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Rusty Shackleford
Joined: 08 May 2008
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 Posted: Mon Jun 29, 2009 6:46 pm Post subject: Good Blog Post By Mankiw |
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Here is a good blog post by Gregory Mankiw on Paul Krugman and the Obama health reform bill. It is related to his latest article in the NYT and adds a lot of context to that article.
http://gregmankiw.blogspot.com/2009/06/arbiter-of-ignorance.html
Mankiw is probably the sanest econ blogger around at the moment. I won't quote any of the blog post, as it's all good. I will say I find his battle with Krugman delightful. He eviscerates the man in the politest manner possible. |
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RufusW
Joined: 14 Jun 2008
Location: Busan
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| Posted: Mon Jun 29, 2009 7:16 pm Post subject: |
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Worth noting that from 2003 to 2005, Mankiw was the chairman of President Bush's Council of Economic Advisors. Also now Romney' economic advisor.
Anyway, his recent NYT says this "FAIRNESS is in the eye of the beholder, but nothing about a government-run health care system strikes me as fair". How does universal access not increase fairness? |
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Rusty Shackleford
Joined: 08 May 2008
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| Posted: Mon Jun 29, 2009 7:36 pm Post subject: |
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| RufusW wrote: |
Worth noting that from 2003 to 2005, Mankiw was the chairman of President Bush's Council of Economic Advisors. Also now Romney' economic advisor.
Anyway, his recent NYT says this "FAIRNESS is in the eye of the beholder, but nothing about a government-run health care system strikes me as fair". How does universal access not increase fairness? |
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An important question about any public provider of health insurance is whether it would have access to taxpayer funds. If not, the public plan would have to stand on its own financially, as private plans do, covering all expenses with premiums from those who signed up for it.
Such explicit or implicit subsidies would prevent a public plan from providing honest competition for private suppliers of health insurance. Instead, the public plan would likely undercut private firms and get an undue share of the market. |
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| A dominant government insurer, however, could potentially keep costs down by squeezing the suppliers of health care. This cost control works not by fostering honest competition but by thwarting it. |
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RufusW
Joined: 14 Jun 2008
Location: Busan
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| Posted: Mon Jun 29, 2009 7:46 pm Post subject: |
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| Yes, it probably will affect competition, and (oh noes!) tax-payers may well subsidize poor people's health care. But it will address the most important issue of fairness - access to healthcare. |
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Rusty Shackleford
Joined: 08 May 2008
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| Posted: Mon Jun 29, 2009 7:55 pm Post subject: |
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| RufusW wrote: |
| Yes, it probably will affect competition, and (oh noes!) tax-payers may well subsidize poor people's health care. But it will address the most important issue of fairness - access to healthcare. |
http://forums.eslcafe.com/korea/viewtopic.php?t=159207
George Will can explain this issue best. |
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mises
Joined: 05 Nov 2007
Location: retired
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| Posted: Mon Jun 29, 2009 8:01 pm Post subject: |
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| Quote: |
| Worth noting that from 2003 to 2005, Mankiw was the chairman of President Bush's Council of Economic Advisors. Also now Romney' economic advisor. |
Romney is a very bright guy. He turned Bain around. Though I am not fond of Bain's business (management consulting and private equity) the company was facing collapse and within 1 year MR had repaired it (without mass layoffs). He'd be a great option for the Republicans in 2012, given that American will be in about as good a situation then as Bain was when MR turned it around.
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| How does universal access not increase fairness? |
I eat well, am thin and health conscious. Other than Dave's, I have no bad habits. I subsidize individuals who are fat as hell, smoke like a chimney and drink like fish. This isn't "fair" by any reasonable standard. There are reasons to support a single payer system or Obama's 'public option' but fairness isn't one of them. |
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Fox
Joined: 04 Mar 2009
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| Posted: Mon Jun 29, 2009 10:53 pm Post subject: |
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| mises wrote: |
| I eat well, am thin and health conscious. Other than Dave's, I have no bad habits. I subsidize individuals who are fat as hell, smoke like a chimney and drink like fish. This isn't "fair" by any reasonable standard. |
If you were in the same situation as them, you'd receive the same benefits as them. That's fair; you might not like it, but it's fair. |
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Rusty Shackleford
Joined: 08 May 2008
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| Posted: Mon Jun 29, 2009 11:04 pm Post subject: |
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| Fox wrote: |
| mises wrote: |
| I eat well, am thin and health conscious. Other than Dave's, I have no bad habits. I subsidize individuals who are fat as hell, smoke like a chimney and drink like fish. This isn't "fair" by any reasonable standard. |
If you were in the same situation as them, you'd receive the same benefits as them. That's fair; you might not like it, but it's fair. |
Says who? |
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Fox
Joined: 04 Mar 2009
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| Posted: Tue Jun 30, 2009 2:05 am Post subject: |
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| Rusty Shackleford wrote: |
| Fox wrote: |
| mises wrote: |
| I eat well, am thin and health conscious. Other than Dave's, I have no bad habits. I subsidize individuals who are fat as hell, smoke like a chimney and drink like fish. This isn't "fair" by any reasonable standard. |
If you were in the same situation as them, you'd receive the same benefits as them. That's fair; you might not like it, but it's fair. |
Says who? |
Says the definition of the word fair:marked by impartiality and honesty : free from self-interest, prejudice, or favoritism. So long as he'd gain the same benefits under the same circumstances, there is no partiality, prejudice, or favoritism being employed. |
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Rusty Shackleford
Joined: 08 May 2008
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| Posted: Tue Jun 30, 2009 2:16 am Post subject: |
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| Fox wrote: |
| Rusty Shackleford wrote: |
| Fox wrote: |
| mises wrote: |
| I eat well, am thin and health conscious. Other than Dave's, I have no bad habits. I subsidize individuals who are fat as hell, smoke like a chimney and drink like fish. This isn't "fair" by any reasonable standard. |
If you were in the same situation as them, you'd receive the same benefits as them. That's fair; you might not like it, but it's fair. |
Says who? |
Says the definition of the word fair:marked by impartiality and honesty : free from self-interest, prejudice, or favoritism. So long as he'd gain the same benefits under the same circumstances, there is no partiality, prejudice, or favoritism being employed. |
Which part of your definition, as you apply it to the situation, refers to having your property expropriated in order to pay for other peopls follies? |
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Fox
Joined: 04 Mar 2009
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| Posted: Tue Jun 30, 2009 2:22 am Post subject: |
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| Rusty Shackleford wrote: |
| Fox wrote: |
| Rusty Shackleford wrote: |
| Fox wrote: |
| mises wrote: |
| I eat well, am thin and health conscious. Other than Dave's, I have no bad habits. I subsidize individuals who are fat as hell, smoke like a chimney and drink like fish. This isn't "fair" by any reasonable standard. |
If you were in the same situation as them, you'd receive the same benefits as them. That's fair; you might not like it, but it's fair. |
Says who? |
Says the definition of the word fair:marked by impartiality and honesty : free from self-interest, prejudice, or favoritism. So long as he'd gain the same benefits under the same circumstances, there is no partiality, prejudice, or favoritism being employed. |
Which part of your definition, as you apply it to the situation, refers to having your property expropriated in order to pay for other peopls follies? |
So long as others are as well based on standardized rules that apply to everyone equally in the same situation, again, it's not unfair. You might argue it's wrong if you care to, but something can be both fair and wrong. |
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Rusty Shackleford
Joined: 08 May 2008
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| Posted: Tue Jun 30, 2009 2:29 am Post subject: |
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| Fox wrote: |
So long as others are as well based on standardized rules that apply to everyone equally in the same situation, again, it's not unfair. You might argue it's wrong if you care to, but something can be both fair and wrong. |
OK. |
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mises
Joined: 05 Nov 2007
Location: retired
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| Posted: Tue Jun 30, 2009 10:16 am Post subject: |
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| It is quite unfair. The careful and responsible are required to pay for the repetition of severely bad decisions by the idiots. To fix this, remove income taxes and tax things that make people fat/sick. Let fatty pay 10$ for his Big Mac and pay for his own bypass. |
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Fox
Joined: 04 Mar 2009
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| Posted: Tue Jun 30, 2009 3:12 pm Post subject: |
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| mises wrote: |
| It is quite unfair. The careful and responsible are required to pay for the repetition of severely bad decisions by the idiots. To fix this, remove income taxes and tax things that make people fat/sick. Let fatty pay 10$ for his Big Mac and pay for his own bypass. |
So you suggest forcing individuals who eat things like fast food or drink things like sugary soda in moderation and with responsibility to pay more because of the actions of people who over-indulge. |
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mises
Joined: 05 Nov 2007
Location: retired
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| Posted: Tue Jun 30, 2009 3:21 pm Post subject: |
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| Fox wrote: |
| mises wrote: |
| It is quite unfair. The careful and responsible are required to pay for the repetition of severely bad decisions by the idiots. To fix this, remove income taxes and tax things that make people fat/sick. Let fatty pay 10$ for his Big Mac and pay for his own bypass. |
So you suggest forcing individuals who eat things like fast food or drink things like sugary soda in moderation and with responsibility to pay more because of the actions of people who over-indulge. |
Yes. IF there is socialized medical insurance. |
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