COLLEGE

Those supporting public funds for higher education typically point to the social benefits of education. But a recent study suggests college means four more years of social deviance. From a NYT article titled College Students Behaving Badly:

“College attendance is commonly associated with self-improvement and upward mobility,” Mr. Seffrin said. “Yet this research suggests that college may actually encourage, rather than deter, social deviance and risk-taking.'’

With similar results, Dr. Lawson compares the alma maters of DoL contributors with Princeton Review's list of party schools. T-Stats throught the roof.

[HT: Sarah]

Blogroll Roundup

TC says random posts are optimal.

But with Google and Wikipedia you must choose the topic. A good blog writer can randomize the topic for you, much like a good DJ controls the sequence of the music.

Justin Ross discusses HR 5843, a bill aimed at legalizing marijuana possession.

[...]as you would expect the actual bill falls far short of having any teeth.

Janet suggests Poor People Don't Need Food Anyway.

Poor people need to slim down by picking something like organic, free range, locally made granola and home made yogurt with local organic clover honey instead of that fatty Egg McMuffin. [...] Once we tell people how to budget their (very limited) funds, I'm sure they'll find a way to make it work.

/sarcasm.

And Libby gets started.

Cato Event: The Dirty Dozen

Thursday, July 31, 2008 at 12:00 PM

Not in DC? Watch live online.

Released to great acclaim in May 2008, The Dirty Dozen: How Twelve Supreme Court Cases Radically Expanded Government and Eroded Freedom analyzes 12 U.S. Supreme Court decisions that, according to coauthors Robert Levy of the Cato Institute and William Mellor of the Institute for Justice, changed the course of American history away from constitutional government. In addition, The Dirty Dozen provides insights into the proper role of the Court and calls for judicial engagement to remedy these harmful decisions. The book has rapidly become the catalyst for an energetic, wide-reaching debate about the Supreme Court, generating an extensive range of opinions among legal professionals, concerned nonlawyers, and Court followers about the 12 cases, their impact, and the role of the Court. The Cato Institute and the American Constitution Society are pleased to provide a public platform for this important debate. Leading practitioners and academics from different perspectives will discuss the cases and the authors’ legal analyses.

Writing is Right

Over at Mises, Art Carden writes on...writing. Specifically, he says we should do more of it. A lot more.

I've been writing for a long time, but I haven't written as frequently and regularly as I should have. Also, it has taken a very long time to develop anything resembling proficiency. Nevertheless, some of my favorite wisdom on the subject comes from a chapter title in D.N. McCloskey's short volume Economical Writing: "fluency can be achieved through grit." Or, as 1986 Nobel Laureate James Buchanan once said it a little more bluntly and a little less poetically, "keep your a** in the chair."

ATSRTWT

Blockquoting X

From the cover letter to some film tax studies I am reading:

Anytime money is spent in the economy, it generates a positive economic impact. This impact varies from industry to industry. For example, the impact multiplier for earnings in the film industry is 1.93. However, for the automobile manufacturing industry it is 2.25; for a new supermarket it is 1.7; for the commercial construction industry it is 1.73; for a nuclear power plant it is 2.51; and for a new hotel it is 1.91. Thus an economic impact analysis will always show that public subsidies result in a positive economic impact for the state.

Ignore Bastiat. Assume this is correct. It should still be noted that "generating a positive impact" is not the same as being the optimal path to pursue. And in a complex world where knowledge is dispersed (and, in some cases, tacit), only a discovery process like that of the market economy can reveal the latter. Comments open.

Cato Attacked!

For those of you outside the beltway (and not on the email lists), Cato was attacked by Students for a Democratic Society yesterday. So much for peace, I guess.



Michael Cannon describes the event:

I work at the Cato Institute. I jumped up from my desk today when I heard lots of yelling coming from outside the building. When I got to Cato's interior balcony, I saw dozens of SDS lemmings pushing a handful of cops against the front doors and the glass facade of Cato's winter garden. (What did they think would happen if they got in? I guess they didn't follow Heller.) At great risk to their personal hygiene, the cops pushed the protesters back, but not before the little buggers slapped some anti-NAFTA stickers on the building and the marble wall outside. When I got downstairs with my camera, these are the pictures I took. I also took a video, and I'll see if I can post that. I'm leaving this album open for everyone to see, in the hopes that some of these SDS morons will self-identify, and we can explain to them how they're lining up with corporate interests to fuck the world's poor.

More pictures are available here.

Battle of the Hayeks

Glen Whitman has an interesting section on his site comparing Friedrich Hayek with the smoking hot Mexican actress of the same last name

So, you're an intellectual who appreciates the subjectivist economic theory and classical liberal political theory of Friedrich Hayek. And you're also a moviegoer who appreciates the exotic allure of Mexican screen goddess Salma Hayek. But who would win, if they went head to head? Lucky for you, I'm keeping score.

Check out the scorecard for complete results.

[HT: Ed]

Jib Jab

For those of you who have not yet seen the newest Jib Jab cartoon...

featuring yours truly.

Send a JibJab Sendables® eCard Today!

Blockquoting X (and Y)

From a public health perspective, there is a solid case to be made that arresting marijuana users, giving them criminal records and disrupting careers and families, does more harm to more people than the drug itself does.

That is from Joyce Elders, M.D., former US Surgeon General.

There is no logical basis for the prohibition of marijuana [...] It's absolutely disgraceful to think of picking up a 22-year-old for smoking pot.

And that is from Milton Friedman.

Now, let's hear from you. Comments open.

What I am Reading

How to Drive Fast on Drugs While Getting Your Wing-Wang Squeezed and Not Spill Your Drink

My favorite O'Rourke article, hands down. I read it from time to time, primarily to remind myself how poor of a writer I am. And also in a sad hope that I can improve by reading more articles like this one. Or at least by reading this one over and over.

The Myth of the Rational Voter: Why Democracies Choose Bad Policies

This book is on track to be the best I have read all year. Caplan clearly articulates the debate thus far, then adds his contribution to the discussion. Most importantly, he couples his scholarly research with witty stories and interesting quotes. Add this one to your queue. Preferably near the top.