Abundance

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November 2, 2025 —  In search of an alternative vision to MAGA that might appeal to common-sense working Americans, some Democrats have rallied around the word “abundance.”  That is the title of a recent book by Ezra Klein and Derek Thompson, touted as a once-in-a-generation, paradigm-shifting revelation.

To begin, let me say that Ezra Klein is one of my favorite columnists and podcasters.

To the extent that abundance can be used as an effective political slogan, I am all ears.  In its favor, “abundance” is short enough to fit onto a bumper sticker, the word is neither too common in speech nor too uncommon, and it sounds like something we should all want.  It could fulfill the purpose of Democrats admitting past mistakes, which at this point is de rigueur if they are to develop an effective political strategy.  But abundance seems to me an arrow that is not particularly well-aimed. read more

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Do Voters Pursue Their Economic Self-Interest?

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September 29, 2025 — As US President Donald Trump goes further and further off the rails in his demolition of long-standing rules and norms, it remains puzzling why so many Americans voted for him and continue to support him.  It is especially puzzling why so many lower and middle-income Americans support him, since his policies tend to their economic disadvantage.  Cutting federal spending on Medicaid and many other government services while simultaneously extending massive tax cuts for high-income households, does not sound crowd-pleasing populism.  But perhaps this is only puzzling to economists. read more

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Turning Medical Science Back to 1900

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August 31, 2025 — US president William McKinley died in 1901 of gunshot wounds that modern medicine could easily have handled. Without x-rays, his doctors couldn’t find the second bullet, and without antibiotics, they couldn’t fight the sepsis that killed him.

When Donald Trump wants to Make America Great Again [MAGA], his idea of when America was great is evidently the McKinley Administration of 1897-1901.  Why? Trump in February 2025: “He was a strong believer in tariffs, and we were actually probably wealthiest of any time, relatively speaking, at any point in the history of our country.”  The McKinley Tariff dated from 1890, when he was a Senator.  During his presidency, he himself turned against tariffs.) read more

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