Politics

Consolidating the Gains in Health Coverage

November 7, 2012 Health Insurance

Across much of the political spectrum and even among some Republicans, I suspect that there will be at least one shared emotion: relief that a very long election campaign is over. One key implication is that there’s now no question that we will move ahead with implementation of the Affordable Care Act, “Obamacare.” There may […]

Read the full article →

The Presidential Election – Women and Men and the Distribution of Power

October 18, 2012 Election

As I’ll be on the West Coast election week, I voted yesterday. I voted to re-elect President Obama. Those who know me or who don’t, but who read what I write here or on Twitter, certainly won’t be surprised. But if all you know is my fiscal conservatism and my inclinations towards economics, you might […]

1 comment Read the full article →

Rules for Wonks and Hacks

September 6, 2012 Uncategorized

Dredging the archives, we came across Rules for Wonks and Hacks, which I first posted in January, 2005. I was amusing myself while watching the Kabuki drama that is a budget hearing. Wonks and hacks rarely understand one another. The rare wonk who understands the politics or the rare hack who understands the technical will […]

Read the full article →

Wonks and Hacks

September 6, 2012 Policy

Bill Clinton’s speech last night brought it all back. Blending politics and policy, he put the lie to the unfortunate, unnatural and danger of their separation. This is likely to be a setup for a lengthy post. Stay tuned. Anyway, I posted Wonks and Hacks in March, 2004. Here it is in full. Bruce Reed, […]

Read the full article →

Corporations and Government are Almost the Same, Except Corporations are Voluntary?

September 6, 2012 Corporations

In the midst of the political season and the political conventions, in which the role of corporations is an increasingly significant issue (no corporations are not people), David Burge, who blogs here as Iowahawkblog, tweets this: “Government” is just a word for things we do together. “Corporation” is just a word for things we do […]

Read the full article →

Coverage Matters, Regardless of What the Supreme Court Says

June 25, 2012 Government

When the Supreme Court releases its decision today or later this week on the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare), there will be analyses galore on the law, the politics, and on policy as well. We’ll likely join in. But, in the midst of all that as far as healthcare is concerned , there will be one […]

Read the full article →

North Carolina Needs King Cnut

May 30, 2012 Forecasting

And speaking of science and politics, North Carolina is considering prohibiting, by law, sea level rise. Here’s House Bill 819. And here’s an appropriately snarky, commentary by Scott Huler in Scientific American. According to North Carolina law, I am a billionaire. I have a full-time nanny for my children, I have won the Pulitzer Prize, […]

Read the full article →

A Nation in Decline? Commentary by Ed Luce

April 20, 2012 Economics

I’m excerpting liberally below, but you should still consider reading the original. This is a conversation that goes beyond the conventional and superficial. It’s not fun and it’s not optimistic, but if you believe that the first step required in dealing with challenges is to learn and think realistically about them, then this is worth […]

Read the full article →

Universal Coverage, “Obamacare,” and the Supreme Court

March 25, 2012 Federal Government

Be careful what you wish for. Coming up this week will be extensive, multi-day arguments before the US Supreme Court on the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA), labeled derisively by the right as “Obamacare” and perhaps increasing embraced by the Left as “Obamacare.” As Vice President Biden said at the signing ceremony, “this […]

1 comment Read the full article →

Use the Damn Data Newt

March 25, 2012 Data

It might not seem so to some, but compared to how much I babble about politics at home and among friends, I’ve minimized political talk on this site. (That may change later in year.) But I couldn’t resist this piece, Newt Gingrich: Not Great With Numbers by Jesse Singal on Gingrich’s pursuit of the Republican […]

Read the full article →

← Previous Entries