Tag: economics
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Why some people stay poor on purpose
Some people choose to stay below middle-class income on purpose. The reasons are more rational, and more revealing about the system, than they first appear.
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Saving 20% of your income is a luxury sold as a virtue
The 20% savings rule treats high savings rates as a moral choice, but for most Americans it’s a function of income, not discipline. The honest math.
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Wealth taxes don’t work and the data is clear
Wealth taxes sound elegant but have been repeatedly tried and repeatedly abandoned. The track record across Europe is unflattering and worth taking seriously.
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Rent control works
The textbook case against rent control is built on assumptions that don’t survive contact with actual housing markets. The evidence is more interesting than economists admit.
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Federal student loans caused tuition inflation, full stop
Tuition tripled in real terms while loans expanded freely. The economics aren’t subtle: easy money produced rising prices, and the Bennett hypothesis was right.
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The weird economics of bottled water brands
Bottled water is one of the most successful branding feats in modern retail. Here’s how an essentially identical product gets sold at wildly different prices.