Nathaniel Ward » Politics

Friday links: Mysterious symbols explained

Nathaniel Ward — Wed, 11 May 2011 16:41:04 +0000

Photo: Flickr/Emily Lewis

Keith Houston’s Shady Characters offers the secret history of glyphs like the octothorpe (#), the interrobang (‽) and the pilcrow (¶).
The Washington Wizards have new uniforms. It’s about time.
Megan McArdle suggests Groupon isn’t really a good deal for businesses, which may explain why deal quality seems to have declined of late.
How Rand Paul is reshaping the debate in the Senate to promote limited government.
Last but not least, the Pew Center is the latest group to release a superficial online quiz that tries to group people politically based on 20 questions. How does it categorize you?

Monday Links: Creative Job Listings

Nathaniel Ward — Mon, 28 Mar 2011 21:30:58 +0000

This may be one of the best job listings ever posted. Best bit: “our ideal candidate has also cursed out an editor, had spokespeople hang up on them in anger and threatened to resign at least once because some fool wanted to screw around with their perfect lede.”
Far from being the malefactors portrayed in the media, Charles and David Koch are idealists committed to a free society, Matthew Continetti reports.
Charities’ challenges in getting funds from wireless carriers should serve as a reminder to fundraisers that text-to-donate remains an immature tool.
Christie Grennes has launched a new blog about coupons and money-saving tips.
Harry Roberts (whose tips I have come to rely on) interviews Vitaly Friedman of Smashing Magazine.
It’s sad that it makes news in D.C. when a real estate development moves forward relying entirely on private tenants.
Would you buy standing-room tickets to see the Capitals?
Last but not least, Tim Pawlenty’s PAC released a powerful video earlier in the year:

What I’m Reading — December 11th

Nathaniel Ward — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 21:10:59 +0000

The History of the London Underground’s Typeface.
10 Ways to be a Copywriting Jedi. Star Wars-themed advice for copywriters.
Sarah Palin Has a Sense of Humor.

What I’m Reading — October 26th

Nathaniel Ward — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 18:49:06 +0000

Robert Samuelson on the Public Option. “The promise of the public plan is a mirage. Its political brilliance is to use free-market rhetoric (more ‘choice’ and ‘competition’) to expand government power.”
Unlearning the Lessons of State Health Reforms. “Despite these state-level failures, President Barack Obama and congressional Democrats are pushing forward a slate of similar reforms. Unlike most high-school science fair participants, they seem unaware that the point of doing experiments is to identify what actually works. Instead, they’ve identified what doesn’t—and decided to do it again.”
Just How Relevant Is Political Science?

What I’m Reading — September 14th

Nathaniel Ward — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 05:25:19 +0000

Class Warfare. Responding to hard times, governments around the world decide not to tighten their belts but to increase their revenues through punitive taxes.
Is This Really a Compromise? The Baucus proposal addresses superficial concerns but doesn’t address the principal conservative complaint about the Left’s health care plan: that it vastly increases the size and scope of the federal government.
Norman Podhoretz on Why Jews are Liberals. “[I]n virtually every instance of a clash between Jewish law and contemporary liberalism, it is the liberal creed that prevails for most American Jews. Which is to say that for them, liberalism has become more than a political outlook. It has for all practical purposes superseded Judaism and become a religion in its own right.”
Tyler Cowen on Politics and the Economy. “But we are now injecting politics ever more deeply into the American economy, whether it be in finance or in sectors like health care. Not only have we failed to learn from our mistakes, but also we’re repeating them on an ever-larger scale.”

What I’m Reading — June 4th

Nathaniel Ward — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 13:14:56 +0000

Dependence on Government Grows. This is not good news. “The recession is driving the safety net of government benefits to a historic high, as one of every six dollars of Americans’ income is now coming in the form of a federal or state check or voucher.”
Are Progressives Losing Steam? Dana Milbank notes that “it’s more fun to be an opposition bomb-thrower than a palace guard.”
The Rise of New Conservative Media Outlets.

Did Herbert Hoover Cut Spending?

Nathaniel Ward — Wed, 04 Feb 2009 04:34:24 +0000

Paul Krugman makes an astounding assertion in the New York Times:

Remember, Herbert Hoover … slash[ed] spending and raise[d] taxes in the face of the Great Depression. Unfortunately, that just made things worse.

Hoover “slashed spending”? Um–no. He was hardly a model of fiscal restraint, laissez-faire or anything of the sort.

Federal spending, 1929 (last Coolidge budget) to 1933 (last Hoover budget)
Year	Federal spending ($ billions)
1929	$3.8
1930	$4.0
1931	$4.1
1932	$4.3
1933	$5.1

That’s a 55% increase in nominal spending during Hoover’s term in office, which was a period of marked deflation. Put another way, spending increased from 4% of GDP to 9% of GDP–a doubling of spending in four years.

Krugman’s not wrong on one thing: Hoover sure did raise tax rates on income.

Federal tax revenue, 1929 (last Coolidge budget) to 1933 (last Hoover budget)
Year	Revenue from taxes ($ billions)	Top tax rate
1929	$4.2	24%
1930	$4.2	25
1931	$3.4	25
1932	$2.5	63
1933	$3.0	63

Nominal tax revenues collapsed even with Hoover’s higher tax rates (by today’s progressive definition, that means that from 1931 to 1932 he enacted a 25% tax cut). Even with the 160% higher rates, the percent of GDP taken increased just 25%, from 4% to 5% of GDP. Could there be a link between higher tax rates and reduced economic activity and reduced revenue?