Government – Sound Economics

An Economic Case for Government News

Posted on January 10, 2020 by Brennan — No Comments ↓

In the current media landscape it can feel as if there is no escape from clickbait/hyperbole, fake news, and sensationalism. These problems seem so large that many are demanding grand government, or private sector solutions such as censorship and monitoring of news/news-like creations. However, if we look to the past there is a much easier method for correcting some of the model day problems: publicly funded news. In the early 1900s many newspapers engaged in tactics of story fabrication/embellishment, cheap gimmicks, and badly sourced stories, in order to engage audiences. These papers, called yellow papers, were then sold for a Continue reading An Economic Case for Government News→

The Fed Can Fix It

Posted on May 1, 2019 by Brennan — No Comments ↓

Despite the name, I don’t just want to talk about the marvels of the Fed, but actually about how the Fed is a good model for other public agencies and corporations. The Federal Reserve has always been the target of criticism from all sides of the spectrum, but this is reflective of inherent strengths of the Fed that naturally can draw some ire from the Political space. The Federal Reserve has successfully led the country through over 70 years of economic hardships in way that no other governmental body truly could and this is due to its unique features that set Continue reading The Fed Can Fix It→

A 2020 Presidential Candidate’s Proposal for Universal Basic Income

Posted on March 26, 2019 by Daniel Post — No Comments ↓

Sooner rather than later Andrew Yang’s main idea, Universal Basic Income (UBI), will enter the national discussion on some level. Yang has reached the 65,000-donor threshold to appear in debates later this year. As such, this bold proposal is one that major candidates may have to take positions on. Below are the main details of and arguments for his UBI proposal. This is not an endorsement of Andrew Yang 2020. The Problem Yang, a successful entrepreneur, argues that we are undergoing the greatest technological and economic shift we’ve ever experienced. Automation has already destroyed millions of manufacturing jobs. He cites Continue reading A 2020 Presidential Candidate’s Proposal for Universal Basic Income→

The Paradox of Voting (Part 2)

Posted on March 13, 2019 by jmonaghan — No Comments ↓

We left off two weeks ago talking about gerrymandering. I demonstrated how a non-majority group could be distributed to have the majority in groupings. This is exactly what your state legislature does when he/she draws redistricting lines. They obviously gerrymander for the favor of their political party, by targeting either people who voted for a given party, or demographics. An example of this is Florida’s 5th congressional district. This district is considered one of the most heavily gerrymandered districts in the country. The district contains 47.69% black people which is 31% more than Florida’s general demographic. This shows that someone Continue reading The Paradox of Voting (Part 2)→

Hidden costs to outdoor recreation during the government shutdown

Posted on February 7, 2019 by Alia Kabir — 1 Comment ↓

The longest government shutdown in our country’s history was expensive in more ways than one. The outdoor recreation economy, which made up 2.2% of total GDP in 2016, was one of the losers. According to an article written on January 4 (just 14 days into the shutdown), the National Parks Conservation Association (NPCA) estimated that the partial shutdown had already cost the National Parks Service (NPS) at least $5 million in entrance fees. Although the NPS left some areas open, they operated with limitations and did not collect entrance fees. Fortunately, many outdoor communities stepped up to volunteer in garbage Continue reading Hidden costs to outdoor recreation during the government shutdown→

American Political Parties are a Duopoly (Spoiler: Its not Symmetric)

Posted on February 6, 2019 by Brennan — No Comments ↓

In the United States we have effectively only two political parties to choose from, the Democrats or Republicans. Unlike in other developed nations that are characterized as two party systems, America has zero representation of third parties in national government while in Australia, the United Kingdom, and Canada the third biggest parties hold 14.4%, 7.52% or 5.38% (depending on who you count), and 23.9% of seats in national government respectively. Therefore, it is fair to say that the parties act as two firms unchallenged within a market for votes and thereby power within the American political system. Now this isn’t a shocking Continue reading American Political Parties are a Duopoly (Spoiler: Its not Symmetric)→

This Tuesday, 10/25: Debate on WA Initiative 732 regarding a carbon tax.

Posted on October 22, 2016 by Garrett Milam — No Comments ↓

Where: McIntyre 107 When: 4 – 5pm, Tuesday 10/25 The Economics Department is hosting a discussion of WA initiative 732 which seeks to create a revenue neutral carbon tax in Washington state to combat greenhouse gas emissions. Advocates from both the ‘pro’ and ‘con’ camps will be speaking. Yoram Bauman, economist for CarbonWA.org and one of the founders of I-732 will speak in favor of the measure. Brandon Houskeeper from the Association of Washington Business will make the case against the measure.

The War on Drugs…in 1511

Posted on March 14, 2016 by Janne Deng — No Comments ↓

Abyssinian goat herders may have been the first people to use the coffee bean for it’s psychoactive properties. The goat herders were likely to have observed their goats eating red berries off one particular tree, Cofea. After trying the berries themselves the goat herders experienced the psychoactive properties of the berries, and somewhere along the line they learned to roast the beans to make coffee. Now, caffeine is the world’s most widely consumed psychoactive substance. And though it has become the world’s leading choice of stimulant, what happened before it achieved it’s popular status? Why was coffee banned with such force? Continue reading The War on Drugs…in 1511→

Stoned Moms: The Marijuana Industry’s Greatest Untapped Market

Posted on February 29, 2016 by Janne Deng — 2 Comments ↓

If you’ve seen this video of grandmothers getting high then you’re going to love this Granny who loves her weed too. Since the legalization of recreational weed use in Colorado in 2012 entrepreneurs and investment bankers have been looking for the next big push to get the legal marijuana industry profitable. Justin Hartfield is the creator of WeedMaps, a yelp for marijuana dispensaries that marries the marijuana and tech industries into a modern entrepreneurial dream. However the next untapped market that the medical and recreation marijuana industry needs are everyday people, you, me, and your mom too. Contrary to popular belief, the majority of Continue reading Stoned Moms: The Marijuana Industry’s Greatest Untapped Market→