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NH 2012 GOP Primary Polling Chart
Here’s a chart showing the polling results over time of the NH 2012 Republican primary candidates. Automatic data smoothing is turned on to make the trends visible. Observations: Romney’s support has been very consistent over time, in the 35-40% band Romney, Gingrich, and Paul appear to be the long-haul competitors Ron Paul … Continue reading
Pardon Our Dust
I have the blog moved over to the new WordPress infrastructure but haven’t had a chance to build proper re-direct maps yet. Please use the search in the meantime.
Please Vote Against the Fugitive Slave Act
[note: this is a letter I sent to NH Senators. Please feel free to re-use] Please vote tomorrow to pass the most important piece of Civil Rights legislation in the Legislature this year, HB 146, “relative to the right of a jury to judge the application of the law in relationship to the facts in … Continue reading
New Medical Schools in the United States
I’ve frequently heard the claim that one reason for high physicians’ salaries is that the AMA hasn’t allowed new medical schools to be built in the United States. By keeping supply low, the theory goes, the demand is high and accordingly so are the prices. I may have even repeated this once or twice without … Continue reading
Teachers’ Unions – The Ultimate Scapegoat?
The data really isn’t clear that teachers’ unions have a causal benefit for students. In the 16 US States without teachers’ unions, when controlling for demographics, the data is mixed. Some of the positive systems that teachers’ unions tend to bring to the schools (peer review, etc.) have not been controlled for. Taxpayer bills seem … Continue reading
Echoes of the Federal Reserve
In our town there have been endless meetings about combining some of the lower grades in school because there are so few students. As you can imagine, there are people on both sides of the issue and tensions run high. Our principal is applying to other schools, perhaps because of the shrinking demographics and the … Continue reading
Health Insurance Third Way
There are clear problems with the existing health insurance regulations, but one that gets notable attention is that purchasing health insurance 'across state lines' is forbidden. Some argue for the need for States' 'protection' regimes, while others argue for the efficiency of competition (like car insurance). Federalists are often torn between the States' competition and … Continue reading
Airport Security Screenings vs. Car Buying
The tactic of using an airplane as a missile was only valid until 9:57 AM on 9/11/2001. An airplane full of ordinary Americans figured out the security equation over a field in Shanksville, PA. The hardened cockpit doors made double-sure immediately thereafter. So, the public risk has been eliminated. There are private risks – getting on … Continue reading