The Cart Blog » Economics

Memo to Obama

thatsoftwareguy — Sun, 09 Nov 2008 06:50:07 +0000

Economist Greg Mankiw throws in his US $0.02 in this letter of advice to President-elect Obama.

Can we please have an adult conversation about the payroll tax?

thatsoftwareguy — Sat, 10 May 2008 20:45:28 +0000

Larry Kudlow, recently named the stupidest man alive by Brad DeLong, never tires of saying that it’s unreasonable that wealthy people like him should have to pay the same percentage of their income in payroll taxes that working stiffs do. Kudlow marshals a number of inane arguments, among them that blue collar couples frequently make $200K/yr (huh??) — but the most irritating part of this discussion, at least to me, is this bizarre criticism of Obama’s social circle, for heaven’s sakes:

(Incidentally, I don’t think Mr. Obama knows any cops or fireman. How about that? That is the problem. In other words, his economics are bad and his social circle is very limited.)

I think it’s vulgar to cast asparagus at someone’s social circle. If “his economics are bad,” then let’s discuss that, and not who’s in his address book.

And while I’m on the topic, could we please have a rule that members of the global elite are not allowed to complain that other members of the global elite are elitist? It’s just too much for me to take.

Missing the point completely

thatsoftwareguy — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 10:58:30 +0000

Without a hint of irony, on the same day, NPR did stories on declining enrollment in computer science and Bill Gates’ efforts to increase the number of H1B outsourcing visas. Uhhh, fellas? There’s actually a correlation here. High school seniors and their parents actually do read the paper.

In related news, proving beyond a doubt how completely disconnected he is from the lives of ordinary Americans, Bill Gates posted the following question on LinkedIn:

“How can we do more to encourage young people to pursue careers in science and technology?”

Gee, I don’t know – how about not outsourcing their parents’ science and technology jobs?

Maryland moves to tax computer services

thatsoftwareguy — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 09:59:49 +0000

NetChoice covers the bad news. In a related note, Virginia contractors are jumping for joy.

Will it actually go into effect? A quick Google search for Maryland Computer Tax reveals a pretty significant amount of opposition, including a snappy little site called Fight The Tech Tax.

Why do politicians always seem to believe that their little fiefdom operates in a vacuum, completely immune from external forces? This sort of thing never ceases to amaze me.

Chris Anderson on Free

thatsoftwareguy — Sun, 02 Mar 2008 15:31:10 +0000

We get a sneak peek at Chris Anderson’s new book Free on wired.com. Free is a fact of life, and if you’re a software developer like I am, you’re competing with free. This is also true for other media and content developers – so instead of whining about how it’s impossible to compete with free or make money off free, the thing to do is start doing it. Dasani is tap water, yet they make money selling it. JBoss and Red Hat both offer free software – and yet they’re very profitable businesses. Wired has a wiki page for content providers describing ways to make money from free content. For service providers, I would add the following ideas:

Upsell and cross-sell additional products and components
Sell warranty plans.
Sell customizations
Sell professional services, such as installation and support.

Free Shipping over $x is the ultimate upselling tool

thatsoftwareguy — Tue, 19 Feb 2008 11:53:28 +0000

In case there was any doubt in your mind, read this New Yorker article on behavioral economics. According to behavioral economists, people reason that there’s no visible possibility of loss if a “free” offer is accepted, because it’s, well, free.

Tiny Malta hands cash to entrepreneurs to convert to e-commerce

thatsoftwareguy — Thu, 07 Feb 2008 11:29:32 +0000

SMEs given €12,000 tax credit to use e-commerce. What an interesting story. Go Malta!

Hillary, are you listening?

Revenue neutral flat tax proposal

thatsoftwareguy — Wed, 16 Jan 2008 12:06:52 +0000

Greg Mankiw thought enough of this flat tax analysis to give it some link love. Money quote:

For 2005, I come up with a tax rate of 31.85% and a deduction of $35,725.

32%, eh? Somehow I doubt Steve Forbes would be pleased.

Mommy, where do budget deficits come from?

thatsoftwareguy — Sun, 13 Jan 2008 23:29:23 +0000

OK, now that both Artie Laffer and Greg Mankiw have come out and said that tax cuts don’t pay for themselves, would Rudy please stop asserting that “he knows they do?” I’d even be satisfied with his saying “it’s only a theory.” You know, like evolution.

And speaking of believing in bizarre things, Mike Huckabee gave us this gem:

Mr. Huckabee, for his part, responded with trademark humor. “The Air Force has a saying that says if you’re not catching flak, you’re not over the target,” he said. “I’m catching the flak; I must be over the target.”

Errr… actually Governor, (!A -> !B) does not mean that (A->B). But I guess that’s only a theory too.

I’m an equal opportunity blogger; I’ll post the Dem whoppers after Tuesday’s gabfest.

Serving God and Mammon

thatsoftwareguy — Fri, 21 Dec 2007 09:52:09 +0000

Fortune Small Business reviews the new film The Call of the Entrepreneur. I was not surprised to find they thought the treatment was ham-handed; media that is generated by religious groups often feels tendentious and agenda-driven.