Blog: Beat the Press

NPR ran a piece this morning on �counterfeiting� in China. (Anyone who heard the story knows that NPR disapproves of the practice being discussed, but the term that neutral reporters use is �unauthorized copying.�) The segment included no economic analysis of the practice, which would point out many of the benefits of unauthorized copies. The […]

As I have noted before (see �Missing Fact on British Health Care,� May 7, 2006), the New York Times feels the need to periodically run articles on the health care crises in countries with universal health care systems. These articles never make comparisons to the health care situation in the United States, which might help […]

The Post had an article on the Congressional Budget Office�s (CBO) estimate of the cost of the recently passed Senate immigration bill that was sure to mislead anyone who reads it. The article�s headline warns that CBO estimated the 10-year cost at $126 billion. This headline not only commits the common sin of scaring readers […]

The absurdities associated with copyright enforcement in the 21st century seem to be endless. The NYT had an article on another one this morning. Apparently publishers of sheet music are up in arms over guitar tablature sites. These are sites where guitarists pass along tips to each other on how to play particular songs. (I […]

Mortgage applications in 2006 are running at a pace that is about one-third lower than the year-round average for 2003. One-third fewer mortgages should mean that revenue is roughly one-third lower. This would presumably translate into a substantial drop in employment in the industry, but not according to the Washington Post. Relying on industry sources, […]

The NYT had a good piece this morning about plans by the I.R.S. to turn over 12,500 tax deliquency cases to private collection agencies. There are two interesting features to this story. First, the I.R.S. believes that it will get less money by turning these cases over to private collection agencies than if it pursued […]

A couple of days ago I commented in passing about the Bureau of Labor Statistics plans to change the way it reports its inflation numbers. I realize that I did not fully understand the issue until a couple of posts clarified the problem. Currently, BLS reports index numbers and changes only to the first decimal. […]

It is common for people to complain that politicians are using the Social Security surplus to hide the true size of the federal budget deficit. In fact, this is not possible. The media decide which budget numbers the public hears on the news and reads in the newspapers. If they believe that the appropriate deficit […]

Economists believe that people respond to incentives. Unfortunately, they pay much too little thought to the incentives that the U.S. health care system gives to providers. The NYT has two very good pieces showing the practical effect of the current incentive structure in today’s paper. The first reports on the frequency of angioplasties in Elyria, […]

USA Today had a great story about President Bush�s visit to a Harley-Davidson factor in York, Pennsylvania to tout the merits of �free-trade.� The reason why the story was so great is that the plant is in fact a testament to the effective use of protectionist policies to sustain a favored industry. Don�t take my […]