Reading

Created
Fri, 11/08/2023 - 23:05
One of the limitations of economics is the restricted possibility to perform experiments, forcing it to mainly rely on observational studies for knowledge of real-world economies. But still — the idea of performing laboratory experiments holds a firm grip on our wish to discover (causal) relationships between economic ‘variables.’ If we only could isolate and […]
Created
Fri, 11/08/2023 - 23:00
Who will step up and say so? It’s 4 a.m. Not another car in sight. No headlights in the distance. The light is red and you’re in a rush to get to the airport. You run the light. It’s against the law but there’s no one to enforce it. Is it still the law? That, essentially, is what scholars of the Constitution, William Baude of the University of Chicago and Michael Stokes Paulsen of the University of St. Thomas, ponder in their paper examining Section Three of the Fourteenth Amendment initially passed to prohibit Civil War participants from holding office. It reads in full: No person shall be a Senator or Representative in Congress, or elector of President and Vice President, or hold any office, civil or military, un-der the United States, or under any State, who, having previously taken an oath, as a member of Congress, or as an officer of the United States, or as a member of any State legislature, or as an executive or judicial officer of any State, to support the Constitution of the United States, shall have engaged in insurrection or rebellion against the same, or given aid or comfort to the enemies thereof.
Created
Fri, 11/08/2023 - 11:18
The Jan 6th Case Against Trump Is The Right One

As readers will remember, I didn’t think much of the other cases against Trump, not because he isn’t likely guilty, but becaus none of them were the important thing he did: try a coup.

They also violated the cultural rule that elites don’t get indicted for such things. Of course, they should, but doing it only against Trump and not against other very senior politicians who have clearly committed crimes is likely to cause an escalation of intra-elite fighting, but that’s a minor thing.

The US isn’t much of a democracy, but to the extent it still is, protecting what remains is important, and there’s little question in my mind that Trump did try to overthrow an election which clearly went to Biden. (I didn’t endorse either Biden or Trump, this is not a partisan question to me.)

So I’m pleased to see this indictment.

Created
Fri, 11/08/2023 - 10:58
Preparation time: 10 min.Baking time: 25 to 30 min.Oven temperature: 325°F Here is a springtime dessert of tangy-sweet rhubarb and cool, creamy yogurt. Rhubarb, the traditional “pie plant” combine naturally with yogurt. Cinnamon and toasted almonds top this low-calorie dessert. For 4 servings you will need:1 lb. rhubarb½ cup sugarCinnamonPlain yogurt or vanilla yogurtToasted sliced […]
Created
Fri, 11/08/2023 - 09:30
Donald Trump is requesting that the judge order the government to build a SCIF at Mar-a-Lago so that he doesn’t have to make a trip to the courthouse to review all the classified documents he stole. It’s awfully inconvenient for him to do that . All the TV lawyers are puzzled by this because a judge doesn’t have the authority to order anything like this and it would be unusual, to say the least, to allow the documents to go back to the place where he previously stored them in toilets and ballrooms and refused to give them back. He’s very busy, you see: He says that Biden has the IQ of a first grader…