Second Order Effects

Second Order Effects of $15 an hour minimum wage

There have been many calls recently, mostly by labor unions, to set the Federal Minimum Wage at $15 an hour. This is double the current Federal Minimum Wage of $7.25. The principal augment is that you can’t support a family on the current Federal Minimum Wage and therefore can’t get off public assistance. This article discusses the potential ramifications of doubling the minimum wage and the impact. We discuss what would be reasonable, given the amount of time that has passed since the last raise. Also, ways that one could get employers to increase wages without a change in the minimum wage.

The Effect of President Trump’s Latest Tweet

The press, in it’s zeal to defend Former President Obama, may have completely undercut their narrative that President Trump colluded with the Russians to beat Ms. Clinton! The press couldn’t help themselves, they had to defend former President Obama. Could this have been the President’s plan all along, to sow disbelief in the news media and to show they are spreading FAKE NEWS?

Second Order Effects of Philly Soda Tax

Premise of Article: The City Counsel of Philadelphia just doesn’t seem understand second order effects or think that people are smart enough to do math. This article is designed to show that economic and tax policy second order effects are easy to predict and avoid if one simply applies basic economic principles. Facts: On January …

The Effect of Unilateral Legislation

Premise of Article: The Affordable Care Act (ACA) should be a lesson in what not to do when one has all of the levers of power. The Second Order Effect of the Legislation that this article discusses is the consistent opposition by the Republicans. This article is not about the goodness or badness of …

Can Assange and Putin both be telling the truth?

Premise of Article: The recent charges that the Russian government attempted to influence the U.S. elections this year have consumed the US mainstream media and the Russian government has denied it. In addition, Julian Assange has deigned receiving the information that he released was from the Russans. The premise of this article is could they …

The Side Effects of Preventing Government Employees from working for government contractors

President-Elect Trump has proposed restricting government employees that are involved in government contracting from ever taking jobs with government contractors. At this point, there aren’t any details about what President-Elect Trump is proposing. For the sake of this article, we will assume the most restrictive policy that we can imagine and then propose policies that would actually work. (Since this article was written, the President has clarified his position. The ban only applies to the political appointees and his immediate staff.)

Effects of Ignoring History and Tradition in the US Senate

The current court is the most conservative since the 1920s. Senator Harry Reid is responsible for this dramatic changes in the Supreme Court. See how ignoring traditions in the Senate set in motion the actions that revoked Roe V. Wade.