Category Archives: Policy

Introducing ROARR Contributor: Kevin Remus

Posted on Tuesday, February 14, 2012 by Sean Patrick Hazlett

It is my pleasure to introduce ROARR contributor Kevin Remus. Kevin lives in San Diego, California, and is an intellectual property attorney specializing in patent prosecution. He is also a Major in the California Army National Guard. Prior to law … Continue reading →

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Posted in Blogging, Policy, Politics, Writing | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

Obama and Youth Unemployment

Posted on Sunday, February 12, 2012 by Sean Patrick Hazlett

In 2008, young adults piled into election booths to vote overwhelmingly for Barack Obama. Their adulation struck me personally as a weird sort of homage to the cult of personality. After all, Obama had no executive experience running any organization … Continue reading →

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Posted in Business, Education, Finance and Economics, Media, Policy, Politics | Tagged , , , , | 21 Comments

The Inexorable Rise of the Welfare State

Posted on Sunday, February 12, 2012 by Sean Patrick Hazlett

The New York Times published an interesting analysis yesterday on entitlement spending in the United States. Since 1929, entitlements as a share of income rose from 1% to 18% in 2011. Despite some ups and downs, the overall trend line … Continue reading →

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Posted in Finance and Economics, Policy, Politics, Social Security, Taxes | Tagged , , , , , | 6 Comments

Did Obama Help or Hinder the Recovery? Dueling Campaign Narratives

Posted on Thursday, February 9, 2012 by Sean Patrick Hazlett

Today, I came across a variation of the employment chart below in an Obama campaign ad. In this ad, the old adage holds: There are “lies, damned lies, and statistics.” In this campaign season, this truism will likely apply to … Continue reading →

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Posted in Business, Finance and Economics, Leadership, Policy, Politics | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 29 Comments

Taxes: Fairness Is Not the Problem, Complexity Is

Posted on Thursday, February 9, 2012 by Sean Patrick Hazlett

When TurboTax spit out the estimated amount of our federal and California income tax refund would be this year, I nearly soiled myself. I was flabbergasted.

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Posted in California, Finance and Economics, Policy, Politics, Taxes | Tagged , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Catching a Falling Knife: The Hazards of California Real Estate

Posted on Tuesday, February 7, 2012 by Sean Patrick Hazlett

When I returned to the San Francisco Bay Area in July 2006, real estate prices were absurd. At the time, I had also saddled myself with a massive amount of school loans. That said, no-doc loans were all the rage, … Continue reading →

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Posted in Business, California, Finance and Economics, Investing, Mathematics, Policy, Politics | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

Where Are the Carriers?

Posted on Monday, February 6, 2012 by Sean Patrick Hazlett

Over the last few weeks, Stratfor, a global intelligence site, has provided updates on the approximate location of the American carrier fleet. According to Stratfor’s estimates, two carriers are operating in or near the Persian Gulf, another is operating in the … Continue reading →

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Posted in Defense, Energy Security, International Security, Middle East, Nuclear Power, Nuclear proliferation, Policy, War | Tagged , , , , | 15 Comments

Bush vs. Obama: Unemployment (January 2012 Jobs Data)

Posted on Friday, February 3, 2012 by Sean Patrick Hazlett

Update: Click here for the most recent jobs statistics. On the first Friday of every month, I update the unemployment numbers so that I can compare the unemployment rate under President George W. Bush with the unemployment rate under President Obama at that … Continue reading →

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Posted in Business, Finance and Economics, Media, Policy, Politics | Tagged , , , | 130 Comments

Will Israel Attack Iran This Spring?

Posted on Thursday, February 2, 2012 by Sean Patrick Hazlett

U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta indicated today that Israel is considering a strike on Iran’s nuclear program as early as this spring. A Washington Post reporter asserted Panetta believed “there is a strong likelihood that Israel will strike Iran in … Continue reading →

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Posted in Defense, Energy Security, Middle East, Nuclear proliferation, Peak Oil, Policy, Politics, War | Tagged , , , , , , | 17 Comments

Marginal Tax Rates And Recessions

Posted on Sunday, January 29, 2012 by Sean Patrick Hazlett

A Reflections of a Rational Republican reader suggested that I attempt to debunk or challenge the notion from two posts (see “Rich Peoples Taxes Have Little to Do with Job Creation” and “The Myth of the Lower Marginal Tax Rates“) … Continue reading →

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Posted in Business, Finance and Economics, Policy, Politics, Taxes | Tagged , , , , , , | 32 Comments