Tag: inequality
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Legacy admissions are affirmative action for the rich and we keep pretending otherwise
Legacy admissions give a measurable advantage to children of alumni at elite colleges. The defense is increasingly hard to take seriously after recent court rulings.
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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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Is the American Dream financially dead?
The American Dream’s financial promises — outearn your parents, own a home, retire comfortably — are mathematically harder than they were. Here’s the actual data.
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Estate tax exemptions are a scam written for the donor class
The federal estate tax exemption keeps climbing while regular households are told the tax is brutal. The numbers tell a different story.
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The mortgage interest deduction is welfare for the upper middle class
The mortgage interest deduction overwhelmingly benefits high earners while doing little for homeownership rates. The honest description is upward-redistributive welfare.
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Admissions consulting is legal cheating and Ivy League schools love it
Elite admissions consulting costs more than tuition and bends the rules without breaking them. The Ivies know exactly what’s happening — and benefit from it.
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Wealth taxes do work and the data is clear
Wealth taxes are dismissed as unworkable, but recent research and updated implementations show they raise revenue and don’t trigger the exodus critics predict.
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The system isn’t always designed for fairness
Many institutions optimize for efficiency, throughput, or risk reduction—not fairness. Recognizing the actual goal explains a lot of frustrating outcomes.
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The Common App created the admissions arms race
The Common App made applying to dozens of colleges almost free. Here’s how that single design choice reshaped admissions selectivity, anxiety, and inequality.
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Prop 13 is the worst housing policy in America
Prop 13 froze California property taxes in 1978 and quietly reshaped the state. Decades later, it’s a major reason housing costs and inequality keep getting worse.