Via Mike Elk, I came upon this article in Labor Notes about Piketty. It is written in that affected homespun style that a lot of Labor writing is, and, also like a lot of Labor writing, flippantly dismisses as inferior anti-inequality strategies that don’t involve organizing to cram more money through people’s paychecks: When workers… Continue reading Labor’s paycheck fetishism
Judicial decision punditry and free association
Reading through today’s Harris v. Quinn decision was fun. It reminded me why I think the theater of judicial decisions is such a hilarious spectacle. Almost nobody actually forms their opinions on substantive political matters by using substance-neutral procedural considerations, but judges have to pretend to be doing that. That’s hilarious spectacle number one. Then,… Continue reading Judicial decision punditry and free association
Free college narratives
Supposing college was free, what would the social narrative about the recipients of it be? I have seen two basic approaches: 1. It is a right. I owe nothing. Under this narrative, recipients of free college are due free college as a matter of right. To deprive them of it is to oppress them. When… Continue reading Free college narratives
Poor whites and the Left
Peter Frase wrote this piece about class and the Left. I put out a short response to it when it came out. There are lots of parts to it, and I hesitate to summarize it for that reason. But, basically, he objects to those who say class is different than race and gender, those who… Continue reading Poor whites and the Left
Kevin Hassett Misrepresents Piketty
AEI’s Kevin Hassett knew Piketty was wrong before he ever read him. There is no possible world in which Kevin Hassett did anything else but say Piketty was wrong. That’s fine, but what’s not fine is this shit: If you look at what’s been going on in his data, then the share of income going… Continue reading Kevin Hassett Misrepresents Piketty