Our Monday gender issue focus I can still recall reading Anne-Marie Slaughter’s explanation of why women could not “have it all.” Published almost exactly 2 years ago in The Atlantic, the article focused on Dr. Slaughter’s decision to leave a high level State Department position in Washington, DC.…
When Does it Cost Too Much to Save a Human Life?
Is $1 a day for someone else’s pill too much to pay with your tax dollars? $10? $100? $1,000? Kaiser Health News recently reported that a new treatment for hepatitis C with a 90% success rate will cost $1,000 a pill. Lasting 12 weeks, the treatment…
The Rotten Kid Theorem and Other Gary Becker Ideas
Gary Becker image courtesy of University of Chicago. All too often, if you say you are looking at the economics of the family, people assume you are talking about money. Nobel Laureate Gary Becker, who died this week (1930-2014), changed…
How to Defend or Oppose Thomas Piketty
Summarizing Thomas Piketty’s voluminous research in his new book, Capital in the Twenty-First Century,” the NY Times said that looking back, we have overstated the beneficence of capitalism and looking forward, gross income inequality is our destiny unless policies radically change.…
Should Detroit Sell Its Art?
During 2009, a still life painted by Henri Matisse was sold at a Christie’s auction for $46 million. The Detroit Institute of Arts owns Poppies, also a Matisse oil on canvas but a bit larger. A municipal bankruptcy like Detroit’s creates…
How Much to Pay For a Line Waiter?
If a lobbyist wants to go to a congressional hearing but cannot do the line, she can hire a line stander. Maybe 30 minutes before entering, the customer takes the place of the “waiter.” Saying they have “significant expertise in all of…
The One Big Reason We Can’t Really Cut the Federal Deficit
It is tough to be a deficit hawk. Rather than our typical spike in wartime spending, we have a peacetime deficit. (Please note that the federal deficit is just how much spending exceeds revenue during one year.): Spending for……
What We Sacrifice for Pothole Patches
With 150,000 more potholes than last year and $12 for each temporary patch, Chicago has spent close to $3 million on pothole repair and the end is not in sight. NYC was at a record breaking 113,131 on February 20.…
Is the Price of Protecting Pandas Too High?
By Madeleine Vance, guest blogger and student at Kent Place School This summer, I had an incredible opportunity to travel through China including a stop to see the giant pandas in Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan province. Although the pandas didn’t…
Gender Pricing: When Do Women Pay More Than Men?
NYC fined the owner of Freckle Skin and Hair for charging men less than women for haircuts. “It’s ridiculous, I have some guys who need to come in every two weeks. If I raise my prices, I’ll lose all my…
