Should a firm possess the right to impose its values on its employees? In providing discriminate health insurance benefits, firms can effectively influence what medical treatment their employees have access to. This is a biproduct of the system in place in which private health insurance (for myriad reasons I won’t even delve into now) is […]
Author Archive for slade
This week’s discussion was unusually meandering. We began with announcements (to include the long-awated revelation by UES elder Matt Masten that he will be pursuing his graduate education at Northwestern University) and officer nominations. After (finally) pinning down our end-of-semester banquet locale (it will be Thursday of reading week, if anyone is wondering, at Merlion […]
Meeting Overview 04/01/08
Published by April 1st, 2008 in Technology & Innovation and Meeting Records. ClosedI’ve been hesitant to post any more of my meeting records since the last one inexplicably disappeared, but today’s discussion was (in my unqualified opinion) a good one, so I’m going to put it up lest it appear I have been shirking my secretarial duties. This week’s topic: Network neutrality.
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JN: Basically, proponents of net neutrality […]
[ This post fell victim to a continuing security problem at Awkward Utopia. ]
Meeting Overview 02/05/08
Published by February 24th, 2008 in Policy and Meeting Records. 8 CommentsI apologize for my abysmal performance in (not) getting these records up. For this entry, I’ll be availing myself of my right, in the name of expediency, to summarize (rather than transcribe) a meeting’s contents. The topic: the Fair Tax.
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VR began by explaining the Fair Tax as “a piece of legislation drafted by Congressman John […]
This week’s topic: illegal immigration.
FC: This issue has become political ping-pong. I’m all for it.
Gabriel : With respect to the illegals who are already here, certain candidates have suggested deportation. I think the lesser of evils would be to grant them amnesty. Anything else (eg. building a wall across the entire border) would be […]
One can hardly fathom a more appropriate location at which to host a roundtable discussion on disaster eonomics than the grand ballroom of a New Orleans hotel. Unfortunately, this session was somewhat limited in bent and scope. (It was sponsored by Economists for Peace and Security, and I’m pretty sure that all the panelists were […]
My second session on Friday I chose because it was so super-relevant to the work I did in Washington last year. When I finally arrived, I was surprised to discover that there exists an entire branch of economics dedicated to such topics as volunteerism and philanthropy. I really shouldn’t have been surprised, as the purpose […]
This might appeal to UES political science junkies like myself. Titled “War and Political Instability,” my Friday morning session included three paper presentations, by Ed Glaeser of Harvard, Carlos Seiglie of Rutgers, and Daria Sevastianova of the University of Southern Indiana, respectively. I’ll overview each.
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Mr. Glaeser’s paper poses the questions: if wars are so incredibly […]
Exactly what happens when a delegation of students from the University of Florida converges on New Orleans to make its presence known at the annual AEA meetings? For my part, the experience was a worthwhile one. By day we sat in on scores of fascinating (if exhausting) paper presentations, and after dark we drank in […]
Meeting Overview 11/27/07
Published by November 28th, 2007 in Technology & Innovation, Meeting Records and Law. 3 CommentsThis week’s topic: Intellectual Property Rights & Music Piracy
AB: Anybody who illegally downloads [here, d/l’s] music should have his computer forfeited and be sent to jail. Without a trial.
MM: That’s a bit harsh. Lawsuits count the songs people have illegally distributed and fine them that way. That sounds good, although it overstates their losses.
SC: The […]
Meeting Overview 11/13/07
Published by November 15th, 2007 in University of Florida, UES and Meeting Records. 4 CommentsI really have almost nothing from this week’s meeting, so instead I’m posting our article for the Warrington Times:
Another eventful year is barreling to a close for the University Economics Society.
Last spring, UES said goodbye to its graduating seniors, to include outgoing President Mike Redondo. Under the direction of Acting President Matt Masten, the summer […]
Meeting Overview 11/06/07
Published by November 9th, 2007 in Miscellaneous, Education and Meeting Records. 4 CommentsThis week’s topic: college loans.
AB: The increasing interest rates will have an impact on the economy because, for example, less people will be able to take low-paying teaching positions, and more people will have to wait before purchasing a home. The cost has far outpaced inflation.
JN: It’s not that big a deal. Sure, it delays […]
This week’s topic: Global Warming and Gore’s Peace Prize
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Jimmy G: There is fuzzy math/faulty logic employed in giving Gore a Peace Prize.
Harsha: Correction: He only won $700,000.
FC: According to Colbert, the market has spoken. The movie made money, global warming [gw] is real.
MM: The prize was political in nature. What has Al Gore done […]
This week’s topic: Roam Towing.
MM: We have a conflict, because we all hate towers, but we also hate regulations. But when you park on private property you are subject to the owner’s policies, which are posted there on signs.
BL: As an anarcho-libertarian capitalist, you would probably be happy if property owners had the ability to […]