When trying to understand conservative arguments, I keep in mind the three major philosophical frameworks they rely upon. Although I have written previously about these frameworks and rely upon my understanding of them frequently in my posts, I have never specifically explained where I think they go wrong. With any of the frameworks, one could… Continue reading The three conservative philosophical frameworks rebutted
The fairly flat tax burden in 2011
The Center for Tax Justice released a report yesterday detailing the 2011 tax burdens of different income groups in the United States. Contrary to common wisdom, the poor are not free-riding on taxes and the rich are not drowning in them. As the CTJ notes (and as I have noted before), certain taxes are progressive… Continue reading The fairly flat tax burden in 2011
The myth of jobs Americans wont do
Peter Frase has an excellent post today about the way media outlets frame so-called labor shortages. According to theorists of the free market, when a certain employer or industry can no longer attract workers at a certain compensation level, that employer or industry needs to offer more compensation. There is no labor shortage in such… Continue reading The myth of jobs Americans wont do
How money dominates Congress
It has become a cliche of sorts to say that money dominates Congress. Lobbyists, donors, and Super PACs saturate the political environment and the rhetoric surrounding it. Although we all seem to know that money runs the government, very seldom does someone explain precisely how it does so. This weeks episode of This American Life,… Continue reading How money dominates Congress
Locke’s Christian property system
Modern-day libertarians love to pretend John Locke is on their side. But they do so erroneously. I am not sure whether their error comes from anachronistic interpretation, not actually reading Locke, or intentional distortion, but for some reason, procedural justice libertarians often trot out Locke as being one of them, despite overwhelming textual evidence to… Continue reading Locke’s Christian property system