“Our commitment to the rights of others to express themselves, even if they hold heinous beliefs, is something uniquely American, and it is perhaps the finest piece of our cultural heritage.”
Eddie Ferrara
Eddie Ferrara writes about policy from a data-driven perspective. He studied sociology at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. He blogs at eddiethoughts.com.
Author: Eddie Ferrara
Eddie Ferrara writes about policy from a data-driven perspective. He studied sociology at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. He blogs at eddiethoughts.com.
Liberals Are Not Immune from the Pull of Authority
“My two cents is that respect for authority is neither a particularly conservative nor liberal trait. Rather, conservatives and liberals hold reverence for different categories of authority and the actors that operate within those spheres.”
Higher Education Was Already in Trouble Before the Coronavirus
“The pandemic, while it has undeniably worsened the outlook for many institutions, has only exacerbated and brought into sharper relief some of the extant forces threatening to pop the higher education bubble.”
How Libertarians View the Coronavirus Crisis
“For those of us who don’t want to go fully off-grid but concern ourselves with the expansion of the state, what might a pandemic response look like?”
Sanders, Trump, and the Decline of the Policy Wonk
“Today, we tend to hear more about how ‘health care is a human right’ with comparatively less talk about the economic or health impact universal health care might have on the nation.”
Are Hispanics White? The Answer Has Sweeping Political Implications
“For those of us nerdy enough to frequent the annals of the U.S. Census, it was a jarring thing to hear that Puerto Rico is 70 percent white, according to its own inhabitants!”
When It Comes to the Environment, Don’t Let the “Perfect Become the Enemy of the Good”
“There won’t always be a happy marriage between impactful environmentalism and progressive values. For environmental groups to weather the political storm, they’ll have to be able to tap sources of support from outside the left.”
Friedman’s Take on Corporate Social Responsibility is Brilliant and Elegant—But Obsolete
Milton Friedman’s argument that corporations refrain from engaging themselves in social and political issues is compelling. But his argument likely doesn’t apply in today’s world, a world where “social consciousness” actually drives business.
Licensing: From Barber Shops to Interior Designers, Restricting the Flow of Labor
Thinking about opening a barber shop, what do you do? If your answer was something other than, “Find out how to obtain the state’s permission,” you’re in for a surprise.
Is College Still Worth It? No Easy Answers to a Simple Question
Professor Caplan thinks students are wise to the true value of a degree, which could help to explain why almost no student ever audits a class and why students spend only about 14 hours per week studying, down from 24 hours per week in 1961.
Ben Carson’s Dining Room Set Is the Tip of the Iceberg
The HUD Secretary’s outrageous spending on tableware is causing an uproar because of how relatable it is — not its cost.
Libertarians Are Going Nowhere, But Their Ideas Are
In many ways, libertarians can rest happily knowing that their ideas are winning, even if their candidates are not.
Can Polarization Be a Good Thing?
A final positive consequence of polarization is that it slows down the government.
Reasons to Be Skeptical of UBI
While the idea has attracted fervent support from across the political spectrum, practical constraints keep it from being anything other than a utopian pipe dream.
In the War on Poverty, Human Mobility is a Key Weapon
Some enthusiasts speculate that eliminating immigration restrictions could double global GDP.