RedStateEclectic

The Dismal Social Sciences

The social sciences (especially economics, law, and political science) have entirely lost their way. A long time ago.

On a world-historic scale, three most momentous events have occurred virtually at the same time (roughly during the course of the 18th century):

(1) the social sciences were borne, that is: they discovered their proper subject-matter,
(2) the theory of liberty reached a stage of unparalleled fruition (in the form of classical liberalism).
(3) after billions of years, evolution developed to the point where it discovered itself through the conduits of (1) and (2).

(1), (2), and (3) are simply different aspects of the same phenomenon.

The original and true, yet long abandoned subject-matter of the social sciences is the nature of self-generating order in human society.

It was through the observation of what originally was termed "the social" (the ability of society to organise itself without human design, a precondition of any human community of a higher complexity and capacity to sustain large populations) that classical liberalism discovered principles whereby an extended order consisting of millions of mutual strangers could persist and flourish in a way no rulers could ever accomplish.

This insight was the result of understanding grown order, or evolutionary processes, as one might call them today.

Before their untimely death, the social sciences passed on the paradigm of evolution to Darwin - and it is very sad that most people nowadays do not realise that biology is just another fruitful user of the concept of spontaneous growth, and that a society that confines the concept to biology is not likely to fare too well.

Ever since, the social sciences have strayed from this fundamental approach and reverted to treating social matters and the good society as a kit of readily observable and manageable components waiting for an interior decorator with bright ideas of arrangement. In that way, the social sciences have become the maidservant of ephemeral concerns, dirigism and its underlying intellectual hubris.

They are about feeling important (i.e. being in possession of the powerful ability to shape society properly) rather than probing into a way of order-generation exceedingly hard to understand, because this kind of order occurs amongst a far larger number of elements than we are used to deal with in our ordinary lives and occupations, or even natural scientists in capturing the comparatively simple phenomena that, say, physics ventures to make authoritative statements about.

I think, Arnold Kling is expressing an important aspect of this sad development in a post where he writes (I read his term "political economy" as synonymous with my term "social sciences":

The main science of political economy is the science of obtaining and retaining power. As far as expertise goes, the pollster, the fundraiser, and the media expert are all fundamental to the operation. The public policy expert is for decoration. If you want to be an economic policy adviser when you grow up, then my advice is to learn to rationalize the methods used by leading politicians to obtain power.

Is health care reform about health care? No, it is about seizing and retaining power. Was the stimulus about stimulus? No, was about seizing and retaining power. Is cap and trade about global warming? No, it is about seizing and retaining power. Was TARP about saving the financial system? No, it was about seizing and retaining power.

The social scientist's role in the political process is to say, "X is a problem. Government must solve X. Here are some solutions." The solutions that rationalize seizing and retaining power will bubble to the top.

Suppose you believe that regulators cannot possibly have the wisdom to direct human activity. Suppose you believe that politicians spending other people's money tend to choose less wisely than people spending their own money. If you want to get anywhere as a public policy adviser, keep those beliefs to yourself.

The source.

(PS: I do not consider that the evolutionary paradigm is committing one to an anti-religious position - rather to the contrary.)

Liberty Riding, Week 6

Thanks to Eric Larson reporting 110 miles after the reporting deadline last week (which I plugged into our data for this week), we managed to accumulate 210 miles as a team this week.   By my calculations, we’re somewhere in Indiana, Michael has made it to somewhere in New Mexico.  I’m guessing on Michael’s miles to date, again, based on his weekly averages when they were posted on the site.  If you haven’t turned in your miles (Eric and Georg, I have yours), go ahead and send them my way, and I’ll add them to next week’s numbers.

Pedal, walk and run, Team!  I’m going to see if I can’t hunker down and contribute a few more miles this week! (at this moment, my schedule looks a little less harried than it has the past couple)

By the way, Michael’s Chip-in is within $400 of reaching the goal of raising $6000 to support this ride.  How about helping out?

 

The State of the Nation - 4th July 2009 (3)

What Obama's socialism can do to your business:

I have suspected that this was coming, but I guess I have just buried my head in the sand, knowing that I would be taking a complete screwing and not wishing to contemplate it.

Sens. Edward Kennedy, D-Mass., and Chris Dodd, D-Conn., say their plan would preserve employer-sponsored insurance coverage and create an affordable public option for those who need it….

The bill includes a “pay or play” provision that would require employers to provide adequate coverage for their workers or subsidize a system that will.

“Pay or play” would require companies to pay the government $750 per full-time worker per year ($375 for part-timers) if they don’t offer health coverage, or if they offer “qualified” coverage but pay less than 60% of workers’ premiums. Small businesses that employ fewer than 25 workers would be exempt.   (Via Q&O)

I run a recreation business with about 500 part-time, seasonal employees.  Most of them work for the equivilent of about 1/4 of a year, or about 500 hours.  Almost all are over 70, and already on Medicare and Social Security, so we have no health plan  (no way to get a reasonable plan anyway for a bunch of 70 year olds).

Adding up the numbers, this turns into $187,500 bill I would have to pay to the government for not providing health care to people who already mostly have health care.  I will pay 1/2 the full time rate despite my employees working far less than 1/2 of the year.

One thing you can be sure of — this may be the final death of my current human resources model.  We typically hire more people, working fewer than 40 hours, because retired folks don’t generally want to (or can’t) work a full week.   That’s been OK, because 4 people working 10 hours a week has always cost me the same as 1 person working 40 hours.   But if I am getting charged $375 per worker whether she/he works 1 hour or 1000, you can bet I am going to hire fewer workers for longer hours.  There are probably a myriad of other implicaitons for my business model,  I just have not yet thought it through.

The source.

The State of the Nation - 4th July 2009 (2)

467,000 jobs lost in June, with unemployment hitting a 26-year high of 9.5%.

Why is this job decline happening? The private sector — the real engine of economic and job growth — won't hire because it's scared of what it sees coming out of Washington.

On the horizon, as far as the eye can see, are higher taxes, uncontrolled spending and layers upon layers of new regulations.

Who would hire new workers faced with that?

Also, the federal government is meddling in the private sector as never before — in essence, nationalizing two of the three major carmakers with $200 billion in subsidies and capital infusions, turning our banking system into a fourth branch of government through the $700 billion TARP program, spending $200 billion to take over Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac and put them back in the business of lending to people who can't pay their loans — which is how we got into trouble in the first place.

And that's only what's been done in the last half year or so. What really scares private businesses is what's in the pipeline.

Make sure to read the entire article.

The State of the Nation - 4th July 2009 (1)

"It is the duty of the patriot to protect his country from its government."
Thomas Paine

What Might the Founders Make of It?

David Boaz writes:

Both President Obama and Sen. John McCain cited the Founders in their weekly radio addresses today, as they made the case for government actions that would have appalled those Founders. Obama invoked “the indomitable spirit of the first American citizens who made [independence] day possible” in arguing for a federal takeover of education, energy, and health care.

He might have trouble explaining how his policies reflect the spirit of the men who left us such words as these:

He has erected a multitude of New Offices, and sent hither swarms of Officers to harrass our people, and eat out their substance.

If we can prevent the government from wasting the labors of the people, under the pretence of taking care of them, they must be happy.

Were we directed from Washington when to sow and when to reap, we should soon want bread.

A wise and frugal Government, which shall restrain men from injuring one another, shall leave them otherwise free to regulate their own pursuits of industry and improvement, and shall not take from the mouth of labor the bread it has earned. This is the sum of good government.

Meanwhile, McCain called for the American government to more vigorously support the protesters in Iran. What would the Founders say to him?

The great rule of conduct for us in regard to foreign nations is in extending our commercial relations, to have with them as little political connection as possible….Harmony, liberal intercourse with all nations, are recommended by policy, humanity, and interest.

Peace, commerce, and honest friendship with all nations, entangling alliances with none.

[America] has abstained from interference in the concerns of others, even when conflict has been for principles to which she clings, as to the last vital drop that visits the heart. …Wherever the standard of freedom and Independence has been or shall be unfurled, there will her heart, her benedictions and her prayers be. But she goes not abroad, in search of monsters to destroy. She is the well-wisher to the freedom and independence of all. She is the champion and vindicator only of her own.

Maybe each week there should be three national radio broadcasts: one from the incumbent president, one from the other big-government party, and one reflecting the views of the Founders.

The source.

Happy 4th of July from Ron Paul

Lincoln Tea Party

From the 4th of July Tea Party on the north side of the state capitol. Sent from my BlackBerry Smartphone provided by Alltel

Help Is On The Way

Adam Kokesh has a Money Bomb going on today in his run for the House.

Culture, Morality and Patriotism

Resigning as Governor to Run for President?

Apparently not wanting to wait until her FIRST TERM as Governor was up, Sarah Palin has decided to resign early—maybe to run for President.

"Once I decided not to run for re-election, I also felt that to embrace the conventional 'Lame Duck' status in this particular climate would just be another dose of 'politics as usual,' something I campaigned against and will always oppose. It is my duty to always protect our great state. With that in mind, my family and I determined that it is best to make a difference this summer, and I am willing to change things, so that this administration, with its positive agenda, its accomplishments and its successful road to an incredible future, can continue without interruption and with great administrative and legislative success."

As for her future, Palin said: "I look forward to helping others -- to fight for our state and our country, and campaign for those who believe in smaller government, free enterprise, strong national security, support for our troops and energy independence."

During her press conference, Palin ran off a list of accomplishments during her two-and-a-half years as governor, from helping move forward a North Slope natural gas pipeline to rewriting oil taxes to revising state ethics laws.

Is two and a half years as Governor of one of the smallest (population wise, it might be THE smallest—I’m not sure and too lazy to look right now) states in the country long enough to qualify you as President?  Will be people get sick of Sarah Palin if she starts campaigning this summer yet, for 2012? 

LLE

UPDATE:  An “iceberg scandal”?

Zeke Speak

You may or may not be aware that the brother of White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel, Dr. Ezekiel J. Emanuel, a noted bioethicist, is advising the Obama administration on health care reform. He also happened to have advised the Clinton White House on health care issues (imagine that).  However, what you might not know is what this "bioethicist" feels are the real problems with healthcare in the U.S. are, and what is to be blamed for its costs.

It appears that the problem in his view is over-utilization. 

"The most important contributor to the high cost of US health care, however, is overutilization. Overutilization can take 2 forms: higher volumes, such as more office visits, hospitalizations, tests, procedures, and prescriptions than are appropriate or more costly specialists, tests, procedures, and prescriptions than are appropriate."

And who, pray tell, will determine what is appropriate, Zeke?

"A third contributor to US costs is the abundance of amenities. Hospital rooms in the United States offer more privacy, comfort, and auxiliary services than do hospital rooms in most other countries. US physicians' offices are typically more conveniently located and have parking nearby and more attractive waiting rooms."

Well, by gosh, the government can sure as hell fix that, can't it.  Washington D.C. will have us driving further (emitting CO2 all the way) and hobbling further to get stacked up like cordwood in doctor's offices and hospital rooms in no time flat.  If we are deemed worthy that is.  Why should we be different than other countries? 

"First, there is the matter of physician culture. Medical school education and postgraduate training emphasize thoroughness. When evaluating a patient, students, interns, and residents are trained to identify and praised for and graded on enumerating all possible diagnoses and tests that would confirm or exclude them.  The thought is that the more thorough the evaluation, the more intelligent the
student or house officer. Trainees who ignore the improbable "zebra" diagnoses are not deemed insightful. In medical training, meticulousness, not effectiveness, is rewarded."

"This mentality carries over into practice. Peer recognition goes to the most thorough and aggressive physicians. The prudent physician is not deemed particularly competent, but rather inadequate. This culture is further reinforced by a unique understanding of professional obligations, specifically, the Hippocratic Oath's admonition to "use my power to help the sick to the best of my ability and judgment" as an imperative to do everything for the patient regardless of cost or effect on
others."

Hell's bells!  We clearly can't trust the doctors.  Those fools adhere to that silly Hippocratic Oath thingy.

"Second, fee-for-service payment misaligns incentives; it creates a big incentive for overutilization. Although most physicians are not income maximizers, they know that it is better to be paid to do something, and the higher the payment the better. Paying for doing more adds a strong financial motivation to what is often a slim clinical rationale for an intervention. Furthermore, the current system's bias toward paying significantly more for procedures rather than for evaluation and management reduces physicians' inclination to watch, wait, and communicate and increases their
propensity to order a test."

Those greedy capitalist bastards are hasty too!  "Take two aspirin and call me in four weeks, Mrs. Smith.  Let me know if you still have these sharp pains in your abdomen, or if your anus starts bleeding again, mmkay?   Next?"

"Then there is the patient side. US patients prefer high technology over high touch. As the energy crisis highlights, Americans tend to embrace technologic fixes for problems. US culture emphasizes the new and the fancy; old and plain is equated with deprivation.2 In the medical sphere, this cultural value informs a patient perception that doing more tests and receiving more treatments and interventions is receiving better care. This helps to explain inappropriate prescribing of antibiotics for
viral infections."

Screw technology!  Send in the leech! 

Ok, so maybe I am exaggerating a tad, but...

"Realistically, the most effective policy change would be to alter how insurance pays for medical services. One step is for more value-based co-payments, modeled oncurrent tiered pharmaceutical benefits, that link the amount patients pay to effectiveness and cost of alternatives.12 For instance, men with early stage prostate cancer who choose radiation therapy might have no co-payment for 3-dimensional conformal radiation but might have to cover the marginal cost if they want more expensive intensity-modulated radiation therapy. Value-based co-payments would promote high-value interventions and discourage use of marginal medicine. It would help if patients were financially sensitive to the cost of care, but not if out-of-pocket costs inhibit use of needed services, resulting in higher costs later. This is not an all-or-nothing rationing scheme, but rather an ethical way to have patients experience costs but not at the expense of important outcomes."

I return to my question: who will determine all these things?  You can bet your ass it won't be your doctor, and it definitely won't be you.  After all, you're the problem, remember?

Read it for yourself and see if you feel as desperate for Zeke's vision of healthcare as the shills in this video do.

Happy Birthday, America. Now, get outta my office. Next?

Obama Appoints Fundraisers To Diplomatic Positions...

which is another broken campaign promise.

From the Wall Street Journal:

Mr. Obama said he... would ensure that hires are based on merit, rather than party or ideology.

but in reality:

Of the Obama administration's 55 ambassadorial nominees so far, 33 -- or 60% -- have gone to people outside the foreign-service ranks, according to the Center for Responsive Politics.

The Right To Show Paint Samples, Fabric Swatches, and Finials Upheld in Connecticut

The Institute for Justice has won another victory for economic freedom.

    A federal judge today struck down a state law that unconstitutionally censored the free speech of interior designers in Connecticut. 
    In a thorough, clearly worded 23-page opinion, U.S. District Judge Mark Kravitz systematically considered and rejected each of the state's arguments in support of the challenged law, a so-called "title act" for interior designers.  Title acts are laws that regulate only the speech, but not the work associated with a given occupation.  Thus, in Connecticut-as in 46 other states around the country including New York, Massachusetts, and California-anyone may work as an interior designer with no license or other special government oversight of any kind.  But since 1983, Connecticut law has prohibited anyone not registered as an interior designer with the Department of Consumer Protection from referring to himself as an "interior designer," even when that term accurately describes what he does.

Are you paying attention, Senator DeMint? We're nearing the end of the ride when it comes to the "slide" into socialism.

I remember a conversation I had about a year ago with a lady who works in a furniture store. Somehow, this subject came up, and every argument I made was countered by her with the simple notion that people who spend their the time and money to get their license are deserving of it. That's all. For all I know, you show up, pay your money into the collection plate held out by the typical government revenue goon, then you pick a cot and sleep for for four days straight; only to wake up with a little plastic-coated badge laying next to you with your name on it.

The utter nonsense of it all. Am I to be victimized by the wrong shade of beige painted on my walls? Maybe the throw pillows on the bed were just too much for my senses? Oh! How I wished she would have put that dresser on the wall next to the Ficus plant! How absurd.

The Institute for Justice sent me an email containing part of their argument for striking down this particular law:

IJ’s strategic research has shown such regulations result in higher prices, less variety, and fewer employment opportunities, especially for minorities and older mid-career switchers, without any benefit to public health or safety (the standard by which all such regulations should be judged). 

I don't agree with it entirely since benefits to public health or safety are subjective. I'd have the government out of licensing entirely for the reasons above, yet others would call for doctors and nurses to have licenses. Rather than licenses, I would rather they have the ability to do their jobs with a certain level of competence as well as come up with ways for this impatient patient to not have to perform the 90 minute, room-shifting ritual required to have a brief chat with the doctor. The economic side of the equation mandates that competition is needed in health care. Licensing reduces that.

Still, it's a good victory. Surely, the licensed interior decorators in the state are upset that they spent that time and money getting their license. No doubt that's been offset by their higher prices for the proper placement of candles and other quality knick-knacks which are a pain to dust. Designers of the world, unite!

A Trust That Will Lead to Our Undoing as a Great Nation

...is a phrase, I borrow from Walter E. Williams' article Why a Bill of Rights?

Following up on The Ninths and Tenth Amendment, and The Battle of Our Lifetime, and Bootleggers and Baptists, and also The Idea of Rights,  you might want to consider this article, and the below clip: