Previously I wrote the smashing hit “Here is exactly how the Census poverty calculation is derived.” It explains in great detail how the Official Poverty Metric (OPM) works. Here, I do the same thing for the Supplemental Poverty Metric (SPM). Units All poverty metrics require some way of drawing lines around sets of people and… Continue reading Here is exactly how the Census supplemental poverty calculation is derived
Some problems with this traditionalist stuff
Adam Gurri has been pushing this line for a while that his “libertarianism” is derived from some kind of status quo deferentialism and deference to prevailing norms, traditions, and so on. He wrote a post today somewhat defending that view even though it would have had him arguing for slavery 150 years ago, for Jim… Continue reading Some problems with this traditionalist stuff
It isn’t your money
Greg Newburn brought to my attention this old piece from Will Wilkinson. In it Wilkinson argues against the Murphy-Nagel (and before them Hale, Proudhon, pieces of Hobbes, Rousseau, etc.) view that it is incoherent for someone to say some bit of money that is taxed is their money being taken. Before making his point, Wilkinson… Continue reading It isn’t your money
The Proper Libertarian Position on Child Licenses
Folks at Bleeding Heart Libertarians are debating whether to make parents have licenses in order to raise children (I, II). It is a strange debate for a number of reasons, but one major one is that it operates on the assumptions that child neglect is wrong and that the welfare of children is any of the… Continue reading The Proper Libertarian Position on Child Licenses
Capitalism Whack-A-Mole
There is no general framework of morality or justice that supports laissez-faire capitalism. This is a problem of course for those who wish to argue on behalf of it. When you talk to such people, a familiar argumentative pattern emerges that I have come to call Capitalism Whack-A-Mole. Someone playing Capitalism Whack-A-Mole moves seamlessly between… Continue reading Capitalism Whack-A-Mole