Tag Archives: money

A Confusing Attempt to Take Money from Subway Riders and Taxpayers

Posted on December 27, 2011 by Jonathan

MetroChange is a proposal for a kiosk that will allow MTA riders to donate the pesky leftover funds on their Metrocards to charity. NYU students Stephan Boltalin, Genevieve Hoffman, and Paul May have imagined a friendly, easy-to-use machine that invites New … Continue reading →

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Insider Trading

Posted on November 14, 2011 by Jonathan

Megan McArdle suggests that insider trading may be a “victimless” crime: Of course, if our insider buys shares, someone else doesn’t get them … but there’s no way of knowing whether that person would have held on to the stock … Continue reading →

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The Unaddressed Question

Posted on August 29, 2011 by Jonathan

Sam Harris, in a followup post defending his call to use taxes to reduce income inequality, complains that his rich readers foolishly give themselves credit for their own well-being, failing to see that, in large part, they have other factors … Continue reading →

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Sam Harris Weighs In on Income Inequality

Posted on August 24, 2011 by Jonathan

Sam Harris has a question about how conservatives would feel about extreme income inequality: And there is no reason to think that we have reached the upper bound of wealth inequality, as not every breakthrough in technology creates new jobs. … Continue reading →

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Warren Buffet’s Taxes

Posted on August 19, 2011 by Jonathan

After Warren Buffet suggested that rich people like him should pay more taxes, conservatives predictably encouraged him to voluntarily give more money to the government if he so desperately desires to do so. (E.g., from Michelle Bachmann: “If he’s worried … Continue reading →

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Financial Advice which is Totally Bogus but Often Given

Posted on August 8, 2011 by Jonathan

We’ve all heard one form or other of the following bit of financial advice: “You should only invest in the stock market if you are going to leave your money in it for a long time.” It sounds sensible, but … Continue reading →

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I hate how everything is a % of GDP

Posted on August 5, 2011 by Jonathan

Here James Fallows shows a chart (reproduced at right) that indicates how taxes as a % of GDP are very low in the U.S. as compared to other developed nations. Then he suggests that in order to solve the deficit … Continue reading →

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Paying back debts

Posted on May 25, 2011 by Jonathan

Suppose a charismatic anti-debt crusader (maybe Ron Paul) persuaded everyone in the world to pay pack all of his debts. This includes the U.S. treasury, all private banks, corporations, and all individuals (but not central banks, e.g. the Federal Reserve … Continue reading →

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Getting your money back

Posted on May 23, 2011 by Jonathan

Harold Camping and his organization, Family Radio, were proved wrong this weekend when the world did not end. NPR reports that Tom Evans, a board member of Family Radio, “hopes the organization will repay people who gave their money to … Continue reading →

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