Abebooks.com or Bookfinder.com. With shipping, it will cost you about $6, which will be the best $6 you spend all year. Get them both, and read them.
“Medicare as we know it:” A Lesson in Demagoguery and Political Phrasing
Our nation faces a crushing burden of debt from an entitlement state that continues to accrete power in ways unknown to most people. We face the debt burden with a Congress full of unprecedented partisan rancor and a leadership deficit where very few are willing to rise above the fray and propose bold solutions. Indeed, the Congress offered only one solution to the budget and entitlement crisis, Representative Paul Ryan’s (R-WI) budget plan. The US Senate decided it would not attempt to pass a budget this year—for the second straight year—and the President only gave one speech on the budget, which has not assumed legislative form (the Congressional Budget Office, the non-partisan agency charged with formally scoring legislation, cannot score speeches). To make matters worse, the President invited Representative Paul Ryan to his speech at George Washington University, only to call his plan “unserious” and “uncourageous” after seating Ryan in the first row—just when the GOP expected an olive branch on debt and deficit reduction. Read the rest of this entry »
Review: Introducing Statistics
While I visited family in Louisville last week, I browsed through Carmichael’s bookstore, of the last independent book sellers in the city. I ran into a section of books called “Introducing …. A Graphic Guide.” The titles ranged from Introducing Freud: A Graphic Guide to Introducing Buddha: A Graphic Guide. The one on statistics caught my eye, so I bought it and read it over the next couple days. Read the rest of this entry »
Recruitment Trends and the Liberal Arts
By Guest Blogger Ryan Berg
In light of my recent post about Leo Strauss, an education in political philosophy, and the liberal arts, I found a recent article in the Wall Street Journal about recruitment trends at America’s top colleges quite disconcerting. Companies recruiting new hires have recently moved the preponderance of their recruitment efforts to state universities. Recruiter’s top five favorite universities are all public, and the list is comprised mostly of top public universities.
Education Costs: Higher and Higher
From Guest Blogger Ryan Berg
Higher education costs have come to vastly outpace our ability to pay themt. This is no secret. Ask most students, and especially parents who help foot the bill. President Obama stated recently his goal for fifty percent of Americans to obtain some form of higher education—up from its current level of about twenty-five percent—a lofty goal, indeed. However, like all political endeavors, his efforts will be stymied without figuring out some cost control measures for both public and private school tuition alike. Read the rest of this entry »
