Ugh. So much going on. So little time to write about it.
Freakonomics reminds us that the government is not one to lecture the big three about unfunded pension liability. Not when staring down the $50 trillion throat of Social Security and Medicare.
Cato takes on the idea that college is a financial burden. $20,000 worth of debt seems reasonable for an education. But I’d forgotten that we don’t expect people to pay their debts anymore.
Orac talks about the long waits for mammograms. Between greedy lawyers and greedier insurance companies, the margin on mammography is disappearing. Does anyone care? Or are they too busy planning a government takeover of health care to introduce even more rationing?
No, Virginia, the government can’t really cure a recession — not even with tax cuts.
Free internet? Gee, I’m sure there won’t be any unintended consequences there. Since when did internet access become an inalienable right? Trial by jury, right to bear arms, free speech … at least 3 Mb/s? Whatever.
The free Internet plan seems pretty foolish, particularly in conjunction with the FCC’s requirement that the free services be run with nanny-ware, which seems like an operations nightmare (not to mention a HUGE political football — who decides what constitutes “offensive content”). What I find interesting about the plan is that it is coupled to a spectrum auction. I’d almost like to see it go ahead just so we can see what the wireless companies *really* think about the proposal. If it is truly “not a viable business model,” then we should see all the major wireless companies no-bid in the auction, right? Who here thinks that will happen?
The government needs to get serious about auctioning spectrum. The British government has already shown that done correctly spectrum auctions can raise a ton of money and result in more productive use of this scarce resource, but the FCC seems intent on giving it away as a form of corporate welfare or wasting it on wacky social engineering projects (or, as we’ve seen today, both). The result is poor use of resources and reduced consumer choice as incumbents lock out competition and use their allocation as a cash cow. No, thanks.
Comments are closed.
Astronomy, Sports, Mathematical Malpractice, Whatever Else Pops Into My Head
The free Internet plan seems pretty foolish, particularly in conjunction with the FCC’s requirement that the free services be run with nanny-ware, which seems like an operations nightmare (not to mention a HUGE political football — who decides what constitutes “offensive content”). What I find interesting about the plan is that it is coupled to a spectrum auction. I’d almost like to see it go ahead just so we can see what the wireless companies *really* think about the proposal. If it is truly “not a viable business model,” then we should see all the major wireless companies no-bid in the auction, right? Who here thinks that will happen?
The government needs to get serious about auctioning spectrum. The British government has already shown that done correctly spectrum auctions can raise a ton of money and result in more productive use of this scarce resource, but the FCC seems intent on giving it away as a form of corporate welfare or wasting it on wacky social engineering projects (or, as we’ve seen today, both). The result is poor use of resources and reduced consumer choice as incumbents lock out competition and use their allocation as a cash cow. No, thanks.