Cowen lists the incentive problems with health reform:
"The biggest problems with the proposed reforms have to do with the incentives created by the mandates. That includes the incentives for would-be purchasers (better to just pay the fine and remain outside the pool), the incentives for the subsidized (very high implicit marginal tax rates), the incentives for employers (look for illegal aliens), the incentive for doctors to stop treating Medicare and especially Medicaid patients, and the incentives for the insurance companies (there's probably a way to scare off high-risk customers or otherwise game the customer carry requirements)."
The public option is a separate debate from this.
Is it better for workers to have no retirement advice at all, or retirement advice from someone who stands to benefit? My instinct would be the latter, because there are certain things advisers will talk about (like asset allocation) that are far more important than the specific products for 99% of people.
The problem with a conciliatory foreign policy is that people are hard to pacify
China still mistreats its citizens; it's important not to forget that
Krugman's jobs program would be ok, but it would need to come with 2 things: it would need to replace welfare beyond a certain short period of time for those able to work, and it would need to pay lower than minimum wage. In that sense, it would employ unemployed people without keeping people on the government dole. Becker's program is much more conventional, and much more likely to work, but the timing is hard to see.
Damodaran and Mankiw point out that a financial-transactions tax is hard to do because financial transactions can just move offshore
IMMIGRATION ENFORCEMENT THROUGH ATTRITION! THIS SOVEREIGN NATION DISPARATELY NEEDS MANDATORY E-VERIFY! IT MUST BE COMPULSORY, NOT TEMPORARY OR AT THE EMPLOYERS DISCRETION? IT MUST BE FOR EVERYBODY WHO WORKS? In time unable to find a job, illegal workers in large and small business will leave. Criminal penalties for--NOT--installing E-Verify must be extremely severe for incorrigible companies who think they are above the law. ONLY CITIZENS AND LEGAL IMMIGRANTS NEED APPLY!
ReplyDeleteTODAY! GET--YOUR--POSTCARD WRITTEN OR PHONE WASHINGTON. TELL FAMILY MEMBERS, FRIENDS, CO-WORKERS TO DO THE SAME? ANOTHER AMNESTY WILL DECIMATE CITIZENS AND LEGAL LOW INCOME WORKERS. THOUSANDS LEGITIMIZED IN AGRICULTURE WILL VACATE THEIR JOBS AND HEAD FOR MAINSTREAM EMPLOYMENT, AS HAPPENED IN 1986. MILLIONS MORE WILL APPEAR ACROSS THE UNDERMANNED BORDER, AND AS SUSPICIOUS TOURIST FROM EVERY POOR COUNTRY BY JET. WE WILL BE OVERWHELMED ONCE DEMOCRATS PROCLAIM THE IMMINENT COMPREHENSIVE IMMIGRATION REFORM.
The open border movement has started a relentless campaign for approval of another disastrous AMNESTY, by sending postcards to Washington. Anti-illegal immigration, pro-sovereignty organizations are intending to fight. They state--NO--Comprehensive Immigration Reform. No BLANKET AMNESTY. Patriotic opponents of AMNESTY should call their politician at 202-224-3121, or go to offices in person. GOOGLE---NUMBERSUSA that will illuminate your misgivings on the issue of illegal immigrant costs, Sanctuary State policies, with expenditures on health care, education, prison, along with enforcement gradings of those in Washington. CAPSWEB will explain irreversible population growth in California and nationwide. Other sites of interest on Immigration enforcement is ALIPAC and AMERICAN PATROL and THE DARK SIDE OF ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION. OH! YES! DON'T FORGET THE 28 CENTS POSTCARD TO THOSE WHO THINK THEY CONTROL US.
Brittanicus, you clearly don't understand the issues behind immigration very well.
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