Comments on: Inequality Is Down http://www.overcomingbias.com/2009/11/inequality-is-down.html Overcoming Bias is economist Robin Hanson’s blog, on honesty, signaling, disagreement, forecasting, and the far future. Thu, 18 Mar 2010 23:24:23 -0400 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.5 hourly 1 By: richard silliker http://www.overcomingbias.com/2009/11/inequality-is-down.html#comment-435593 richard silliker Thu, 05 Nov 2009 18:43:22 +0000 http://www.overcomingbias.com/?p=20243#comment-435593 Ayn Rand sure got it right to a large extent. Uncle Alan (Greenspan) and the boys thought she was talking to something else. Since when does a corporation become a person except in the minds of those suffering from some delusion. Hell, now they are hearing voices and they have appealed to the supreme court of the U.S. to give corporations the right to free speech. Howdy Doody anyone? Ayn Rand sure got it right to a large extent. Uncle Alan (Greenspan) and the boys thought she was talking to something else. Since when does a corporation become a person except in the minds of those suffering from some delusion. Hell, now they are hearing voices and they have appealed to the supreme court of the U.S. to give corporations the right to free speech. Howdy Doody anyone?

]]> By: John and Dagny Galt http://www.overcomingbias.com/2009/11/inequality-is-down.html#comment-435583 John and Dagny Galt Thu, 05 Nov 2009 16:07:14 +0000 http://www.overcomingbias.com/?p=20243#comment-435583 Dear Brothers and Sisters, Sons and Daughters of Liberty, There are only two types of human beings. One type just wants everyone to leave everyone else alone and these humans are students and advocates of the Philosophically Mature Non-Aggression Principle. The other type refuses to leave others alone and these humans are the Mobocracy Looter Minions with their hords of bureaucrats, jackboots, and mercenaries that perpetuate the perpetration of the loot and booty gravy-train. Rob-peter-to-buy-paul's-vote bread and circuses of the doomed Amerikan Empire. You are either the one...or the other. The John Galt Solution of Starving The Monkeys is the only solution. Stop funding and forging your own chains and shackles. What are you leaving for your children and grandchildren and prodigy!?! The Mobocracy Looter Minions must be allowed to consume everything around them, then each other, and finally themselves. There is no other way. Ayn Rand wrote about it over fifty years ago and it rings as soundly today as it did then. Get your copy of Starving The Monkeys by Tom Baugh today, before the book is banned and the author is hunted down and Vince Fostered! Sincerely, John and Dagny Galt Atlas Shrugged, Owner's Manual For The Universe!(tm) http://www.starvingthemonkeys.com/ http://voluntaryist.com/fundamentals/introduction.php . Dear Brothers and Sisters, Sons and Daughters of Liberty,

There are only two types of human beings.

One type just wants everyone to leave everyone else alone and these humans are students and advocates of the Philosophically Mature Non-Aggression Principle.

The other type refuses to leave others alone and these humans are the Mobocracy Looter Minions with their hords of bureaucrats, jackboots, and mercenaries that perpetuate the perpetration of the loot and booty gravy-train. Rob-peter-to-buy-paul’s-vote bread and circuses of the doomed Amerikan Empire.

You are either the one…or the other.

The John Galt Solution of Starving The Monkeys is the only solution. Stop funding and forging your own chains and shackles. What are you leaving for your children and grandchildren and prodigy!?!

The Mobocracy Looter Minions must be allowed to consume everything around them, then each other, and finally themselves. There is no other way. Ayn Rand wrote about it over fifty years ago and it rings as soundly today as it did then.

Get your copy of Starving The Monkeys by Tom Baugh today, before the book is banned and the author is hunted down and Vince Fostered!

Sincerely,
John and Dagny Galt
Atlas Shrugged, Owner’s Manual For The Universe!(tm)

http://www.starvingthemonkeys.com/

http://voluntaryist.com/fundamentals/introduction.php

.

]]> By: Thursday morning links - Maggie's Farm http://www.overcomingbias.com/2009/11/inequality-is-down.html#comment-435571 Thursday morning links - Maggie's Farm Thu, 05 Nov 2009 10:51:06 +0000 http://www.overcomingbias.com/?p=20243#comment-435571 [...] income inequality is down. I guess that's a good thing. Income is good. It provides [...] [...] income inequality is down. I guess that's a good thing. Income is good. It provides [...]

]]> By: Barkley Rosser http://www.overcomingbias.com/2009/11/inequality-is-down.html#comment-435523 Barkley Rosser Tue, 03 Nov 2009 18:33:11 +0000 http://www.overcomingbias.com/?p=20243#comment-435523 This result disagrees with recent work by Branko Milanovic at the World Bank. I only read the abstract, but I suspect that there is a methodological issue here. Many of these studies, and I suspect this one, average over country level Gini coefficients. This shows such a reduction. However, according to Milanovic if one looks directly at world distribution across countries, the Ginis are still rising, even as extreme poverty rates are declining. This result disagrees with recent work by Branko Milanovic at the World Bank. I only read the abstract, but I suspect that there is a methodological issue here. Many of these studies, and I suspect this one, average over country level Gini coefficients. This shows such a reduction. However, according to Milanovic if one looks directly at world distribution across countries, the Ginis are still rising, even as extreme poverty rates are declining.

]]> By: Tweets that mention Overcoming Bias : Inequality Is Down -- Topsy.com http://www.overcomingbias.com/2009/11/inequality-is-down.html#comment-435514 Tweets that mention Overcoming Bias : Inequality Is Down -- Topsy.com Tue, 03 Nov 2009 03:51:15 +0000 http://www.overcomingbias.com/?p=20243#comment-435514 [...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by padraicryan and gonzomehum, Mercatus Bloggers. Mercatus Bloggers said: Overcoming Bias: Inequality Is Down: Alex liked Arnold’s trend summary: I think that perhaps the most imp.. http://bit.ly/2Yu4xq [...] [...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by padraicryan and gonzomehum, Mercatus Bloggers. Mercatus Bloggers said: Overcoming Bias: Inequality Is Down: Alex liked Arnold’s trend summary: I think that perhaps the most imp.. http://bit.ly/2Yu4xq [...]

]]> By: jorge http://www.overcomingbias.com/2009/11/inequality-is-down.html#comment-435508 jorge Mon, 02 Nov 2009 15:06:56 +0000 http://www.overcomingbias.com/?p=20243#comment-435508 Since local measures don't correct for immigration and many complications at the low end of the income distribution, it's not even clear that inequality of native-born Americans (leaving out also children of first generation immigrants) has gone up. The consumption measures (which also don't correct for immigration and other complications) also show much less income inequality than any of the official income calculations. Since local measures don’t correct for immigration and many complications at the low end of the income distribution, it’s not even clear that inequality of native-born Americans (leaving out also children of first generation immigrants) has gone up. The consumption measures (which also don’t correct for immigration and other complications) also show much less income inequality than any of the official income calculations.

]]> By: Stuart Armstrong http://www.overcomingbias.com/2009/11/inequality-is-down.html#comment-435503 Stuart Armstrong Mon, 02 Nov 2009 12:32:51 +0000 http://www.overcomingbias.com/?p=20243#comment-435503 Great news, that I wasn't explicitly aware of. Thanks for bringing it to my attention. Great news, that I wasn’t explicitly aware of. Thanks for bringing it to my attention.

]]> By: Nick Novitski http://www.overcomingbias.com/2009/11/inequality-is-down.html#comment-435491 Nick Novitski Sun, 01 Nov 2009 20:54:58 +0000 http://www.overcomingbias.com/?p=20243#comment-435491 Interesting. But what makes you think that an exchange has taken place? That is, how is a local decrease in equality connected to a non-local increase? Interesting. But what makes you think that an exchange has taken place? That is, how is a local decrease in equality connected to a non-local increase?

]]> By: pushmedia1 http://www.overcomingbias.com/2009/11/inequality-is-down.html#comment-435486 pushmedia1 Sun, 01 Nov 2009 18:05:54 +0000 http://www.overcomingbias.com/?p=20243#comment-435486 Plus the increase in inequality in the States is mostly a <a href="http://www.fperri.net/PAPERS/redusa.pdf" rel="nofollow">within education group</a> phenomenon. Of course, Kling could mean some other measure of "cognitive skill". Plus the increase in inequality in the States is mostly a within education group phenomenon. Of course, Kling could mean some other measure of “cognitive skill”.

]]> By: Bill http://www.overcomingbias.com/2009/11/inequality-is-down.html#comment-435485 Bill Sun, 01 Nov 2009 17:59:30 +0000 http://www.overcomingbias.com/?p=20243#comment-435485 I am troubled by Kling's piece because it offers no statistics on inter-generational income mobility, and simply offers the assertion that affluent parents beget affluent children. Do they? What are the statistics on middle class parents having middle class children in the next generation...over time. Is that still true today, or are middle class children having difficulting maintaining the social or income status of their parents? And, what about social mobility of children of lower class households...what is their rate of achieving middle class status. Has that too changed over time. When you compare the NBER piece to Kling's you are left feeling empty. I am troubled by Kling’s piece because it offers no statistics on inter-generational income mobility, and simply offers the assertion that affluent parents beget affluent children.

Do they? What are the statistics on middle class parents having middle class children in the next generation…over time. Is that still true today, or are middle class children having difficulting maintaining the social or income status of their parents? And, what about social mobility of children of lower class households…what is their rate of achieving middle class status. Has that too changed over time.

When you compare the NBER piece to Kling’s you are left feeling empty.

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