My vote for dumbest debate of the Corona Crisis? While it’s a pretty heated contest, I think the winner is this “health vs. wealth” nonsense. I know, I know… it rhymes, which is usually a sign of something super-profound, but...
Scary vs. Dangerous
What scares us and what’s actually dangerous are often very different things. Forgetting that can lead to tragic results. Despite that, in scary times, even smart people can be heard justifying knee-jerk responses by repeating the unhelpful adage, “It’s better...
A Love Letter to Doubt
Dear Doubt, I remember when we first met. We were in a class and it was actually quite awkward. We were covering something I KNEW had an obvious answer. Heck, everybody in the class knew the answer was obvious. Then,...
Are Billionaires Bad?
One of the more foolish concepts ever to get widespread and longstanding traction is the animosity between “classes.” Don’t get me wrong here, if you lived as a serf during medieval feudalism, I have your back on this one. But...
Let’s Be Careful What We Wish For
Over the holidays I read an article that really reminded me just how differently people can view the world and their place in it. Given my existential response to the content of the article, I’m sure you’ve already guessed… it...
Truth, Lies, Rodents and Society
When our kids were young, my wife and I discussed what might happen if we picked a couple things to casually – but consistently – teach them improperly in order to mess with them. Nothing major, mind you, just something...
The Secret of Two “Thank Yous”
Here’s an easy question… what do you say when someone says, “Thank you?” Hopefully this one’s a layup. You say, “You’re welcome.” But something weird struck me once. When you buy something at a store you say, “thank you.” Then,...
A Quick Look at this American Socialist Moment
Well, socialism seems reincarnated in America in 2019. People talk about it as a credible idea, sometimes throwing the word “Democratic” in front of it for good measure. It’s fascinating. First off, let’s be clear… words’ meanings change over time,...
What Kind of Person Hates the Phrase, “Give Back!?” You Probably Already Know.
So, I was making a presentation the other day, and someone asked a question about Bill Gates, wealth distribution and giving back. I immediately told the audience, “I hate the phrase give back.” You know the oft-repeated movie scene where...
I Heart Econ! (And despite that, this is still interesting)
I can trace the start of my economics obsession to a single day in 1993 in my microeconomics class at Washington University in St. Louis. Our professor always assigned homework questions infamous for forcing us to look at the world...