The topic of income inequality has received a lot of media attention, primarily because it has been a feature of president Obama’s recent speeches, including this week’s State of the Union. It’s a shame, because as a metric it’s pretty lousy for both determining sound policy prescriptions and measuring their success. It’s easy to illustrate […]
Who killed bipartisanship in Washington DC?
Democrat Patty Murray, one of my own senators, and Republican Paul Ryan showed some rare leadership in negotiating a bipartisan budget that passed both houses of congress in December. It was far from a perfect piece of legislation and it was done under duress. However, it provides an example of the sort of leadership Washington […]
Minimum wage raises hurt the poor and unemployed
Minimum wages are back in the headlines as a result of initiatives in states, proposals in some cities, as well as efforts by President Obama to raise the federal rate. The way to think about whether or not raising the minimum wage is a good idea is to consider who is supposed to benefit from […]
NPR Report on T-Shirts Exposes What Others Have Written About For Decades
National Public Radio’s (NPR) “Planet Money” team just wound up a series about what goes into making a t-shirt, which I caught on my evening commutes. It followed the t-shirt from the fields where the cotton was grown, to where it was spun in Colombia, to the factory in Bangladesh where it was stitched together. […]
40 best books for toddlers, preschoolers (and their parents)
Reading to your toddler or preschooler is a rich and rewarding experience. It opens up conversations, expands vocabulary and introduces new worlds. But I’ve found that accidentally choosing a poorly written or illustrated book can make story time a lot less fun. And beware the book you loathe, but your child loves and wants read again and […]