economics

Love and marriage. Oh, and pandering.

/ rickeydobbs / 9 Comments

Marriage, at its civil root, is a property arrangement.

It always has been.  It’s a state-sanctioned means by which families can grow and preserve wealth.

Marriage concentrates society’s buying power and increases stability.  It decreases our use of resources for protection of our youngest, sickest, and oldest citizens.

When the happy couple wants to call it quits, family law gives predictability to the division of property.  Sure, there are options as to what could happen post-bliss, but the majority of property divisions in divorce are quite similar. Continue reading →

You, too, could someday be rich.

/ rickeydobbs / 11 Comments

How many people do you know?

I’m not talking about people with whom you have deep, personal connections. I’m talking about people you know…kids who went to your school, co-workers from current and previous jobs, family, extended family, etc.  People who loop you in when they have babies or get married or something.

I’ll count any people about whom you could tell me one single thing beyond their name. Continue reading →

If pigs had wings, they’d probably be delicious

/ rickeydobbs / 1 Comment

There are some “conservative”* folks out there who would have you believe that the only thing keeping them from being wildly successful entrepreneurs is regulations and the tax code. It follows, of course, that these folks think the path toward American greatness starts with (a) the assumption that entrepreneurship is the zenith of American usefulness, (b) entrepreneurs do better when there’s zero regulation, and (c) entrepreneurs are unfairly targeted by the tax code.

Of course, as is the case with most things conservatives would have you believe, this idea is not only poorly thought out and negated by facts, but also represents a major blind spot in their own place as voters and citizens of this country.

I’ll explain. Continue reading →

Losing at the great American lottery.

/ rickeydobbs / 4 Comments

I’m a liberal. No doubt. I absolutely believe in capitalism as the best economic system to raise the median standard of living for a lot of people. But therein lies a major reason why I’m a liberal. Capitalism raises the standard for most people. There are scores of people for who capitalism actually prevents upward mobility.

Capitalism relies on capital – both inanimate and animate – to generate revenue. Continue reading →