tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-582368152716771238.post5929558703675944523..comments2024-03-28T11:50:52.581-05:00Comments on The Grumpy Economist: Forget the mandateJohn H. Cochranehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04842601651429471525noreply@blogger.comBlogger45125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-582368152716771238.post-20025491703548269242013-01-06T20:49:38.517-06:002013-01-06T20:49:38.517-06:00What liberals (including some commenters here) are...What liberals (including some commenters here) are missing is that current system is inefficient because of govt intervention. More govt will surely make it worse.<br /><br />I will actually go as far as claiming that all that govt does works worse : transportation (broken roads, mass transit multi million debts, airports), education (disaster in schools, sky rocketing prices of college), healthcare (prices, quality)Tahir K. Ahmadovhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17935118556620102856noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-582368152716771238.post-80057719108336684592012-07-16T09:58:10.949-05:002012-07-16T09:58:10.949-05:00I agree with you for the overwhelming majority of ...I agree with you for the overwhelming majority of the population who make informed choices. What about those who currently don't have the background and/or the economic circumstances to consume health care, (e.g. take anti-hypertensive medicine instead of an iphone)? <br /><br />You might have a situation where 1-2% of the population gets themselves into real trouble (1 in 10 of the 10-20% who blow off preventive healthcare consumption)Tuckerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15351270489987330074noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-582368152716771238.post-29740815887423389102012-07-15T20:38:22.083-05:002012-07-15T20:38:22.083-05:00The assertion about where are the Walmart's, A...The assertion about where are the Walmart's, Apple's, and Southwest Airlines in health care is mostly non-sense. Which sector do you think has had the greater rate of technological progress: health care (broadly defined) or airlines? Big box retail? Personal computing, maybe. There are companies that are very innovative in health care. Genentech, phillips imaging to name a couple.. <br /><br />The problem is that the government has told everyone 65 and over that there is no limit on your health care. If we're going to have a safety net, there needs to be more rationing, not less. Now you might say we don't need a safety net, but most of the country disagrees with you (I'm not sure if this your position or not). <br /><br />Its not clear that employer benefits aren't as successful as individuals for getting the best deal. There are reasons that they might be even better than individuals for buying a complex product. And there are reasons they might not be. But the assertion that they are simply not is just a conjecture.ioeconomisthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10172986038334259033noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-582368152716771238.post-47831054820945519472012-07-15T20:34:40.680-05:002012-07-15T20:34:40.680-05:00As for those consols. We have a good example in ou...As for those consols. We have a good example in our modern derivative. Winter wheat and added value are not equivalent. This we must refer to good John's definition of time. Real time or IMMAGINARY time. Demands on an IMMAGINARY world can not be met by a REAL world. <br />What say you brother John.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-582368152716771238.post-56440472129352798042012-07-15T19:10:44.957-05:002012-07-15T19:10:44.957-05:00I think the issue here is growth VS development. G...I think the issue here is growth VS development. Growth is akin to cancer. Thus the current predicament we are in today. I am a believer in global warming and it is not a good thing. Overpopulation is also something to be avoided. We have far too many unloved children who are forced to attend land grant schools that teach them to be good slaves. What you se as good I see as evil.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-582368152716771238.post-55141011925657190602012-07-15T16:41:35.103-05:002012-07-15T16:41:35.103-05:00O, you are so sadly informed about American Histor...O, you are so sadly informed about American History you probably went to a private school or Booth.<br /><br />Hamilton was, after Washington, probably the most important of our Founding Fathers, especially in the formation of the United States under the Constitution.<br /><br />He was a complete believer in meritocracy, including (with Franklin) believing that black people were equal and was opposed to slavery.<br /><br />He favored a stronger executive and national government. He was a genius at business and finance and was responsible for the formation of the National Bank and the laws, passed by the First Congress, by which the Federal Government issued bonds and became responsible for payment of state debt for the Revolutionary War, debts which people like Madison and Jefferson had no intent of paying.<br /><br />In fact, during the Constitutional Convention, Madison promised to support Hamilton's plan. When Madison reneged during the First Congress there was a complete split between Washington, Madison and Jefferson over the duplicity and dishonesty of the later, leading Washington to release the secret minutes of the Constitutional Convention. Washington never really spoke with Madison or Jefferson after that, through to his death.<br /><br />The issue of those bonds and the National Bank laid the foundation for American prosperity by providing confidence and liquidity, especially the bonds which quickly became acceptable as collateral.<br /><br />Lincoln, like Hamilton, had the same good sense to see the central role of the National Government in support of the economy. He especially understood the railroads and knew the role they and the telegraph did play and would play (it is interesting to speculate whether the telephone was anticipated when Lincoln was President).Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07904132869021579763noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-582368152716771238.post-86086806799728666532012-07-15T16:17:26.737-05:002012-07-15T16:17:26.737-05:00John, I like your post very much. I wanted to let ...John, I like your post very much. I wanted to let you know I used your blog as inspiration to draw a political cartoon that can be seen at ourprocess.wordpress.com and at http://www.gocomics.com/the-ogre tomorrow morning.<br /><br />Thank you again! Fantastic article.Aaron the Ogrehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16036140571784297627noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-582368152716771238.post-43793378302389781262012-07-15T10:41:27.922-05:002012-07-15T10:41:27.922-05:00Sorry. I should have taken a closer look at this g...Sorry. I should have taken a closer look at this guys code name. Oops. I am curious if you like Lincoln though.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-582368152716771238.post-76373147153259887012012-07-15T10:06:30.556-05:002012-07-15T10:06:30.556-05:00To help you. Hamelton died 1804. Lincoln was born ...To help you. Hamelton died 1804. Lincoln was born 1809. I know you probably don't accept this possibility, but it is possible that Lincoln/SATEN was in fact Hamelton return from hell. HELL CLUB. After all politics is just a game. And war is the game of KINGS. The divine right of kings. It is time you put some history behind your research. JohnAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-582368152716771238.post-29031109080657919412012-07-15T09:58:41.309-05:002012-07-15T09:58:41.309-05:00Wasn't hamelton the one who wanted to copy Eng...Wasn't hamelton the one who wanted to copy England and institute government bonds. Bondage is slavery. Simple deduction. Hamelton wanted slavery. Burr wanted people to be free. I suppose you are a supporter of Lincoln too. I will suggest you do your research and apply some moral reason to your findings. Lincoln was SATEN in carnage. I presume he was the reincarnated Hamelton return from hell to enslave mankind on direction from his HELL CLUB brothers. Do your research John. Hamelton was the enemy of freedom.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-582368152716771238.post-33141476188989722402012-07-15T06:50:57.091-05:002012-07-15T06:50:57.091-05:00This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07904132869021579763noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-582368152716771238.post-44506560849579185182012-07-15T03:47:09.704-05:002012-07-15T03:47:09.704-05:00When Romney and Ryan tell us what tax deductions t...When Romney and Ryan tell us what tax deductions they will eliminate it seems likely that deduction of employer sponsored plans will be one of them. My personal view is that eliminating that deduction will put the US on the fast track to single payer in one form or another.Absalonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09131268683451462949noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-582368152716771238.post-77364615024781790422012-07-14T21:34:24.892-05:002012-07-14T21:34:24.892-05:00This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07904132869021579763noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-582368152716771238.post-13278774812538089992012-07-14T16:13:00.307-05:002012-07-14T16:13:00.307-05:00thanks for this, surely this is a great help
Regi...thanks for this, surely this is a great help<br /><br /><a href="http://techniciansalary.net/registered-nurse-salary-in-maine/" rel="nofollow">Registered Nurse Salary in Maine</a>Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07163062791485081107noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-582368152716771238.post-81061379034627249912012-07-14T14:47:10.157-05:002012-07-14T14:47:10.157-05:00I will try to restrain my enthusiasm for That poli...I will try to restrain my enthusiasm for That political party.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-582368152716771238.post-70136950666985343532012-07-14T08:58:46.437-05:002012-07-14T08:58:46.437-05:00This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-582368152716771238.post-32113779511549523972012-07-14T08:45:07.266-05:002012-07-14T08:45:07.266-05:00If you think publicly accusing presidential candid...If you think publicly accusing presidential candidates of felonies is what defines a "non partisan" academic economic blogger, I think we are reading from different dictionaries. I thought your escapade with your buddy Aaron Burr might have suggested that such behavior isn't the wisest course of action. <br /><br />Case closed. I am not discussing the character of presidential candidates on this blog, and I'm going to be deleting comments from those who do.John H. Cochranehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04842601651429471525noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-582368152716771238.post-36530692383256685582012-07-14T05:21:54.230-05:002012-07-14T05:21:54.230-05:00About 10 years ago I had an inexpensive to treat b...About 10 years ago I had an inexpensive to treat but incredibly difficult to diagnose illness that came very close to killing me. <br /><br />Every physician with whom I spoke during that course of treatment admitted that, if a poor or uninsured person had the disease it would not have been diagnosed and they would have died, a horrible death, resulting in a massive lawsuit against the care givers once the autopsy revealed the cause of death.<br /><br />If the illness was caught in time to prevent death the costs of care and resulting disability would have been millions.<br /><br />When I got ill I immediately went to a specialist. They thought it was a bad back and sent me to physical therapy, but I kept getting worse and people finally realized something was bad wrong, but even then the testing was very difficult for the illness was so masked. <br /><br />When you stand silent and permit a Sarah Palin to talk about Death Panels when the system now is a Death Panel, well I have many thoughts, but that you are deliberately and explicitly non partisan, that is not one of themAnonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07904132869021579763noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-582368152716771238.post-79523084646928637452012-07-14T05:12:16.431-05:002012-07-14T05:12:16.431-05:00Me and this blog are deliberately and explicitly n...Me and this blog are deliberately and explicitly non partisan.<br /><br />If true, then will you join me in condemning Romney as an admitted felon?<br /><br />You, more than anyone I know, call for transparency in markets. Romney, by his own admission (taking him at his word that he had nothing to do with Bain post leaving to head the Olympic Committee) made many false statements to the markets (and the SEC), between 1999 and 2002.<br /><br />And, if true, then will you join me in condemning Romney for all the false statements he is making now about Obama being responsible for a jobless recovery since the evidence is undisputed that, as well summarized in the Stock and Watson paper (Mar. 2012) and many others, our inability to recover jobs is caused by demographics, not government policies.<br /><br />BTW, in that same vein, I believe the great fault of the Democratic Party is that it created DOE under Carter, as I recall, and that since we have spent billions and billions, yet we are no closer to energy independence now than when we started. Thus, the oil price shocks that clearly had to be a major cause of the Lesser Depression are squarely the fault of the Government, over many years. The Democrats do get a pass on this however, compared to the Republicans, who policies are over support for oil price shocks and runs ups.<br /><br />IOW, if you want to claim to be deliberately and explicitly non partisan, then you have to implicitly be that way also, which means directly confronting the mendacity of Romney and the GOPAnonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07904132869021579763noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-582368152716771238.post-88989742270455807682012-07-14T03:50:14.308-05:002012-07-14T03:50:14.308-05:00^^Suggestion: write it. I know I'd buy it beca...^^Suggestion: write it. I know I'd buy it because that's the best way to learn more.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00703078625030567331noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-582368152716771238.post-40297327361221710132012-07-13T21:48:38.489-05:002012-07-13T21:48:38.489-05:00Yes, and other advanced countries "make it wo...Yes, and other advanced countries "make it work" for a lot less. It costs us a lot more to do significantly less. We don't have universal coverage. And these countries do this principally through public systems without primary reliance on markets or competition. If you don't acknowledge and deal with this up front, all the rest is hot air. <br /> <br />As to wether other countries "free-ride" off our innovation, consider that the greater part of US innovation comes from government institutions and government subsidies. See<br />http://www.tnr.com/article/politics/creative-destructionJohnhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13718398994164216979noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-582368152716771238.post-67080345063487372692012-07-13T20:28:49.614-05:002012-07-13T20:28:49.614-05:00I honestly have not yet read through the comments ...I honestly have not yet read through the comments - I don't have time right now - but to me, this talk of competition sort of begs the question as to when do we stop and realize that the "free market" is itself an idea competing with other ideas about economic structuring. Those structures being, abstractly, various forms of mixed economies and statism.<br /><br />Perhaps your coveted "free market", despite its advantages, has simply failed to win the competition. Perhaps there is, after a few hundred years of thought and development, good reason for this to happen.Jefftopiahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05005211633248766565noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-582368152716771238.post-61003042593374941902012-07-13T17:41:03.164-05:002012-07-13T17:41:03.164-05:00Indy,
I am fearful of comparing the US to relativ...Indy,<br /><br />I am fearful of comparing the US to relatively homogeneously well off peoples inhabiting smaller countries. There is a lot that can go wrong as countries get bigger...LALhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08196675112184615614noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-582368152716771238.post-43827848927432928882012-07-13T14:25:02.729-05:002012-07-13T14:25:02.729-05:00John, I am curious to hear your thoughts why Jonat...John, I am curious to hear your thoughts why Jonathan Gruber designed both ObamaCare and RomneyCare to be this way? After all, he is considered the expert on healthcare. no? and there are several other experts that heavily participated in designing both? Why are they missing these obvious proposals of yours?<br /><br />is it because they are<br /><br />1) liberals who hate America and free markets<br />2) or have thought these things through in detail and this is what they came up with<br />3) some combination of both <br /><br />?IndependentVoterhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10978132678617731242noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-582368152716771238.post-18233931929490480372012-07-13T13:31:11.648-05:002012-07-13T13:31:11.648-05:00John,
you mention your past articles on Health Sta...John,<br />you mention your past articles on Health Status insurance. That you know of, is anybody looking into this, in the policy making world?Manfred the mamoothhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07516724901598949627noreply@blogger.com