The “Migrant Crisis” is Caused by Flawed Work and Housing Policies, not Migrants
by Ilya Somin, Reason, February 20, 2024.
Excerpt:
What is true for Ukrainians is also true of Cubans, Nicaraguans, Venezuelans, and Haitians admitted under the “CNVH” program—an extension of the U4U model to a combine total 30,000 migrants per month fleeing oppression and violence in those four countries. Several hundred thousand people have entered the US under the CNVH program. But, like the Ukrainians, they have immediate work authorization, and therefore turn out to be a asset to cities, not a burden.
Government Is Snooping on Your Phone
by John Stossel, Reason, February 21, 2024
“This is a terrible app for privacy. Google Chrome is notorious for collecting every single thing that they can about you…[and] broadcasting that to thousands of people…auctioning off your eyeballs. It’s not just advertisers collecting this information. Thousands of shell companies, shady companies of data brokers also collect it and in turn sell it.”
Instead of Google, she recommends using a browser called Brave. It’s just as good, she says, but it doesn’t collect all the information that Chrome does. It’s slightly faster, too, because it doesn’t slow down to load ads.
Then she says, “Delete Google Maps.”
“But I need Google Maps!”
“You don’t.” She replies, “You have an iPhone. You have Apple Maps…. Apple is better when it comes to privacy…. Apple at least tries to anonymize your data.”
Instead of Gmail, she recommends more private alternatives, like Proton Mail or Tuta.
Tucker Carlson, Episode 75, February 16, 2024.
The national security state is the main driver of censorship and election interference in the United States. “What I’m describing is military rule,” says Mike Benz. “It’s the inversion of democracy.”
HT2 Daniel Klein.
January 20, 2024.
Expanding the Child Tax Credit Would Perpetuate Systemic Poverty
by Veronique de Rugy, Reason, February 22, 2024.
The child tax credit was first introduced in the 1997 Taxpayer Relief Act as a way to lower the tax burden for working families, with a $500 per child credit. It was increased a few times, including during the Bush years and in 2017 during the latest Republican tax reform. The justification has morphed into whatever its advocates happen to think it should be: It’s an anti-poverty program—hence its refundability. It’s a pro-family program—hence its growing size. It’s a fertility booster program—hence both its size and refundability.
While it’s not that great at meeting any of these goals, it is a true budget buster. At current levels, it costs about $1 trillion over 10 years, a price tag that will grow if it is expanded. For the 2024 tax year, the CTC will be worth $2,000 per qualifying child with $1,700 potentially refundable through the additional child credit. The House of Representatives just passed an expansion that, if passed untouched by the Senate, would extend more benefits to lower-income families. The maximum refundable amount per child would increase from $1,600 to $1,800 for 2023 taxes filed this year. It would also grow depending on inflation. And it would only require work every other year, which is a first step into turning the credit into a universal basic income for families.
Responding to Critiques of the Congressional Fiscal Commission
by Romina Boccia, Cato at Liberty, February 22, 2024.
Spending increased 42 percent, as a percentage of gross domestic product (GDP) between the peak budget surplus in 2000 and 2022. Revenues declined by a measly 2 percent over that same period. Clearly, the growth in spending is the biggest driver of US debt. My colleague Adam Michel gave congressional testimony on this very topic.
READER COMMENTS
Richard W Fulmer
Feb 26 2024 at 10:38am
One might get the impression from these headlines that welfare policies create perverse incentives and discourage productive behavior. But not to worry; behavioral economists have learned that people are irrational and don’t respond to incentives. (Though I do sometimes wonder how such irrational beings could have survived and thrived throughout hundreds of thousands of years.)
steve
Feb 26 2024 at 1:40pm
That’s an odd interpretation of behavioral economics. It’s pretty clear that people usually respond to obvious economic incentives but sometimes they dont. Some people seem to think you are committing heresy by first admitting that it sometimes happens and second trying to figure out why it happens. Seems like there would be some value in finding what incentives are the ones that people are really responding to in their decisions. It has certainly helped me a lot over the years.
Steve
Richard W Fulmer
Feb 26 2024 at 1:55pm
Do an Internet search on “behavioral economics replication crisis.”
Comments are closed.