I’ve written earlier that austerity does not appear to materially benefit anyone really. This was meant to raise a challenge to the claims of some that austerity is being pushed by a class of people who stand to benefit from it. Emails and comments and various other methods of communication flooded in, but a persuasive… Continue reading What motivates the austerity crowd?
My favorite libertarian argument
The most interesting thing about libertarians is that their normative arguments fail on their own terms. Well-constructed theories only permit disagreement on the basic principle level. Excepting consequentialist libertarians, libertarian theories are so bad that their basic principles don’t even generate the conclusions libertarians claim they do. The arguments are internally contradictory on a scale… Continue reading My favorite libertarian argument
Mondragon cooperatives use capital accounts
Worker cooperatives are worker-owned businesses. The left likes them for two main reasons. First, workers capture the profits the business makes, not separate owners. This arrangement therefore eliminates exploitation in the Marxist sense of the word. Second, workers control the business, not separate owners. This arrangement therefore reduces alienation, at least the part of alienation… Continue reading Mondragon cooperatives use capital accounts
Policy Shop: The Youth Income Crisis
New post at Policy Shop, which is now at Demos.org. Excerpt: Since the recession, total debt levels among the young have fallen. According to Pew, the median debt of below-35 households fell between 2007 and 2011 from $21.9k to $15.5k, a 29% decline. This debt decline holds for those with and without student debt histories.… Continue reading Policy Shop: The Youth Income Crisis
Policy Shop: Is a Universal Basic Income Really Utopian?
New post at Policy Shop. Excerpt: Moreover, a UBI is not unprecedented. It has been successfully implemented in a number of developing countries, including recently in rural India and Namibia. Additionally, the U.S. actually has a deep-cover UBI program that we call Social Security. It’s only for old people, so it obviously falls short of… Continue reading Policy Shop: Is a Universal Basic Income Really Utopian?