Obama palms off an otherwise-dangerous idea on the Republicans.
Greenspan is for it.
Lindsay Graham is for it.
If the Geithner plan as announced had included nationalization, the entire Noise Machine would have spent the next several months bleating about “socialism.”
This way, Obama gets to do it reluctantly, partly in deference to the opinions of prominent Republicans.
Ever seen a card magician palm off a card on a member of the audience?
Author: Mark Kleiman
Professor of Public Policy at the NYU Marron Institute for Urban Management and editor of the Journal of Drug Policy Analysis. Teaches about the methods of policy analysis about drug abuse control and crime control policy, working out the implications of two principles: that swift and certain sanctions don't have to be severe to be effective, and that well-designed threats usually don't have to be carried out.
Books:
Drugs and Drug Policy: What Everyone Needs to Know (with Jonathan Caulkins and Angela Hawken)
When Brute Force Fails: How to Have Less Crime and Less Punishment (Princeton, 2009; named one of the "books of the year" by The Economist
Against Excess: Drug Policy for Results (Basic, 1993)
Marijuana: Costs of Abuse, Costs of Control (Greenwood, 1989)
UCLA Homepage
Curriculum Vitae
Contact: Markarkleiman-at-gmail.com
View all posts by Mark Kleiman