Guest Post by Noni Mausa When you read a newspaper piece with a single mother’s new boyfriend in it, you know nothing good is coming. Oh, he could be a sweet, caring man who loves her kids and has a good job, but as Damon Runyon famously said, “that’s not the way to bet.” In […]
By Noni Mausa A Nation of the Non-productive? Over on Brad deLong’s blog, I tossed off a comment. Thought it was a throw-away, but is it really? ======= Now and then for fun, I dip into the Wealth of Nations. Here’s a snippet from the beginning of Chapter III: ““A man grows rich by employing […]
Posted from an e-mail today comes this comment from Noni Mausa. For me the key is how to filter the noise from the music so to speak. And this involves being willing and then doing the quick checks on something that catches your eye. You don’t have to agree with Noni’s conclusions to make yourself […]
By Noni Mausa Let’s Play “You Be The Sucker!” Let’s see. Business and banks have heaps of money – and aren’t hiring, spending their money, or loaning it out. Meanwhile, a few million working-age Americans have no money and no work, and many are young, strong, highly trained and capable. Business is complaining that they […]
by Noni Mausa Wealthy Non-Taxpayers — From 60 to Thousands in 30 Years Bruce Bartlett provides the numbers, but it’s so much easier to see in a chart. Wealthy Non-Taxpayers 1977 to 2009, showing incomes over $200,000 per year. Blue is percentage of total households over $200,000 paying no taxes, purple is numbers of high-income […]
by Noni Mausa Inequality on the Island Your island has 1000 people. 500 are working age, 500 are children or elderly and can’t do much. That’s normal, and not a problem. The 500, working together, easily produce enough food and stuff for 5000 people, while also supporting the 500 young, old and disabled. In fact, […]
by Noni MausaThe Mordant Litmus of Texas? The other day I was listening to a fascinating interview on US executions. “So far this year, 5 convicted criminals felt the executioner’sneedle. Michael Graczyk watched as they took their last breath. Thereporter from the Associated Press has witnessed more than 300executions. It’s believed he’s seen more men and […]
op-ed by Noni Mausa The Rulers Cannot Take Responsibility At least, not in the sense of crime and punishment. Only in immediate, short term and small decisions can political rulers be unambiguously judged right or wrong, and adequately punished. There is no punishment, however severe, that can adequately balance the potential harm done by one man or a […]