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February 10, 2012
Lisa M. Krieger: Man with defibrillator demands access to his own heart's information
David G. Savage: Why activists may not be in a hurry to have High Court rule on alternative marriage
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Kimberly Palmer: How to actually enjoy -- relaxing, financially -- your vacation
February 8, 2012
Warren Richey: Why momentous Prop. 8 ruling might not satisfy gay-rights groups
Menachem Wecker: Though Controversial, LL.M.'s Can Lead to Specialized Legal Jobs
The Kosher Gourmet byDana Velden: Going to the bother of making soup? You know it better be good. This CREAM OF TOMATO SOUP certainly is! And it's a cinch to make, too (Includes techinques and serving secrets)
February 7, 2012
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Suzanne Bohan: Leaping lizards! Tiny reptiles advancing robot design
February 6, 2012
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Jeffrey Fleishman: In newly democratic Egypt, tens of democracy activists jailed, to stand trial; their groups are 'threatening the stability of the homeland'
Julie Deardorff : Researchers say antioxidants may not be that effective and could do more harm than good
Mark Clayton: How did Anonymous hackers eavesdrop on FBI and Scotland Yard?
February 3, 2012
Edmund Sanders : Israeli official says Iran is creating missile that could reach East Coast of US
Victoria Kim: Immigrant-smuggling ring used black drivers to avoid racial profiling
February 2, 2012
Jim Carney: Wrong number call may have saved her life
Reza Kahlili : Ex-CIA spy in Iran's Revolutionary Guard: What Obama doesn't grasp about striking deals with Tehran
Tina Susman: For woodchuck rescuer, every day is Groundhog Day
February 1, 2012
Brian Bennett: US officials see increasing threat of domestic attack from Iran
Emily Brandon: How to Take Advantage of New 401(k) Fee Disclosures
January 31, 2012
January 30, 2012
Paul Richter and Ramin Mostaghim: Misreading Teheran's limits -- deadly and economically devastating as they may be -- is a risk administration, Europe seem willing to take
Suzanne Bohan: Warning: Nap-deprived tots missing more than sleep, study finds
Meg Handley: Banks Revamping Rewards Programs to Woo Customers
January 27, 2012
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Yochonon Donn: In liberal New York City, fervently-Orthodox Jews may soon be getting a district to call their own
Jeannine Stein: An inflated ego and thinking you're 'all that' doesn't just make others sick of you, it can make you ill
Katy Hopkins: New budget rules may affect how much money you get for college
January 26, 2012
Ed Koch: To the New York Times, calling for the murder of Jews by those capable of having their incitement taken seriously isn't news
Jeannine Stein: Mental illness struck one in five U.S. adults in 2010: Report
January 25, 2012
Richard Simon: House passes two bills endorsing the use of religious symbols at military memorials
Fred Weir: Putin: Multiethnic Russia cannot survive as a US-style 'melting pot'; must find its own way
Susan Johnston: 5 Sneaky Coupon Strategies Consumers Should Watch Out For
January 24, 2012
Carol Clark: The price of your soul: How your brain decides whether to 'sell out'
Caroline B. Glick: America lost most in 'Arab Spring'. Sadly, many voters still don't grasp the extent
Warren Richey: Drug criminal scores win in GPS ruling from conservative-leaning high court
Erika Bolstad: Black conservatives gather to talk about gaining strength
January 23, 2012
Melissa Dribben: Jewish voters to play a key role in Florida's Republican primary
Jordan Rau: In quest to grow, Catholic hospital system will announce this morning its break from church
Ali Safi: U.S. envoy gives Taliban terms for peace talks
January 19, 2012
January 18, 2012
January 17, 2012
Frank J. Gaffney Jr.: No-kidding red lines: U.S. response to an Iranian nuke may be bluster, but Israel's won't be
David G. Savage: They sued their principals after slandering them online --- now the cases are headed to the Supreme Court
David Francis: Where to Invest in 2012: With stocks expected to rebound, opportunity abounds for investors
January 13, 2012
Ben Lynfield: Israeli lawmakers move to annex Jewish Judea, one museum at a time
Alexia Elejalde-Ruiz: Thriving through touch: Gentle massage helps older people with low mobility improve in mind and body
January 12, 2012
Warren Richey: Landmark Supreme Court ruling a 'resounding win' for religious groups
Warren Richey: Supreme Court says no to new rule on eyewitness testimony
John Fauber : Statins found to raise diabetes risk in postmenopausal women
Katy Hopkins : Consider This Before You Pay for an Online Degree
The Kosher Gourmet by Joseph Erdos: This mushroom and barley soup has an intense -- almost nutty -- flavor that mixes robust with Middle East. It has creaminess without cream
January 11, 2012
Shari Roan: Millions of atrial fibrillation sufferers at risk for devastating, but preventable, stroke
Tom Hussain: Pakistan -- recipient of more than $21 billion in civilian and military aid -- speeds pursuit of Iranian pipeline, defying US
David G. Savage: High court signals it won't be loosening TV's 'indecency' rules
Stephen Ceasar: Oklahoma's Islamic law amendment can't go into effect, court rules
January 10, 2012
Reza Kahlili: From an ex-CIA spy: US must exploit new split in Iran's Revolutionary Guard
Karen Kaplan: Study: Nicotine replacement products ineffective when used in real-life situations
January 9, 2012
Michael Doyle: Put through legal hell over dream home, couple fought back hard --- all the way to Supreme Court
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Jewish World Review
Feb. 2, 2010
18 Shevat 5770
Pols in Wonderland
By
Thomas Sowell
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http://www.JewishWorldReview.com |
There was a recent flap because three different members of the Obama
administration, on three different Sunday television talk shows, gave
three widely differing estimates of how many jobs the president has
created.
That should not have been surprising, except as a sign of political
sloppiness in not getting their stories together beforehand. They were
simply doing what Barack Obama himself does namely, just pulling
numbers out of thin air. However, being more skilled at creating
illusions, the president does it with more of an air of certainty, as if
he has gone around and counted the new jobs himself.
The big question that seldom if ever gets asked in the mainstream
media is whether these are a net increase in jobs. Since the only
resources that the government has are the resources it takes from the
private sector, using those resources to create jobs means reducing the
resources available to create jobs in the private sector.
So long as most people do not look beyond superficial appearances,
politicians can get away with playing Santa Claus on all sorts of
issues, while leaving havoc in their wake such as growing
unemployment, despite all the jobs being "created."
Whatever position people take on health care reform, there seems to be a
bipartisan consensus usually a sign of mushy thinking that it is a
good idea for the government to force insurance companies to insure
people whom politicians want them to insure, and to insure them for
things that politicians think should be insured.
Contrary to what politicians expect us to do, let's stop and think.
Why aren't insurance companies already insuring the people and the
conditions that they are now going to be forced to cover? Because that
means additional costs and because the insurance companies don't think
their customers are willing to pay those particular costs for those
particular coverages.
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It costs politicians nothing to mandate more insurance coverage for more
people. But that doesn't mean that the costs vanish into thin air. It
simply means that both buyers and sellers of insurance are forced to pay
costs that neither of them wants to pay. But, because soaring political
rhetoric leaves out such grubby things as costs, it sounds like a great
deal.
It is not just costs that are left out. It is consequences in general.
With all the laments in the media about skyrocketing unemployment among
young people, and especially minority young people, few media pundits
even try to connect the dots to explain why unemployment hits some
groups much harder than others.
Yet unusually high unemployment rates among young people is not
something new or even something peculiar to the United States. Even
before the current worldwide recession, unemployment rates were 20
percent or more among workers under 25 years of age in a number of
Western European countries.
The young have less experience to offer and are therefore less in
demand. Before politicians stepped in, that just meant that younger
workers were paid less. But this is not a permanent situation because
youth itself is not permanent, and pay rises with experience.
Enter politicians. By mandating a minimum wage that sounds reasonable
for most workers, they put a price on inexperienced and unskilled labor
that often exceeds what it is worth.
Mandated pay rates, like mandated insurance coverage, impose on buyers
and sellers alike things that they would not choose to do otherwise.
Workers of course prefer higher wage rates. But the very fact that the
government has to impose those wage rates means that workers were
unwilling to risk not having a job by refusing to work for less than the
wage rate that has been mandated. Now that choice has been taken out of
their hands, with the hidden cost in this case being higher unemployment
rates.
It is of course no secret that there is no free lunch. It is just an
inconvenient distraction that gets left out of political rhetoric.
Every weekday JewishWorldReview.com publishes what many in the media and Washington consider "must-reading". Sign up for the daily JWR update. It's free. Just click here.
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© 2006, Creators Syndicate
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