Obama’s Address to Congress

While President Obama’s speech to Congress had many components, I’m going to focus on those related to health care.  I will also comment on the Republican response. OBAMA ADDRESS I applaud the President for specifically addressing the need for health care reform. “…we can no longer afford to put health care reform on hold. We…

Procrastination

Ph.D. students have one goal: finish your dissertation.  While this may seem like an easy task, it is one that is difficult and takes many years to complete.  A dissertation in economics is made up of 3 chapters (usually  3 separate papers).  Why does it take some grad students 7 years, 8 years or more…

Limitations of the “Science” of Economics

From Nobel Prize winner Friedrich A. Hayek’s “Pretence of Knowledge” Speech. “Unlike the position that exists in the physical sciences, in economics and other disciplines that deal with essentially complex phenomena, the aspects of the events to be accounted for about which we can get quantitative data are necessarily limited and may not include the important…

Injured Veterans

One health risk factor often overlooked in this blog is going to war.  Veterans from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan frequently return home with traumatic brain injury from roadside bombs, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD),  and other injuries.   Marketplace chronicles the problems veterans experience trying to collect military benefits after returning to civilian life.  The…

Does “Just say no” work?

Some of the biggest public health problems involve the use of drugs in alcohol.  Individuals use drugs and alcohol because they receive some psychic benefit.  However, this has a cost to their own health and often the health of others (e.g., drunk driving, increased homicide rates).  Whether or not the government should be involved in…