Newmark's Door

Interesting discussion of why the Shah fell and what motivates the current regime.

Another review of  an important new book co-authored by former Senator Phil Gramm: The Myth of American Inequality.

For decades, there’s been no surer route to success within academic social science and history departments, or on the left side of the partisan divide, than to lament the persistence and rise of economic inequality in the United States. . . . And more broadly, in 2020 The Economist, channeling Jane Austen, proclaimed it “a truth universally acknowledged that inequality in the rich world is high and rising.”

The problem with these assertions (both quoted on this book’s opening page), as economist (and former Senator) Phil Gramm and two other distinguished academic colleagues demonstrate, is that they are false. And their falsity is a product of a distortion of statistics by economists inside and outside the government.

Related: "Paying Americans Not to Work".

Let's hear it for the Midwest! 

". . . we have debunked the myth that income inequality is extreme and growing on a secular basis by showing that the Census Bureau measure of income fails to include two-thirds of all federal, state and local transfer payments as income to the recipients and fails to treat taxes paid as income lost to the taxpayer."

One of the "founding myths of the Palestinian narrative" appears to be really wrong.

There's a whole lot about poverty and inequality in the U.S. that I expect the average voter doesn't know. Two examples:

In its standard measure of income, the Census Bureau includes only 8 of more than 100 federal transfer programs. Among the benefits it excludes are refundable tax credits, food stamps, Medicare and Medicaid.

The U.S. has the most progressive fiscal system among all developed countries.

Short list of mathematics, statistics, and data science books from the blog "God plays dice".

Explaining how to think better to the average high school graduate is neither very difficult nor very time-consuming. But motivating them to want to think better often is.

Pete Boettke reviews a new book, The Next American Economy. 

The latest from Samuel Gregg lays out a broad vision for what made the American economy the wonder of the world, and can again. And it isn’t to be found in populisms and nationalisms of the right or left.

Book review. Starts with "Have you noticed lately that everything is shit?"

Well, yes, I've noticed that a lot of things are. But I figured it was just because I was old and cranky. And with all due respect to the author this isn't a new observation. Years ago--in 1957--there was Sturgeon's Law.