Hawk Talk

When most people say, “equality,” they mean income equality. Economists draw a finer distinction between income equality and wealth equality. Political scientists draw an even finer distinction between economic equality and equality under the law. Philosophers distinguish even more finely, looking at equality of opportunity and equality of outcome, and examining how equality itself is one of several elements that comprise justice.

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Quick hits

Half of the world is now middle class https://www.brookings.edu/blog/future-development/2018/09/27/a-global-tipping-point-half-the-world-is-now-middle-class-or-wealthier/ 75th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/auschwitz-holocaust-muslim-jewish-pray-a9299941.html

Foolishness of the week

A “just” Connecticut

http://www.senatedems.ct.gov/looney-news/3045-looney-200122#sthash.xHba9oNB.n5oMRw3V.dpbs

https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2020/jan/24/conn-democrats-propose-new-state-police-department/ 

Topic of the week

David Schmidtz

https://freedomcenter.arizona.edu/david-schmidtz

Freedom Center podcast https://podcasts.apple.com/vc/podcast/freedom-center-today/id1452115977 New Yorker: The Equality Conundrum

https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2020/01/13/the-equality-conundrum

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The rising cost of tuition is merely a symptom of a disease. The disease, which is much more complex, involves misplaced incentives from administrators to faculty to students to parents. Phil Magnus joins Words & Numbers this week to talk about his recent book, Cracks in the Ivory Tower.

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Quick hits

Trial by combat

https://www.desmoinesregister.com/story/news/crime-and-courts/2020/01/13/iowa-courts-david-ostrom-requests-trial-combat-swords-settle-dispute/4456079002/

The FBI wants access to your phone

https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/security/two-iphones-or-privacy-billions-why-apple-vs-fbi-matters-n1118001

Foolishness of the week

You may have to answer to police in Kentucky

https://www.kentucky.com/news/politics-government/article239389143.html

Topic of the week

Cracks in the Ivory Tower

https://www.amazon.com/Cracks-Ivory-Tower-Higher-Education/dp/0190846283

Review of Cracks in the Ivory Tower

https://www.nyjournalofbooks.com/book-review/cracks-ivory-tower

Phil Magness

https://twitter.com/PhilWMagness

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Antony Davies on Twitter

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James R. Harrigan on Twitter

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https://www.desmoinesregister.com/story/news/crime-and-courts/2020/01/13/iowa-courts-david-ostrom-requests-trial-combat-swords-settle-dispute/4456079002/

https://ftw.usatoday.com/2015/08/new-york-lawyer-demands-trial-by-combat-because-game-of-thrones-is-real

https://abovethelaw.com/2016/03/judge-admits-trial-by-combat-is-available-in-new-york-then-declines-to-order-it/

https://www.thevintagenews.com/2018/09/17/trial-by-combat/

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The 18th Amendment was ratified a century ago, beginning the United States’ fourteen-year experiment with prohibition. An Amendment was needed because the Constitution did not give the federal government the power to ban alcohol. Yet, today, the federal government bans recreational drugs and puts medicinal drugs under the control of the FDA. But, the Constitution also doesn’t give the government the power to regulate drugs. Either the 18th Amendment wasn’t necessary a century ago, or federal drug controls are unconstitutional today.

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Quick hits

The optimal GPA

https://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/study-says-there-is-optimal-failure-for-learning-more-efficiently/

Too many 4.0s

https://www.wsj.com/articles/you-graduated-cum-laude-so-did-everyone-else-1530523801

Weed in Atlanta

https://thefreethoughtproject.com/apd-disbands-drug-unit-fight-real-crime/

Foolishness of the week

Bernie Sanders worked for his money

https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/aaronfreedman/bernie-sanders-is-rich-but-hes-a-worker

Topic of the week

Legal status of marijuana by state

https://disa.com/map-of-marijuana-legality-by-state

Bootleggers and Baptists

https://www.amazon.com/Bootleggers-Baptists-Economic-Persuasion-Regulatory/dp/1939709369

18th Amendment

https://constitutioncenter.org/interactive-constitution/amendment/amendment-xviii

21st Amendment

https://constitutioncenter.org/interactive-constitution/amendment/amendment-xxi

Wickard v. Filburn

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wickard_v._Filburn

You used to be able to buy heroin at Sears

https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2019/03/sears-roebuck-bayer-heroin/580441/

What can Colorado teach us about legalizing weed?

https://fee.org/articles/four-years-on-what-can-colorado-teach-us-about-legalizing-weed/

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Antony Davies on Twitter

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James R. Harrigan on Twitter

https://twitter.com/JamesRHarrigan

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“School choice” is much more than parents being able to choose which schools their children will attend. It is also teachers being free to design and teach their own curricula. It is principals being free to promote good teachers and to fire poor teachers. The problems we have with public education in this country have their roots in a lack of choice for all parties involved in the educational process. Show your support for Words & Numbers at Patreon

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Quick hits

Self-interest versus selfish

https://simpleflying.com/delta-passengers-life-saved-when-passengers-gave-up-seats-for-liver-transplant/

Water limits in California

https://finance.yahoo.com/news/correct-information-california-water-efficiency-222625943.html

Foolishness of the week

NYC parking meters

https://newyork.cbslocal.com/2020/01/02/parking-meters-nyc-credit-cards/

Topic of the week

Corey DeAngelis

https://reason.org/author/corey-deangelis/

Corey DeAngelis on Twitter

https://twitter.com/DeAngelisCorey

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Antony Davies on Twitter

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James R. Harrigan on Twitter

https://twitter.com/JamesRHarrigan

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It’s the New Year, a time when people like to make resolutions. In this episode, James and Ant look at surveys on what Americans pick for their New Year resolutions, how many fall off their wagons, and the role of resolutions, kept or not, in giving us hope for the future. Show your support for Words & Numbers at Patreon

https://www.patreon.com/wordsandnumbers

Quick hits

How much do CEOs make relative to workers?

https://corpgov.law.harvard.edu/2018/02/12/ceo-tenure-rates/

https://twitter.com/berniesanders/status/1190369125291503621

https://www.bls.gov/ooh/management/top-executives.htm

https://www.thebalancecareers.com/average-salary-information-for-us-workers-2060808

https://www.forbes.com/sites/kathryndill/2014/04/03/americas-highest-paid-marketing-executives/#5490bbc68f55

Food from air

https://bigthink.com/technology-innovation/protein-from-air?rebelltitem=1#rebelltitem1

Foolishness of the week

Nerds, geeks, and hate crime

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2019/12/17/nerd-geek-insults-should-classed-hate-crimes-academic-claims/

Topic of the week

https://www.statista.com/statistics/378105/new-years-resolution/

https://www.statista.com/chart/16500/top-us-new-years-resolutions/

https://www.statista.com/chart/20309/us-new-years-resolutions-2020/

https://www.forbes.com/sites/justinconklin/2018/12/18/new-years-resolutions-are-for-loserstake-these-4-steps-instead/#4113884b5e2c

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Antony Davies on Twitter

https://twitter.com/antonydavies

James R. Harrigan on Twitter

https://twitter.com/JamesRHarrigan

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People tend to talk about income inequality as if it were necessarily a bad thing. In so doing, they often confuse inequality and poverty and, in the process, run the risk of justifying what is really envy. This week, James and Ant discuss the fact that poverty is a bad thing, whether inequality could be a bad thing, and that politicians use voters’ envy to expand the government’s power. Show your support for Words & Numbers at Patreon

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Quick hits

HELPER

https://www.marketwatch.com/story/rand-paul-to-offer-bill-allowing-families-to-use-retirement-savings-for-student-loans-2019-12-04

How much Americans have in 401k plans, by age

https://www.cnbc.com/2019/05/23/how-much-money-americans-have-in-their-401ks-at-every-age.html

401k returns

https://money.usnews.com/money/retirement/401ks/articles/what-is-the-average-401-k-return

Student loan interest rates

https://www.nerdwallet.com/blog/loans/student-loans/student-loan-interest-rates/

Bernie’s now a millionaire

https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3006320/critic-millionaires-and-billionaires-bernie-sanders

Foolishness of the week

A national smoking age

https://www.cnn.com/2019/12/20/health/tobacco-age-21-trump-spending-bill-bn/index.html

https://disrn.com/news/congress-votes-to-raise-age-to-buy-tobacco-to-21

Topic of the week

US poverty rate

https://poverty.ucdavis.edu/faq/what-current-poverty-rate-united-states

Facts about income mobility

https://www.aei.org/carpe-diem/some-amazing-findings-on-income-mobility-in-the-us-including-this-the-image-of-a-static-1-and-99-percent-is-false/

Inequality after taxes and transfers

https://voxeu.org/article/income-redistribution-through-taxes-and-transfers

Inheriting wealth

https://www.forbes.com/sites/rainerzitelmann/2019/06/24/amazing-facts-that-prove-inheritance-is-mostly-overrated-as-a-reason-for-wealth/#39759c11eca3

Intergenerational income

https://www.pewtrusts.org/~/media/legacy/uploadedfiles/pcs_assets/2012/pursuingamericandreampdf.pdf

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Antony Davies on Twitter

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A year ago, FCC repealed net neutrality - the law that required internet service providers to treat all data passing through their servers the same. Proponents of net neutrality said that the repeal would yield higher prices and worse service. In this week's episode James and Ant ask what actually happened. Show your support for Words & Numbers at Patreon

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Quick hits

Billion dollar property tax error https://www.nytimes.com/2019/11/27/business/ups-drugs-tucson-arizona.html

Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin

https://www.blueorigin.com/

Richard Branson’s first space passenger

https://www.cnbc.com/2019/02/22/richard-bransons-virgin-galactic-sends-first-test-passenger-on-spaceflight.html

Amazon’s satellite constellation

https://www.geekwire.com/2019/amazons-project-kuiper-oneweb-raise-curtain-higher-satellite-plans/

Foolishness of the week

UK to require that food labelling tell consumers how much exercise they must do to burn off calories

https://www.bbc.com/news/health-50711652

Topic of the week

Download speeds

https://www.speedtest.net/reports/united-states/

https://www.bandwidthplace.com/pennsylvania/

https://www.bandwidthplace.com/ohio/

https://www.bandwidthplace.com/georgia/

https://www.bandwidthplace.com/california/

https://www.bandwidthplace.com/new-york/

Price of residential internet service

https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/WPU374102

Warnings people gave about repealing net neutrality

https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/gadgets-and-tech/net-neutrality-what-is-it-repeal-latest-meaning-define-trump-internet-rules-why-explained-a8563616.html

https://www.realclearpolicy.com/articles/2019/02/18/net_neutrality_is_gone_did_you_even_notice_111056.html

https://issuesinsights.com/2019/06/10/one-year-later-the-internet-thrives-without-net-neutrality/

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Antony Davies on Twitter

https://twitter.com/antonydavies

James R. Harrigan on Twitter

https://twitter.com/JamesRHarrigan

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Large countries, like the United States, span multiple time zones and have multiple climates. They also have multiple economies, each with different price levels. Prices in New York City are very different from prices in Boise Idaho - typically higher. But wages in New York City are higher also, but then so too are taxes, and so too is the likelihood of being employed. In this episode, James and Ant talk about differences in the costs of living across US cities.

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Quick hits

UPS drug runners https://www.nytimes.com/2019/11/27/business/ups-drugs-tucson-arizona.html

Average person can tolerate family members for four hours

https://www.studyfinds.org/breaking-point-average-person-cant-last-four-hours-with-their-family-over-the-holidays/

Foolishness of the week

Washington College cancels anti-rascist play

https://reason.com/2019/12/03/washington-college-the-foreigner-censorship-students-kkk-racism/

Regional price parity index

https://www.bea.gov/news/2019/real-personal-income-states-and-metropolitan-areas-2017

Topic of the week

Differences in the costs of living across the country

https://www.businessinsider.com/cost-of-living-san-francisco-compared-to-other-cities

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Antony Davies on Twitter

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One of the few enumerated powers that the Founders granted to the federal government was the power to issue patents.

Patents are a compromise between two conflicting goals. On the one hand, we want to avoid the creation of government-protected monopolies because monopolies stifle innovation. On the other, we want entrepreneurs to have an incentive to innovate. And one way to incentivize entrepreneurs is to grant monopoly protection for their inventions.

Patent law is an attempt to balance these two conflicting goals, but the balance presents trade offs. Weaker patent laws mean cheaper goods today but a lesser variety of goods tomorrow; stronger patent laws mean more expensive goods today but a greater variety of goods tomorrow.

Show your support for Words & Numbers at Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/wordsandnumbers

Quick hits

Why did the South Bronx burn? https://www.latinousa.org/2019/02/06/decadeoffire/

A history of NYC rent control https://www.crainsnewyork.com/article/20100610/BLOGS01/306109998/a-history-lesson-on-rent-regulation-in-the-1970s

Property tax https://fox4kc.com/2019/11/28/kansas-city-woman-angry-about-her-property-taxes-paying-with-nickels/amp/

Merchants taking dollars https://theconversation.com/if-cash-is-king-how-can-stores-refuse-to-take-your-dollars-63516

https://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/businesses-taking-benjamins-baby/story

Foolishness of the Week

Michael Bloomberg and “those people” https://www.realclearpolitics.com/video/2018/05/24/bloomberg_regressive_taxes_on_the_poor_a_good_thing.html

Topic of the Week

The Constitution and Patents https://www.ipwatchdog.com/2017/11/14/constitutional-underpinnings-patent-law/id=90190/

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Antony Davies on Twitter https://twitter.com/antonydavies

James R. Harrigan on Twitter https://twitter.com/JamesRHarrigan

 

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Sometimes, the things we take for granted are the things we should be most thankful for. Football games on your television, climate control in your automobiles, and fully-stocked neighborhood grocery stores are among the many things we may not think about until they aren’t there. What do the data indicate about our modern standard of living? Who is responsible for the advancements in medicine and technology that have improved so many lives? Which historical scourges are functionally nonexistent today? Join Antony Davies and James Harrigan in giving thanks to the many improvements in life on this week’s episode of Words & Numbers. Show your support for Words & Numbers at Patreon

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Quick hits

Government grocery store

https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2019/11/22/baldwin-florida-food-desert-city-owned-grocery-store/

Conservatism stresses students

https://www.thecollegefix.com/intellectual-conservatism-group-denied-may-cause-stress-to-the-student-body/

Foolishness of the week

Abolish the electoral college

https://www.bostonherald.com/2019/11/20/joe-kennedy-iii-wants-to-abolish-the-electoral-college/

Topic of the week: Thanksgiving

A Series of Miracles

https://www.faithandfreedom.com/a-series-of-miracles/

State Car Registration by Year

https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/ohim/summary95/mv200.pdf

Office of Highway Policy Information

https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/policyinformation/statistics/2015/mv1.cfm

Household's Owners Equity 

https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/OEHRENWBSHNO

Mortality in the US

https://budgetmodel.wharton.upenn.edu/issues/2016/1/25/mortality-in-the-united-states-past-present-and-future

Mortality & Causes of Death

https://www.ncdemography.org/2014/06/16/mortality-and-cause-of-death-1900-v-2010/

Join the conversation

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Let us know what you think

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Antony Davies on Twitter

https://twitter.com/antonydavies

James R. Harrigan on Twitter

https://twitter.com/JamesRHarrigan

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