Some policy things lot of us would think are good?

[jimbogumbo]

Maybe even dismalist.

Mandatory farm drip irrigation and fertilization. Cuts down on water waste and toxic run-off.

World wide carbon tax. As d has noted, efficient solution, and IMHO of crucial importance for future generations.

UBI below a specified income level.

Some form of single payer health care.

More and better child a elder social programs.

Ongoing and better care for those with mental and physical challenges.



Some of the above are matters of will, some of innovation and better thinking as well.

[dismalist]

Maybe even dismalist.

Mandatory farm drip irrigation and fertilization. Cuts down on water waste and toxic run-off.

World wide carbon tax. As d has noted, efficient solution, and IMHO of crucial importance for future generations.

UBI below a specified income level.

Some form of single payer health care.

More and better child a elder social programs.

Ongoing and better care for those with mental and physical challenges.



Some of the above are matters of will, some of innovation and better thinking as well.

Absolutely, jimbo, I'm with you. The stuff I bolded, the carbon tax and the UBI, are, or should be, uncontroversial, and for good reason. I would call the carbon tax imperative. Otherwise, we're just messing around, expensively.

Now, not using farm drip irrigation [I've seen no other in northern Italy] is like burning too much carbon, a negative externality. Water is too cheap. Tax it. Would solve the US West's water shortages, too, while we're at it.

US health care is fucked up big time, in all kinds of ways, and for all kinds of historical reasons. "Single payer" assumes too much, namely that it is the single payer by itself that solves all woes. [Do not go to the NHS in the UK. They got no room for you.] Nay. My favorite model is the Swissies 

https://www.commonwealthfund.org/international-health-policy-center/countries/switzerland [do read it] --

mandatory [to eliminate selection bias] health insurance, competitively  provided, over  half privately financed, with a big out of pocket. [One can give money to the poor so they can afford this stuff.] The Swissies spend about 12% of GDP on health, compared to our 18%, and they look pretty healthy to me, in sharp contrast to how my neighbors look.

Special care can be folded into the health insurance scheme.

Child care is a personal problem, not subject to market failure. 'Ya can't afford a kid, don't have one.

[Anon1787]

Absolutely, jimbo, I'm with you. The stuff I bolded, the carbon tax and the UBI, are, or should be, uncontroversial, and for good reason. I would call the carbon tax imperative. Otherwise, we're just messing around, expensively.

No UBI. Since you specialize in the dismal science, I'll recommend Tyler Cowen's reservations centered on the importance of the work ethic.

[jimbogumbo]

Anon: that's why I specified an income level ceiling. Is there no maximum level you'd agree to?

[dismalist]

Absolutely, jimbo, I'm with you. The stuff I bolded, the carbon tax and the UBI, are, or should be, uncontroversial, and for good reason. I would call the carbon tax imperative. Otherwise, we're just messing around, expensively.

No UBI. Since you specialize in the dismal science, I'll recommend Tyler Cowen's reservations centered on the importance of the work ethic.

Problem with current, numerous, individual and specific welfare programs is means testing. That makes the marginal tax rate for the poor so high as to make the rich blush. It pays to stay poor!

Getting rid of all this stuff and substituting a negative income tax can be made to confront the poor with much more reasonable marginal tax rates. Watch that work ethic get activated and the poor become richer as it no longer pays to stay poor!

For incentives, it's all about the margin, not the average.

Thus, I'd even be quite generous.

ETA last sentence in response to jumbo's question to anon####.

[mamselle]

Oh, I thought it was going to be fora policy we were talking about.

Nevermind.

M. 

[Wahoo Redux]

Better judicial review.

Better and fairer criteria for reversing guilty verdicts when there is good evidence for innocence.

Campaign spending limits, and a limit, free speech taken into account, on the types of political campaign advertisements which can be shown on TV and on social media.

[Anselm]

A penny tax on every attempted phone call, to eliminate telemarketing calls.

All posted prices must include all taxes.

Ban all help wanted ads that ask for two years of experience for entry level jobs.   If they don't have entry level jobs then require the employer to tell you where exactly you are supposed to get that experience if not with them.   

Require all internships to be open to people who are not currently enrolled in college. 

Stop cuts to the USPS which 90% of people oppose.  (I made up that figure but it seems realistic)

[FishProf]

Require all single-stall public restrooms to have an occupied/vacant indicator on the door handle mechanism.

(It's not a big issue, but is anyone opposed?)

[dismalist]

Require all single-stall public restrooms to have an occupied/vacant indicator on the door handle mechanism.

(It's not a big issue, but is anyone opposed?)

Require all public restrooms to charge an entry fee, nowadays easily payable by credit card instead of quarters.  That'll keep them vacant enough!

We just have different ways of rationing. Mine will provide more semi-public toilets. :-)

[FishProf]

I'm not interested in rationing public restrooms.

Why are you?

[dismalist]

I'm not interested in rationing public restrooms.

Why are you?

If you put up traffic lights, you inform people of the ration. If you charge, you inform and can also build more restrooms. :-)

[mamselle]

What's to stop someone from swiping their card while someone else is in there?

Sounds like someone has control issues, or potty-training issues....or both...

M.

[Wahoo Redux]

I'm for the Pissoir. 

That will solve most of the payment controversy.

[dismalist]

I'm for the Pissoir. 

That will solve most of the payment controversy.

There's a gender disparity there. So, totally illegal.