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Monthly Archives: April 2013
Marginalism in Everything: Cocoa Krispies Edition
My kids, like most, love chocolate cereal. So they were excited about a month ago when we were given six boxes of Cocoa Krispies. The first box went in just over one day. The second box took about three days. … Continue reading
Posted in Economical Musings
3 Comments
Fuck You, Mahmoud Khallaf
I have no idea who this asshole is, but he tried to hijack my Amazon account to buy a Sony Playstation for $270. Fortunately Amazon smelled a rat before it shipped, even before I knew something funny had happened, since … Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
2 Comments
PPACA Followup
I recently pointed to reductions in full-time adjunct instructor employment as a consequence of PPACA’s requirement that employers pay for health care for full-time employees. So if it’s happening in the non-profit groves of academe, what would we expect to … Continue reading
Posted in Economical Musings, It's Just Business
35 Comments
Interesting Due Process Case
The Supreme Court is going to hear the case of Metrish v. Lancaster, concerning a Michigan man (Burt Lancaster, believe it or not) who shot and killed his girlfriend in 1993. He asserted defenses of insanity and diminished capacity during … Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
12 Comments
One Bad Effect of PPACA/Obamacare
I’m fortunate to have good health insurance. Having lived for a few years without any, I’m not oblivious to that. I’m particularly grateful at the moment, since I got a piece of dead bug exoskeleton stuck to my eye Saturday* that I could not … Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
18 Comments
Bad Measurements
As a policy guy, I’m a staunch believer in assessment and evaluation, but I hate bad measurements. Unfortunately, bad measurements are so much easier than good measurements, and recently I’ve been required to comply with two particularly bad measurements. One … Continue reading
Technology in the Classroom
I don’t let students use their cell phones or laptops in class. My main reason has been the distraction it provides for other students, particularly when someone is using their laptop for non-academic purposes (where “non-academic” is a euphemism for … Continue reading
Bad Idea
A store in Australia has decided to charge a $5 dollar browsing fee, refundable upon making a purchase. This is an awesomely bad idea. How on earth would you enforce it? Prevent a customer from leaving the store until he … Continue reading
Posted in Economical Musings
9 Comments
Mandatory Gun Ownership Is Small Government?
Nelson, Georgia, population 913, has just passed a law “requiring” every household to have a gun and ammunition. As Executive Vice President of the American Small Government Society, I demand that these so-called conservatives surrender their small government cards immediately. … Continue reading
Posted in Laws-Damned Laws-and Statists
Tagged 2nd Amendment, Georgia, Kennesaw, Mandatory Gun Ownership, Nelson
8 Comments
Political Truth of the Day
“I found it easier to make cuts with welfare and healthcare because we have been fortunate enough to never have had to struggle with either one of these.” I have my students do an online budget simulator, and write a … Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
2 Comments
The Bawdy House Provisions 