I think this sets people off. There are those who think that once you focus on growth nothing else matters, and that worrying about the distribution is a waste of time.
A big problem with economists is that they do a bit of sleight of hand with policy analysis. First they'll come up with some policy change which, IN THEORY GIVEN APPROPRIATE REDISTRIBUTION OF BENEFITS, can be Pareto Improving, that is make everyone as well or better off without making things worse for anyone. That is, because the policy change increases the size of the pie - makes per capita gdp higher - there's more to go around. But the next step, the actual redistribution, of course does not happen so GDP enhancing policies might give Bill Gates an extra billion bucks while leaving the rest of us with $500 million less.
The great private value of car sharing is that it allows households to have a lower ratio of cars to driving age members than 1. Reduce one car/insurance payment and you've got a nice extra chunk of change. The great social benefit is reducing the amount of necessary parking, particularly in a world where parking is expected to be free or cheap.
I like Glee, but it went too far from its original 'backstage musical' format with few songs to full-blown all out musical. Hopefully they put back the quirk and dialogue a bit more as this article suggests.
I don't think most people really think through the consequences of what that means. I get the desire to be punitive in the extreme for certain crimes, and a "life sentence" provides an option for those of us not inclined to support the death penalty, but the consequences of very long or life sentences is that our prisons are increasingly populated by old people. Does it really make sense to keep a bunch of 70-year-olds behind bars?
The very frustrating thing about gas tax increases is that while I get that increasing them is a direct assault on everything which makes us proud Americans, if they could just pass it without telling anyone no one would even notice. People don't notice 3-5 cent fluctuations in the per gallon price. And it would raise a lot of money to pay for those roads which, despite myths, don't actually pay for themselves.
Rendell also said a 3.5-cent increase in the state's gasoline tax would raise $240 million, while boosting vehicle fees - to match inflation since they were last raised 13 years ago - would produce $327 million.
Pennsylvania's gas tax of 32.3 cents a gallon (including the franchise tax) is 13th-highest in the nation. The national average is 29.3 cents.
...
Rendell has been pushing for the legislature to be much more ambitious and raise about $3.5 billion a year for transportation. The funds would be used to reduce a backlog of 5,600 structurally deficient bridges and 7,000 miles of roads in poor condition, in addition to allowing transit agencies such as SEPTA to buy buses, install automated fare-collection systems, upgrade run-down passenger stations, and replace power substations.
Political reporters usually like finding "administration failures," but they mostly ignore the biggest piece of shit of all, the HAMP program, which not only failed to help many people but ultimately made life worse for a lot.
Some sort of mandatory principal reduction, either through bankruptcy or some sort of carrot-and-stick program through Treasury, was necessary. And it isn't just individuals that are suffering, it's damaged the broader economy.
Though really, since it runs on tracks it's really more of a train. Anyway the main purpose of such a thing that I can imagine is that it allows dual use of an existing right of way.
I'm slightly less pro-bike than some - though I am pro-bike - but I may have to rethink.
Republican gubernatorial candidate Dan Maes is warning voters that Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper's policies, particularly his efforts to boost bike riding, are "converting Denver into a United Nations community."
"This is all very well-disguised, but it will be exposed," Maes told about 50 supporters who showed up at a campaign rally last week in Centennial.
Maes said in a later interview that he once thought the mayor's efforts to promote cycling and other environmental initiatives were harmless and well-meaning. Now he realizes "that's exactly the attitude they want you to have."
"This is bigger than it looks like on the surface, and it could threaten our personal freedoms," Maes said.
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