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(Guest post from David Schutz) So, I’m going to come out of the closet as… a declinist. Much of the discussion here in RBC is about the Evil Reeps and the Pure-Hearted Demmies, and there are occasional blasts at the fanatic libertarians. The left-right spectrum has the major allegiances of American politics, and there’s a [...]
Archive for February, 2011
February 28th, 2011
Category: Unions and organizing
Want to control public sector unions? Fine: increase the power of private sector unions.
February 28th, 2011
Category: Watching Conservatives
A parable for our times: David Koch, a schoolteacher, and a Tea Party activist.
February 28th, 2011
Category: Uncategorized
Robert Barro writes “The national fiscal crisis and recession that began in 2008 had many ill effects, including the ongoing crises of pension and health-care obligations in many states. But at least one positive consequence is that the required return to fiscal discipline has caused reexamination of the growth in economic and political power of public-employee [...]
February 28th, 2011
Category: Drug Policy
As already described in these pages, meth use and meth labs are resurgent in much of the country. Meth labs use chemicals that are poisonous, caustic, explosive and damaging to the environment. Cleaning them up is both dangerous and expensive (median clean up cost is about $10,000), and the Department of Justice has assisted states [...]
February 27th, 2011
Newt Gingrich’s ideas are so profound! It’s a wonder they can be encapsulated in one New York Times fluffer!
February 27th, 2011
Category: Literature
Professor Peter Reuter is admired around the world for his knowledge of drug policy, but he offers another highly valuable resource to those who know him. He is an extraordinarily voracious book reader and has a preternatural ability to match people to book recommendations. He assigned me Anthony Powell’s Dance to the Music of Time, [...]
February 27th, 2011
Category: Handbasket, world going to hell in
Last week in London, I ran into an acquaintance who kindly invited me to share a bottle of claret with him and a friend of his. After the bottle was drained and our little group was about to disband, the friend mentioned he was off to the Reform Club and asked if I would like [...]
February 27th, 2011
Category: Uncategorized
If Republicans really want to make the next election about whether contraception is OK, I say to them: Bring it on!
February 26th, 2011
Category: Uncategorized
Ed Glaeser’s editorial in the Los Angeles Times discusses two of our recent papers. I am disappointed that Rui Wang’s and Siqi Zheng’s names are misspelled in the piece. Somebody could have checked that. For nerds who like to read “real papers” (rather than blog posts); here is the China cities paper and here is the U.S [...]