Romney was basking in the glow of his victory in Illinois and endorsement by Jeb Bush when one of his aides said that Romney would be like an "etch-a-sketch" for the general election -- that he could start over in an effort to win over moderate voters. Conservatives pounced on the comments, with Rick Santorum handing out etch-a-sketches to media at a press conference, to declare the Romney was flip-flopping again.
In a 5-4 decision, with Kennedy siding with the four liberal justices, the Supreme Court declared that the legal system should have more oversight over plea bargains and that lawyers must give competent advice to the clients they defend, opening the door for claims of incompetent representation after plea bargains. One law scholar called it "the single greatest revolution in the criminal justice system" in the past 50 years.
Economist Christine Romer discusses recently published researching finding that while tax raises and cuts incentive people to work less and more, that the incentive is quite small and nowhere near enough to boost tax revenue through tax cuts or reduce tax revenue through tax increases.
Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) has called a hearing to investigate bounties in professional sports in the wake of the Saints scandal
Environmental Links
A new report ranks Nashville 50th of 51 large cities in affordability of transportation. Because of the sprawl and lack of public transit, metro Nashville residents spend about 29% of their income on commuting.
In an editorial, the NY Times points out that though gas prices have risen, the US now produces more oil and imports less than at any time in the past 10 years.
In an online debate over energy efficient products, an economist from the libertarian Cato Institute argues that we should "increase fossil fuel prices enough through taxation to account for [negative externalities]"
In the first three years of Obama's administration, real per-capita government spending has increased at a lower rate than all but one of the last six Presidents (Clinton).
President Obama yesterday declared his support for expedited construction of the Southern portion of the Keystone XL pipeline, but not the Northern portion.
Oil and gas companies are taking advantage of new finds in the Marcellus Shale formation to build plants in Pennsylvania and Ohio that will produce CNG for cars.
Friday, March 23, 2012
Wednesday, March 21, 2012
More Health and Health Care Links
Here's the chart examining the 100+ causes of obesity that we discussed in class
A new study at convenience stores in low-income Baltimore neighborhoods posted the caloric values of soft drinks in various ways. Posting absolute caloric count and percentage of recommended daily intake had no statistically significant effect on consumption, but posting the physical activity equivalent of the calories resulted in only half as many youths buying soft drinks.
NYT health writer Mark Bittman asks the authors of a new book if a calorie is really a calorie. Their answer is that it is for weight loss purposes (eating 1500 calories of junk food will result in a lower weight than eating 1600 calories of healthy food every day, assuming no differences in behavior), but that a.) the types of foods you eat affect your behavior (it's easier to consume 500 calories of Coke than of apples); and b.) calories are not equal for overall health. Some policy options are discussed.
The LA Times recounts the history of conservative proposals to mandate health insurance. Here's a detailed history of conservative proposals both including and not including a mandate.
We briefly discussed the immense health care costs of the last few months of one's life in class. Here's a Doctor's reflection on why we have such a difficult time letting loved ones die. Among other explanations, he argues that urbanization has shielded Americans from seeing death in nature and that
Ezekiel Emanuel discusses various plans to reduce growth in Medicare spending.
To solve the contraceptive debate, Sally Kalson argues that guys should stop having sex instead of focusing on what women are doing.
Paul Krugman says "Hurray for Health Reform" (any of these arguments sound familiar?):
Meanwhile, Tyler Cowen argues that the mandate is a bad idea -- in part because it may lead to Americans continually demanding higher subsidies and politicians and interest groups will keep creating more expensive health plans as minimum coverage.
And a WSJ journal op-ed argues for dropping the health insurance mandate because adverse selection will happen anyway and there are other ways to prevent consumers from gaming the system.
House Republicans released a new budget that proposes changing Medicare from a publicly run insurance program to a flat subsidy to be used by senior citizens to purchase private health insurance.
Medicare announced last year that they would start paying for weight loss programs, so now -- much like pharmaceutical companies -- various weight loss programs are advocating that doctors refer patients to them.
Health insurance companies and other firms are beginning to try to make medical pricing more transparent by proving customers with the costs of a procedure at various facilities. Progress has been slow.
A NYT editorial argues that reducing Medicare reimbursements for doctors has resulted in doctors performing more tests and procedures, increasing waste. They recommend cutting reimbursement rates only for specialists, and particularly for procedures deemed overused and wasteful.
A new study at convenience stores in low-income Baltimore neighborhoods posted the caloric values of soft drinks in various ways. Posting absolute caloric count and percentage of recommended daily intake had no statistically significant effect on consumption, but posting the physical activity equivalent of the calories resulted in only half as many youths buying soft drinks.
NYT health writer Mark Bittman asks the authors of a new book if a calorie is really a calorie. Their answer is that it is for weight loss purposes (eating 1500 calories of junk food will result in a lower weight than eating 1600 calories of healthy food every day, assuming no differences in behavior), but that a.) the types of foods you eat affect your behavior (it's easier to consume 500 calories of Coke than of apples); and b.) calories are not equal for overall health. Some policy options are discussed.
The LA Times recounts the history of conservative proposals to mandate health insurance. Here's a detailed history of conservative proposals both including and not including a mandate.
We briefly discussed the immense health care costs of the last few months of one's life in class. Here's a Doctor's reflection on why we have such a difficult time letting loved ones die. Among other explanations, he argues that urbanization has shielded Americans from seeing death in nature and that
Rising affluence has allowed us to isolate senescence. Before nursing homes, assisted-living centers and in-home nurses, grandparents, their children and their grandchildren were often living under the same roof, where everyone's struggles were plain to see. In 1850, 70 percent of white elderly adults lived with their children. Today, that figure is only 16 percent. Sequestering our elderly keeps most of us from knowing what it's like to grow old.
Ezekiel Emanuel discusses various plans to reduce growth in Medicare spending.
To solve the contraceptive debate, Sally Kalson argues that guys should stop having sex instead of focusing on what women are doing.
Paul Krugman says "Hurray for Health Reform" (any of these arguments sound familiar?):
The fact is that individual health insurance, as currently constituted, just doesn’t work. If insurers are left free to deny coverage at will — as they are in, say, California — they offer cheap policies to the young and healthy (and try to yank coverage if you get sick) but refuse to cover anyone likely to need expensive care. Yet simply requiring that insurers cover people with pre-existing conditions, as in New York, doesn’t work either: premiums are sky-high because only the sick buy insurance.
The solution — originally proposed, believe it or not, by analysts at the ultra-right-wing Heritage Foundation — is a three-legged stool of regulation and subsidies. As in New York, insurers are required to cover everyone; in return, everyone is required to buy insurance, so that healthy as well as sick people are in the risk pool. Finally, subsidies make those mandated insurance purchases affordable for lower-income families.
Meanwhile, Tyler Cowen argues that the mandate is a bad idea -- in part because it may lead to Americans continually demanding higher subsidies and politicians and interest groups will keep creating more expensive health plans as minimum coverage.
And a WSJ journal op-ed argues for dropping the health insurance mandate because adverse selection will happen anyway and there are other ways to prevent consumers from gaming the system.
House Republicans released a new budget that proposes changing Medicare from a publicly run insurance program to a flat subsidy to be used by senior citizens to purchase private health insurance.
Medicare announced last year that they would start paying for weight loss programs, so now -- much like pharmaceutical companies -- various weight loss programs are advocating that doctors refer patients to them.
Health insurance companies and other firms are beginning to try to make medical pricing more transparent by proving customers with the costs of a procedure at various facilities. Progress has been slow.
A NYT editorial argues that reducing Medicare reimbursements for doctors has resulted in doctors performing more tests and procedures, increasing waste. They recommend cutting reimbursement rates only for specialists, and particularly for procedures deemed overused and wasteful.
Friday, March 16, 2012
Health Care Links
Here's an interesting piece by former Bush writer David Frum, who argues that Health Care is the Republican Party's Waterloo (he was subsequently let go by the American Enterprise Institute).
Here's the latest on Accountable Care Organizations. And here's a brief overview and a brief on the issue
Here's a WSJ op-ed arguing that the individual mandate is unconstitutional. Here's one economist's explanation why people can't fire their insurance companies like Mitt Romney would like them to. And here's another discussion of adverse risk selection, health insurance, and used car sales
Here's a thorough breakdown of how America's health spending compares to other countries and what we can do about it. Here's a shorter news article comparing costs in the US to other countries with some nifty charts. And here's one economist's take on what the US can learn from other countries' health care systems
Here's more on the history of public responses to the expansion of the social safety net
Here's a conservative call for universal access to health care
Finally, here's a compilation of a lot of other articles on health policy issues
Here's the latest on Accountable Care Organizations. And here's a brief overview and a brief on the issue
Here's a WSJ op-ed arguing that the individual mandate is unconstitutional. Here's one economist's explanation why people can't fire their insurance companies like Mitt Romney would like them to. And here's another discussion of adverse risk selection, health insurance, and used car sales
Here's a thorough breakdown of how America's health spending compares to other countries and what we can do about it. Here's a shorter news article comparing costs in the US to other countries with some nifty charts. And here's one economist's take on what the US can learn from other countries' health care systems
Here's more on the history of public responses to the expansion of the social safety net
Here's a conservative call for universal access to health care
Finally, here's a compilation of a lot of other articles on health policy issues
Tuesday, March 13, 2012
Election Update, 3-13-12
The big story of the night is that Rick Santorum won primaries in both Alabama and Mississippi despite trailing in polls in both states. More accurate than the polls were predictions based on demography -- the results continued to be starkly different by geographic region.
The obvious questions regarding tonight's results are: 1.) Will Gingrich drop out now?; and 2.) Does Santorum actually have a chance against Romney?
It's too early for a definitive answer to either, but both look far more likely than they did just a few hours ago. Romney has huge delegate, organizational, and financial advantages, but no longer looks that much more electable than Romney. In hypothetical head-to-head match-ups with Obama, Santorum loses by an average of 6 points while Romney loses by an average of 3.
Exit polls in both states indicated that voters who wanted the most conservative candidate tended to vote for Santorum while those who wanted the most electable candidate tended to vote for Romney (50 and 52% of the voters in Mississippi and Alabama said that Romney's positions were "not conservative enough" while 49 and 46% said Romney was most likely to defeat Obama).
The split over electability versus conservativeness may partially explain why former first lady Barbara Bush recently said that this is "the worst campaign I've ever seen in my life . . . I hate the fact that people think 'compromise' is a dirty word".
Meanwhile, President Obama may be more vulnerable in November than many thought just a few weeks ago. The latest tracking polls reveal a drop in his approval ratings, with the NYT/CBS polls reporting just a 41% approval rate. The same poll has Obama up only 4 points in a hypothetical match-up with Santorum.
And it could always get worse, particularly if oil prices continue to rise. The Economist writes that "More expensive oil is, for now, doing little harm to global growth" but "if the Strait of Hormuz is threatened, the resulting surge in oil prices will spell the end of the global recovery".
The obvious questions regarding tonight's results are: 1.) Will Gingrich drop out now?; and 2.) Does Santorum actually have a chance against Romney?
It's too early for a definitive answer to either, but both look far more likely than they did just a few hours ago. Romney has huge delegate, organizational, and financial advantages, but no longer looks that much more electable than Romney. In hypothetical head-to-head match-ups with Obama, Santorum loses by an average of 6 points while Romney loses by an average of 3.
Exit polls in both states indicated that voters who wanted the most conservative candidate tended to vote for Santorum while those who wanted the most electable candidate tended to vote for Romney (50 and 52% of the voters in Mississippi and Alabama said that Romney's positions were "not conservative enough" while 49 and 46% said Romney was most likely to defeat Obama).
The split over electability versus conservativeness may partially explain why former first lady Barbara Bush recently said that this is "the worst campaign I've ever seen in my life . . . I hate the fact that people think 'compromise' is a dirty word".
Meanwhile, President Obama may be more vulnerable in November than many thought just a few weeks ago. The latest tracking polls reveal a drop in his approval ratings, with the NYT/CBS polls reporting just a 41% approval rate. The same poll has Obama up only 4 points in a hypothetical match-up with Santorum.
And it could always get worse, particularly if oil prices continue to rise. The Economist writes that "More expensive oil is, for now, doing little harm to global growth" but "if the Strait of Hormuz is threatened, the resulting surge in oil prices will spell the end of the global recovery".
Monday, March 12, 2012
Health Links, 3-12-12
The Tennessean is currently soliciting readers' ideas on how to combat childhood obesity.
School lunches have been the subject of recent intense fights between health advocates on one side and industry lobbyists and politicians from states that grow and produce less healthy foods on the other.
Despite recent controversy, it's still allowed in school lunches, and 70% of ground beef in the US contains what the meat industry refers to as "lean, finely textured beef" and what critics refer to as "pink slime," which is made mostly from connective tissue and has ammonia added to kill bacteria.
Here's a feature from the Tennessean about attempts to limit sugar intake. Here are some corresponding public service announcements about sugary beverages.
Here's a long, but interesting, article about genetics and other factors that explain why weight gained can't be reduced to a simple equation computing calories consumed and calories burned.
Here's an explanation of how exercise benefits the brain
New technology may help people manage their weight, including new watch-like devices designed to track physical activity and food consumption
There are signs that obesity rates may finally be beginning to level off
A wide array of businesses are taking steps to help people eat healthier. Wal-Mart has announced a new food labeling system. And the Quaker Oats man is now skinnier.
Here's an update on Michelle Obama's "Let's Move" campaign
Food writer Mark Bittman says people need to understand that potatoes are healthy but Pringles aren't
The average American ate literally a ton of food this past year
Life expectancy in the US has fallen significantly further behind international averages since 2000
Family Teaching Kitchens are currently being run by the United Way in Tennessee to help people learn how to cook healthier for their family.
School lunches have been the subject of recent intense fights between health advocates on one side and industry lobbyists and politicians from states that grow and produce less healthy foods on the other.
Despite recent controversy, it's still allowed in school lunches, and 70% of ground beef in the US contains what the meat industry refers to as "lean, finely textured beef" and what critics refer to as "pink slime," which is made mostly from connective tissue and has ammonia added to kill bacteria.
Here's a feature from the Tennessean about attempts to limit sugar intake. Here are some corresponding public service announcements about sugary beverages.
Here's a long, but interesting, article about genetics and other factors that explain why weight gained can't be reduced to a simple equation computing calories consumed and calories burned.
Here's an explanation of how exercise benefits the brain
New technology may help people manage their weight, including new watch-like devices designed to track physical activity and food consumption
There are signs that obesity rates may finally be beginning to level off
A wide array of businesses are taking steps to help people eat healthier. Wal-Mart has announced a new food labeling system. And the Quaker Oats man is now skinnier.
Here's an update on Michelle Obama's "Let's Move" campaign
Food writer Mark Bittman says people need to understand that potatoes are healthy but Pringles aren't
The average American ate literally a ton of food this past year
Life expectancy in the US has fallen significantly further behind international averages since 2000
Family Teaching Kitchens are currently being run by the United Way in Tennessee to help people learn how to cook healthier for their family.
Sunday, March 11, 2012
Politics Links, 3-11-12
Romney won enough states on Super Tuesday to cement his position as frontrunner and extend his delegate lead, but not enough to convince Gingrich, Paul, or Santorum to leave the race. As a result, Romney's staff began responding to those who question his lack of decisive victories by arguing that the delegate math makes it impossible for any of the other candidates to win.
Santorum, meanwhile, won a decisive victory in Kansas on Saturday, extending his streak of winning every state in the middle of the country.
Meanwhile, turnout is down in the majority of Republican primaries to date -- with the exception of states with "open" primaries that allow Independents and Democrats to vote.
The economy added 227,000 jobs in February -- the third consecutive month with 200K+ jobs added -- and a wide range of figures indicate likely future growth
Harvard Economist (and Romney campaign consultant) Greg Mankiw provides a breakdown of what counts as ordinary earned income and what counts as capital gains using five examples where people make money off the sale of a house.
In a rare act of bipartisanship, the House passed the JOBS Act (Jumpstart Our Business Startups) by a vote of 390-23. The bill is designed to make it easier for new businesses to obtain financing.
Female legislators in Georgia's State Senate walked out last week to protest votes on limiting access to contraception and abortions -- what they called "a war on women"
Olympia Snowe, a moderate Republican Senator from Maine, has decided not to run again because she sees little possibility of progress given the partisan gridlock
Illegal border crossings along the Mexican border have decreased by about 2/3 over the past six years, but there's been an uptick in violent confrontations
Environmental Links, 3-11-12
The Outer Banks faces a large question regarding their highway that keeps getting destroyed as weather eats away at the sand supporting it and sea levels potentially rise . . . locals suffer economically every time another section is destroyed and not immediately repaired, but the state suffers financially every time they temporarily fix the road.
The BBC explores how the Fukushima nuclear disaster affected worldwide views of nuclear power . . . meanwhile, Japan has shut down all but two of their 54 nuclear reactors. In the US, expansion of nuclear power plants depends, in part, on finding a place to permanently store waste. TN Senator Lamar Alexander thinks that if we offer high enough incentives, communities will step forward to volunteer to host such storage facilities.
Ohio has stiffened laws on "fracking" after concluding that recent drilling caused earthquakes around Youngstown . . . fracking and related earthquakes were also mentioned in a Dilbert cartoon last week.
Both environmental leaders and deficit hawks are fighting against an increase in natural gas powered vehicles.
Deliverymen in NYC are increasingly using electric bikes, despite the upping of the fine to $1,000 for their use
Here's an op-ed arguing for increased use of methanol to power cars. And The Economist also has a feature on methanol.
According to a new poll, Californians narrowly support high-speed rail . . . but those planning on voting do not
The BBC explores how the Fukushima nuclear disaster affected worldwide views of nuclear power . . . meanwhile, Japan has shut down all but two of their 54 nuclear reactors. In the US, expansion of nuclear power plants depends, in part, on finding a place to permanently store waste. TN Senator Lamar Alexander thinks that if we offer high enough incentives, communities will step forward to volunteer to host such storage facilities.
Ohio has stiffened laws on "fracking" after concluding that recent drilling caused earthquakes around Youngstown . . . fracking and related earthquakes were also mentioned in a Dilbert cartoon last week.
Both environmental leaders and deficit hawks are fighting against an increase in natural gas powered vehicles.
Deliverymen in NYC are increasingly using electric bikes, despite the upping of the fine to $1,000 for their use
Here's an op-ed arguing for increased use of methanol to power cars. And The Economist also has a feature on methanol.
According to a new poll, Californians narrowly support high-speed rail . . . but those planning on voting do not
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