Comments on: Tyler Cowen Sets a Trap

By: Butler T. Reynolds

Butler T. Reynolds — Mon, 05 Dec 2016 13:16:52 +0000

“a few of them will start to see where I am coming from in my point of view.”

In the slim chance that they do, I would bet $10 that they’ll forget about it when their guy/gal is in office next time around.

By: Tom G

Tom G — Mon, 05 Dec 2016 12:38:35 +0000

Tax credits, with the maximum at the limit of paying 0$ in taxes for the future life of the company, are more “small gov’t” libertarian (small – l) than tax subsidies, with a maximum upper limit only limited by politics. 10 mil, 100 mil, 10 bln, 500 bln.

Gov’t giving away “free” money is actually using OPM – other people’s money. Tax credits are not taking the firms’ own money.

The Bush bailout for Big, Irresponsible banks was worse, and worse for the economy, and worse for rule of law. Obama’s Big Bailout for auto companies was even worse.

I’m pretty sure all of #1-4 apply to Tyler, tho perhaps “hate Mr. Trump” is … the trump.

By: Jeff R.

Jeff R. — Sun, 04 Dec 2016 21:46:56 +0000

I don’t get Tyler or anyone else’s indignation about the federal government using federal contracts as leverage to get some sort of concession. Wait, you mean there might be some shady quid pro quos or political arm-twisting going on in the awarding of federal contracts? Shocking! This must surely portend the end of the Republic.

By: EB

EB — Sun, 04 Dec 2016 21:21:16 +0000

Except for your last paragraph, I agree with you. Regarding Tyler, apparently he hates Trump and that’s why he’ll never go beyond Trump’s nonsense ideas, in particular to compare them with similar nonsense ideas promoted by Obama and other progressives. I know you have great respect for Tyler, but I don’t have any.

Now going back to the central issue of why any politician would like to keep plants in America, you gave a good answer long ago when you reviewed Nisbet’s The Quest for Community and relied on a quote from Ross Douthat’s introduction to Nisbet’s book.

By: collin

collin — Sun, 04 Dec 2016 20:39:27 +0000

Well, it is this hard on both conservatives and libertarians as well. But the reality is the WWC overwhelming supported Republicans because Trump was the candidate and not Romney 2012. (This is one of the reason why we might not see Ryans Medicare program as well.) So this ‘protectism’ is bringing the old school McKinley Republicans! Tyler can have fun pushing on liberals, but this is conservative reality the next four years.

1) All Presidents do this and Carrier is nothing compared to Obama Auto Bailout. And because these are Indiana (w/Pence governor) the state can give away the tax credits. So we will see if this long term policy not. Carrier was a big public relations action here.

2) I don’t think all Progressives agreed with Hobby Lobby. I emotionally hated the decision but it was right decision.

3) While we can all agree that the economic decline of the rust belt is all together a not bad thing, please explain to me how you can install the right culture into the young kids. It takes time and money to install culture. JD Vance is right but without private investment the but is families and schools need to teach these kids work hard to the FUCK OUT is the right message?

4) Again the most interesting aspect in modern America is it the rural WWC whites that have the least economic opportunity in this nation. So kids in West Virgina have less of a future than kids in Compton CA. I am not sure how plays out as both the left and right nostalgic remember these communities as they were in 1965 and this is still the largest voting block i the US. And realize they carried Trump and expect results.

By: JK Brown

JK Brown — Sun, 04 Dec 2016 16:58:55 +0000

The rule of law means that no one is above the law, not even a king. Equality under the law means that the law applies equally to all. At best you meant, rule of statute (regulation) as popular lawmaking has become the norm and a statute is properly enacted legislation, regulations being more arbitrary and subject to the whim of the agencies.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T9gTjvcK8to&ab_channel=ayabaya

By: GU

GU — Sun, 04 Dec 2016 15:30:05 +0000

When Trump won, my sister in law exclaimed non-ironically and full of horror: Now birth control won’t be free anymore! This (rather silly) issue holds incredible symbolic value to a portion of the electorate. The sort thing you can afford to care about only in an incredibly affluent society.

By: Thucydides

Thucydides — Sun, 04 Dec 2016 15:23:55 +0000

Conventional economic analysis is not adequate in a situation in which reserve currency status combined with pure fiat money allows runaway credit expansion to drive consumption of masses of imported goods, with attendant negative effects on local employment. Arnold, I hope you will expand your analysis.

By: Lord

Lord — Sun, 04 Dec 2016 14:22:56 +0000

I hope Trump spends a lot of time on these as they are so much less disastrous than other things he could be doing.

I agree with the first commentator that Solyndra is the fitting analog, not that all Americans should be treated equally in insurance.

By: Handle

Handle — Sun, 04 Dec 2016 13:52:36 +0000

I expect political expediency and situational virtue signaling of convenience. I expect the party out of power to argue for principles-based constraints on the party in power. I expect the party in power to argue for justifications to expand discretion, in the name of different principles. I expect advocates for both parties to switch positions within weeks of a power swap.

So it’s no trap, because partisans don’t operate at that level of generality. My guy’s discretion is good because of my good reasons, but your guy’s discretion is bad because of your bad reasons.

At this point one wonders about that whole ‘libertarians as mistresses’ point, which is when the progressives discover that (temporary) ‘strange new respect’ for experts articulating anti-discretion arguments on prominent media platforms.