Industrial Food and Econ 101 – the case of externalities
Externalities – the language of Econ 101 What are externalities? Defined in two widely used textbooks: “An externality occurs when some of the costs or […]
Healthcare
Insecurities for the Bottom 90% of the US Population – part 1
We have written at some length about the flatlining of income growth for the bottom 90% of the population since 1980 and the transfer […]
What to do about the past 50 years of American life – policy suggestions
A reader of my recent post, “Bernie Sanders got much right about our current situation….” commented: “Thank you Mark for validating what we know to […]
Massachusetts New Law to Regulate Private Equity in Healthcare
Background Cerberus Capital, a private equity firm, began buying several hospitals in Massachusetts in 2010. In 2015, Cerberus sold most of its hospitals’ property to […]
Hard Data about Ultraprocessed Foods and Health – Sugar in the spotlight
Over several decades, there has been increasing discussion of the role of ultra-processed foods in our health. Globally, surging levels of diabetes, hypertension, obesity, and […]
Medicare Advantage – the multi-billion dollar ripoff
The present Medicare Advantage (MA) offerings by private insurance began in 1999 as an alternative to traditional Medicare health insurance for seniors. Today, over half […]
A thought for the day while looking around in TikTok
The other day I was poking around in TikTok to see what it is all about. Came across a quote from Karl Marx that struck […]
My Year End Siege of Angers – the list
Yesterday as I was taking a walk up and down Warren St. here in Hudson I realized that I had become actively angry about the […]
Tightrope – Americans reaching for hope by Kristof and WuDunn – book review
Tightrope provides a well-written description of the American crisis through personal stories and hard data. Unfortunately it falls flat in its call for action.