MedWorm provides a medical RSS filtering service. Over 6000 RSS medical sources are combined and output via different filters. This feed contains the latest medical blog items that have been tagged with 'curve'. Sat, 03 Sep 2011 02:16:20 +0100 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5139874&cid=t_246739_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2011%2F08%2F19%2Fbest-of-our-blogs-august-19-2011%2F Ask me about a trip I took with my dad to Maui ten years ago and I can barely recall what we did. But ask me about my childhood toys and suddenly I remember every detail, every curve of a ball, color, texture and even the faint smell of a favorite toy. There is one toy I remember in particular. It was a half red, half blue sphere covered with different shaped holes and yellow plastic shapes (triangles, stars, circles, etc.) meant to fit through them. If you’re curious, this is what it looked like. What I remember is being very young and feeling frustrated because no matter how hard I pushed I could never get all of those puzzle pieces into the holes. It was only when I got older that I realized every piece had its place. I was wasting my energy trying to force pieces where they didn&... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5139874 Fri, 19 Aug 2011 12:11:34 +0100 5139874 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5028142&cid=t_246739_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FeqERmfPy4Hk%2F By Daniel J. MitchellThe United States has been on a decade-long spending binge. Thanks to the profligate policies of both Bush and Obama, the burden of federal spending has climbed to about 25 percent of economic output, up from 18.2 percent of GDP when Bill Clinton left office. The political class tells us that more government is good for the economy since it an “investment” and/or a “stimulus.” The academic research, however, tells a different story. Here are some brief excerpts from a recent study by two Swedish economists, including a critically important observation about the impact of bigger government on economic performance. …most recent studies typically find a negative correlation between total government size and economic growth. …the most co... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5028142 Thu, 14 Jul 2011 13:36:25 +0100 5028142 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4984452&cid=t_246739_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fbending-the-cost-curve-in-cancer-care-reduce-excessive-testing-for-reassurance-purposes%2F2011.06.29 This is the second in a series of posts on Bending the Cost Curve in Cancer Care. We should consider the proposal, published in the NEJM, gradually over the course of this summer, starting with “suggested changes in oncologists’ behavior,” #1: 1. Target surveillance testing or imaging to situations in which a benefit has been shown. This point concerns the costs of doctors routinely ordering CTs, MRIs and other imaging exams, besides blood tests, for patients who’ve completed a course of cancer treatment and are thought to be in remission. The NEJM authors consider that after a cancer diagnosis many patients, understandably, seek reassurance that any recurrence will be detected early, if it happens. Doctors, for their part, may not fully appreciate the lack of benefit of detecting ... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4984452 Wed, 29 Jun 2011 15:00:37 +0100 4984452 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4789224&cid=t_246739_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2F_T6uSP5kDhU%2F By Daniel J. MitchellAs I have explained elsewhere, tax increases are a bad idea – unless you favor bigger government. And I’ve already added my two cents to the tax debate between Senator Coburn and Grover Norquist regarding the desirability of higher taxes. So it won’t surprise anyone to know that I fully agree with this new video from the Center for Freedom and Prosperity, which offers seven reasons why higher taxes are a bad idea. The video is narrated by Piyali Bhattacharya of Young Americans for Liberty, and here are her seven reasons. Tax increases are not needed Tax increases encourage more spending Tax increases harm economic performance Tax increases foment social discord Tax increases almost never raise as much revenue as projected Tax increases encourage mor... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4789224 Wed, 04 May 2011 13:58:53 +0100 4789224 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4676765&cid=t_246739_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2F6P-uydf45mM%2F By Daniel J. MitchellA new study from the Adam Smith Institute in the United Kingdom provides overwhelming evidence that class-warfare tax policy is grossly misguided and self-destructive. The authors examine the likely impact of the 10-percentage point increase in the top income tax rate, which was imposed as an election-year stunt by former prime minister Gordon Brown and then kept in place by his feckless successor, David Cameron. They find that boosting the top tax rate to 50 percent will slow economic performance. And because of both macroeconomic and microeconomic responses, tax revenues over the next 10 years are likely to drop by the equivalent of more than $550 billion. Here's a key paragraph from the executive summary of the new study. The country is suffering from a 50%-­plus ... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4676765 Mon, 04 Apr 2011 13:15:59 +0100 4676765 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4575045&cid=t_246739_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FhYxQkYpDKeg%2F By Daniel J. MitchellThere's a significant debate now taking place in Washington — largely behind closed doors, but sometimes covered by the media — on whether fiscal conservatives should maintain a rigid no-tax-increase position. One side of the debate features Grover Norquist of Americans for Tax Reform, which is the organization that maintains the no-tax-increase pledge. The other side features Sen. Tom Coburn of Oklahoma, who is part of a small group of GOP senators who might be willing to increase the tax burden as part of a deal that supposedly reduces deficits. I'm a huge fan of Senator Coburn, who was in favor of cutting wasteful spending before it became fashionable. His office, for instance, releases a "Pork Report" every couple of days. You shouldn't read it if you have hi... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4575045 Fri, 11 Mar 2011 15:28:29 +0100 4575045 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4459945&cid=t_246739_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FYyUJdXxCkbg%2F By Daniel J. MitchellProponents of higher taxes are fond of claiming that Bill Clinton's 1993 tax increase was a big success because of budget surpluses that began in 1998. That's certainly a plausible hypothesis, and I'm already on record arguing that Clinton's economic record was much better than Bush's performance. But this specific assertion it is not supported by the data. In February of 1995, 18 months after the tax increase was signed into law, President Clinton's Office of Management and Budget issued projections of deficits for the next five years if existing policy was maintained (a "baseline" forecast). As the chart illustrates, OMB estimated that future deficits would be about $200 billion and would slightly increase over the five-year period. In other words, even the Clinton A... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4459945 Thu, 10 Feb 2011 13:49:13 +0100 4459945 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4343113&cid=t_246739_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FmkInMDtTIGQ%2F By Daniel J. MitchellThe Laffer Curve is one of my favorite issues (see here, here, here, here, here, etc). But it is a very frustrating topic. Half my time is spent trying to convince left-leaning people that the Laffer Curve exists. I use common-sense explanations. I cite historical examples. I even use information from left-of-center institutions in hopes that they will be more likely to listen. The other half of my time is spent trying to educate right-leaning people that the Laffer Curve does not mean that “all tax cuts pay for themselves.” I relentlessly try to make them understand that there is a big difference between pro-growth tax cuts that increase incentives for productive behavior and therefore lead to more taxable income and other tax cuts such as child credits th... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4343113 Thu, 13 Jan 2011 15:01:52 +0100 4343113 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4337916&cid=t_246739_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2F5B9bA0hn2vw%2F By Daniel J. MitchellThere is a very bizarre race happening in Illinois. The Governor and the leaders of the State Senate and General Assembly are trying to figure out how to ram through a massive tax increase, but they’re trying to make it happen before new state lawmakers take office tomorrow. The Democrats will still control the state legislature, but their scheme to fleece taxpayers would face much steeper odds because of GOP gains in last November’s elections. As a result, the Illinois version of a lame-duck session has become a nightmare, sort of a feeding frenzy of tax-crazed politicians. Here’s the Chicago Tribune‘s description of the massive tax hike being sought by the Democrats. The 3 percent rate now paid by individuals and families would rise to 5 perce... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4337916 Tue, 11 Jan 2011 19:15:04 +0100 4337916 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4245288&cid=t_246739_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2F0CMv_mxQ5SM%2F By Mark A. CalabriaMuch of what drives the policy choices of Ben Bernanke and the Federal Reserve is a belief in the ability to trade higher inflation for lower unemployment, known within the economics profession as the “Phillips curve.”   But does this trade-off actually exist?  While its true that many have found a negative correlation between inflation and unemployment prior to 1960, looking at U.S. data, this relationship appears to have broken down in the mid-1960s, just about the time policy-makers thought they could exploit it (Lucas critique anyone?). It is hard, looking at the graph, which displays the annual change in consumer prices over the previous year and unemployment, to see much of a relationship.  In fact, since 1960, the correlation between changes in CP... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4245288 Thu, 09 Dec 2010 16:38:09 +0100 4245288 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4214113&cid=t_246739_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fbend-the-healthcare-cost-curve-by-preventing-diabetes%2F2010.11.29 By 2020, an estimated 15 percent of adults will have diabetes and 37 percent will have prediabetes, a total of 39 million people, compared with rates of 12 percent and 28 percent today, respectively. Today, more than 90 percent of people with prediabetes, and about a quarter of people with diabetes, are unaware of it, according to a report from UnitedHealth Group, the provider of insurance and other health care services. The health savings alone of preventing diabetes would bend the cost curve of health care spending in the country. Health spending associated with diabetes and prediabetes is about $194 billion this year, or 7 percent of U.S. health spending, the report said. That cost is projected to rise to $500 billion by 2020, or a total of almost $3.4 trillion on diabetes-related... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4214113 Mon, 29 Nov 2010 17:00:00 +0100 4214113 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4190129&cid=t_246739_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FHP6dAgG9WJA%2F By Mark A. CalabriaLast week Congressman Pence and Senator Corker announced a bill to end the Federal Reserve’s dual mandate of price stability and maximum employment.  Before getting into why this is a good start, what exactly is the dual mandate?  Section 2a of the Federal Reserve Act, which sets the Fed’s monetary policy objectives, directs the Fed to: maintain long run growth of the monetary and credit aggregates commensurate with the economy’s long run potential to increase production, so as to promote effectively the goals of maximum employment, stable prices, and moderate long-term interest rates. Building upon the notion of the Phillips curve, which suggests an historical relation between inflation and unemployment, some have read 2a as implying that the Fed�... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4190129 Mon, 22 Nov 2010 21:12:28 +0100 4190129 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4151766&cid=t_246739_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FKbvf19QYBTI%2F By Daniel J. MitchellThe White House recently released a video, narrated by Austan Goolsbee of the Council of Economic Advisers, asserting that higher tax rates on the so-called rich would be a good idea. Since Goolsbee’s video made so many unsubstantiated assertions and was guilty of so many sins of omission, here’s a rebuttal video, narrated by yours truly. This new Center for Freedom and Prosperity video includes the full footage of the White House production, so viewers can decide for themselves which side is correct. Debunking White House Pro-Tax Increase Propaganda is a post from Cato @ Liberty - Cato Institute Blog (Source: Cato-at-liberty) Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4151766 Mon, 08 Nov 2010 15:41:45 +0100 4151766 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4013143&cid=t_246739_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2Fb7UUEW1Qu7s%2F By Michael F. CannonFrom my oped in today’s Investors Business Daily: Rep. Paul Ryan’s (R-Wis.) “Roadmap for America’s Future” proposes even tighter limits on Medicare’s growth, leading columnist Bruce Bartlett to opine, “the Medicare actuaries have shown the absurdity of the Ryan plan by denying that Medicare cuts already enacted into law are even worthy of projecting into the future.” On the contrary, experience and public choice theory suggest that the Ryan plan has a better shot at reducing future Medicare outlays than past efforts, because the Roadmap would change the lobbying game that fuels Medicare’s growth. For more on Ryan’s Roadmap, click here.  For more on Medicare, read David Hyman’s Medicare Meets Mephistophel... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4013143 Wed, 29 Sep 2010 13:52:16 +0100 4013143 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3993877&cid=t_246739_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FEXtRwURzsag%2F By Daniel J. MitchellJohn Podesta of the Center for American Progress had a column in Politico yesterday asserting that “closing the budget gap entirely on the spending side would require draconian programmatic cuts.” He went on to complain that there are some people who “refuse to look at the revenue side of the ledger – while insisting that we dig the hole $830 billion deeper over the next decade by extending the Bush tax cuts.”   Not surprisingly, Mr. Podesta is totally wrong. It’s actually not that challenging to balance the budget. And it doesn’t even require any spending cuts, though it would be a very good idea to dramatically downsize the federal government. Here’s a chart showing this year’s spending and revenue totals. It then sh... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3993877 Wed, 22 Sep 2010 16:02:58 +0100 3993877 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3987035&cid=t_246739_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FYHZGYI1lNxs%2F By Daniel J. MitchellThanks to the Obamacare legislation, we already know there will be a new 3.9 percent payroll tax on all investment income earned by so-called rich taxpayers beginning in 2013. And the capital gains tax rate will jump to 20 percent next year if the President gets his way. This sounds bad (and it is), but the news is even worse than you think. Here’s a new video from the Center for Freedom and Prosperity that exposes the atrociously unfair practice of imposing this levy on inflationary gains. The mini-documentary uses a simple but powerful example of what happens to an investor who bought an asset 10 years ago for $5,000 and sold it this year for $6,000. The IRS will want 15 percent of the $1,000 gain (Obama wants the tax burden on capital gains to climb to 23.... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3987035 Mon, 20 Sep 2010 21:08:20 +0100 3987035 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3946437&cid=t_246739_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2F3p_yRURpgAU%2F By Daniel J. MitchellHere’s a clever video produced by the Winston Group, comparing the tax policies of two Democratic Presidents. Having previously highlighted Kennedy’s tax-cutting approach, it is painful for me to observe the class warfare approach of the Obama Administration.   What’s especially fascinating is that JFK intuitively understood the Laffer Curve, particularly the insight that deficits usually are the result of slow growth, not the cause of slow growth. (Source: Cato-at-liberty) Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3946437 Wed, 08 Sep 2010 17:33:14 +0100 3946437 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3914985&cid=t_246739_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2F-RvwrsYCk8s%2F By Daniel J. MitchellIn the private sector, no business owner would be dumb enough to assume that higher prices automatically translate into proportionately higher revenues. If McDonald’s boosted hamburger prices by 30 percent, for instance, the experts at the company would fully expect that sales would decline. Depending on the magnitude of the drop, total revenue might still climb, but by far less than 30 percent. And it’s quite possible that the company would lose revenue. In the public sector, however, there is very little understanding of how the real world works. Here’s a Reuters story I saw on Tim Worstall’s blog, which reveals that Bulgaria and Romania both are losing revenue after increasing tobacco taxes. Cash-strapped Bulgaria and Romania hoped taxing cig... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3914985 Mon, 30 Aug 2010 11:12:16 +0100 3914985 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3880827&cid=t_246739_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FdG-eJOp0oV8%2F There’s been a bit of chatter in the blogosphere about a recent post on Ezra Klein’s blog, featuring estimates from various economists about the revenue-maximizing tax rate. It won’t come as a surprise that people on the right tended to give lower estimates and folks on the left had higher guesses. Donald Luskin of National Review estimated 19 percent, for instance, while Emmanuel Saez, Dean Baker, Bruce Bartlett, and Brad DeLong all gave answers around 70 percent. There are two things that are worth noting. First, every single answer is to the right of the Joint Committee on Taxation. The revenue-estimators on Capitol Hill assume that taxes have no impact on overall economic performance. As such, even confiscatory tax rates have very little impact on taxable income. The ... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3880827 Wed, 18 Aug 2010 19:12:04 +0100 3880827 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3776362&cid=t_246739_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FYl2o2cca40M%2F By Daniel J. MitchellThe Wall Street Journal has an excellent editorial this morning on the obscure — but critically important — issue of measuring what happens to tax revenue in response to changes in tax policy. This is sometimes known as the dynamic scoring versus static scoring debate and sometimes referred to as the Laffer Curve controversy. The key thing to understand is that the Joint Committee on Taxation (which produces revenue estimates) assumes that even big changes in tax policy have zero macroeconomic impact. Adopt a flat tax? The JCT assumes no effect on the economic performance. Double tax rates? The JCT assumes no impact on growth. The JCT does include a few microeconomic effects into its revenue-estimating models (an increase in gas taxes, for instance, w... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3776362 Wed, 21 Jul 2010 18:17:49 +0100 3776362 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3687086&cid=t_246739_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FIUyMrWIY1gA%2F By Daniel J. MitchellSmart statists understand that there are very strong Laffer Curve effects at the top of the income scale since investors and entrepreneurs have considerable ability to control the timing, level, and composition of their income. So if higher tax rates on upper-income taxpayers don’t collect much revenue, why is the left so insistent on class-warfare taxation? The answer, I think, is that soak-the-rich taxes are a “loss-leader” that politicians impose in order to pave the way for higher taxes on the middle class. Indeed, I made this point in my video on class warfare taxation, and noted that are not enough rich people to finance big government. As such, politicians that want to tax the middle class hope to soften opposition among ordinary people by firs... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3687086 Tue, 22 Jun 2010 15:21:46 +0100 3687086 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3581590&cid=t_246739_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2F0RDxs14JItQ%2F By Daniel J. MitchellDavid Ranson had a good column earlier this week in the Wall Street Journal explaining that federal tax revenues historically have hovered around 19 percent of gross domestic product, regardless whether tax rates are high or low. One reason for this relationship, as he explains, is that the Laffer Curve is a real-world constraint on class warfare tax policy. When politicians boost tax rates, that motivates taxpayers to earn and/or report less income to the IRS: The feds assume a relationship between the economy and tax revenue that is divorced from reality. Six decades of history have established one far-reaching fact that needs to be built into fiscal calculations: Increases in federal tax rates, particularly if targeted at the higher brackets, produce no additional r... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3581590 Thu, 20 May 2010 12:44:58 +0100 3581590 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3563997&cid=t_246739_101_f&fid=38966&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdtsemt.wordpress.com%2F2010%2F05%2F13%2Fscience%2F Blinded Enlightened by Science! In the post, Reading a Map, we found our hero DTs attempting to yet again simplify EMS math, as he has done so successfully in the past.  And lo! it seemed he had again succeeded! Indeed.  Behold the hideous formula for mean arterial pressure, ((Diastolic BP * 2) + Systolic BP) / 3 Too horrible for words!  Too grotesque for thought!  And too much damned work for 2 am.  With parry and jab, the plucky DTs vanquished the offending formula with a simple, (Systolic / 10) + Diastolic Yes, as flash bulbs popped, our hero stood proudly upon the podium and explained his conquest, with concrete examples – and even a table!  Yet even as he spoke, the silhouette of the beastly equation (quite undead) rose stealthily in the background to the horrified gasps... DTsEMT blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3563997 Thu, 13 May 2010 17:56:28 +0100 3563997 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3549336&cid=t_246739_101_f&fid=38966&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdtsemt.wordpress.com%2F2010%2F05%2F09%2Freading-a-map%2F I’ve figured a 2-am cheat for the MAP, which doesn’t work half-bad.  Not the linesy-roadsy MAP, the other kind. Blood pressure is one of the more important measurements we can take, we all know that and I won’t belabor the point.  If we’ve been in the business long enough, we get a feel for a blood pressure that’s “not right”, in the overall picture of patient age, habitus, etc. The real golden nugget of the BP is, of course, the mean arterial pressure or MAP.  This is the number which some studies suggest must be maintained over 60 (other sources state 65), and failure to do so results in poor organ perfusion or even organ ischemia.  We’re talking kidney failure, liver problems, the works. So, what is the mean arterial pressure or MAP? W... DTsEMT blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3549336 Sun, 09 May 2010 16:50:44 +0100 3549336 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3533814&cid=t_246739_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2Fa_VwLCZPwK8%2F By Daniel J. MitchellKevin Williamson has a long-overdue piece in National Review making two essential points about supply-side economics and the Laffer Curve. First, he explains that tax cuts are not the fiscal equivalent of a perpetual motion machine. Simply stated, too many Republicans have fallen into very sloppy habits. They oftentimes fail to understand the difference between “supply-side” tax rate reductions that actually improve incentives to engage in productive behavior and social-engineering tax cuts that simply allow people to keep more money, regardless of whether they create more wealth. This does not necessarily mean the latter form of tax cuts are bad, but they definitely do not boost economic performance and generate revenue feedback. Moreover, even when GOPers... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3533814 Wed, 05 May 2010 12:43:36 +0100 3533814 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3386888&cid=t_246739_101_f&fid=38966&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdtsemt.wordpress.com%2F2010%2F03%2F21%2Fthe-cause-of-and-solution-to-all-lifes-problems%2F I wandered into the TV room and sat as my family watched the old, 1978 version of Battlestar Galactica.  The scene on the bridge was tense, as some poofy-haired guy wandered up to the admiral and reported, “Sir!  An incredible number of Cylons are approaching!”, at which line we all burst into laughter.  “Incredible number?”  Of what possible help could that report be?  “Perhaps we should formulate an unbreachable defense!”  Tactically, it would be better to have an actual count, right? And so it is for EMS.  We don’t say, “Doc, the patient BP is high!” – it’s 180/110, or whatever.  Pulse isn’t “Racing!”, it’s 120.  We use actual numbers because they suggest what our treatment should be, and ... DTsEMT blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3386888 Sun, 21 Mar 2010 15:50:06 +0100 3386888 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3342638&cid=t_246739_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FDgss7Ji69TQ%2F By Daniel J. MitchellPresident Obama is proposing a series of major tax increases. His budget envisions higher tax rates on personal income, increased double taxation of dividends and capital gains, and a big increase in the death tax. And his health care plan includes significant tax hikes, including perhaps the imposition of the Medicare payroll tax on capital income — thus exacerbating the tax code’s bias against saving and investment. It is unclear why the White House is pursuing these punitive policies. The President said during the 2008 campaign that he favored soak-the-rich taxes even if they did not raise revenue, but his budget predicts the proposals will raise lots of money. Because of the Laffer Curve, it is highly unlikely that all of this additional revenue will ma... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3342638 Mon, 08 Mar 2010 13:34:14 +0100 3342638 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3322346&cid=t_246739_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FDvwMW4mBBmo%2F By Daniel J. MitchellA former reporter for the New York Times, Fox Butterfield, became a bit of a laughingstock in the 1990s for publishing a series of articles addressing the supposed quandary of how crime rates could be falling during periods when prison populations were expanding. A number of critics sarcastically explained that crimes rates were falling because bad guys were behind bars and invented the term “Butterfield Effect” to describe the failure of someone to put 2 + 2 together. We now have a version of the Butterfield Effect in tax policy. Recent IRS data show that rich people earned a record amount of income in 2007 and also faced their lowest effective tax rate in almost two decades. Proponents of soak-the-rich tax policy complain about these developments, as seen... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3322346 Mon, 01 Mar 2010 17:50:38 +0100 3322346 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3089308&cid=t_246739_101_f&fid=38966&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdtsemt.wordpress.com%2F2009%2F12%2F15%2Fthe-numbers-game%2F Is anybody using anything other than the GCS for field assessment of head injuries? Way, way back in 2003 DTs pointed out in a paper that there were only two GCS scores that were reliable:  GCS 3 and GCS 15.  And a 3 can be obtained by the CPR dummy, a chair, a rock… The main problem is the number of ways a patient can score a GCS.  Different values for Eye, Verbal, and Motor can change and still give an overall GCS that remains the same. A pre-hospital provider reports to medical control that his patient has a GCS  score of 9.  There are eighteen combinations of the three sub-scores which will result in a GCS of 9: E4V4M1, E4V3M2, E4V2M3,  E4V1M4,  E3V5M1, E3V4M2, E3V3M3, E3V2M4, E3V1M5, E2V5M2, E2V4M3, E2V3M4, E2V2M5, E2V1M6, E1V5M3, E1V4M4, E1V3M5, and E1V2M6.  Each of the... DTsEMT blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3089308 Tue, 15 Dec 2009 15:57:41 +0100 3089308 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2981102&cid=t_246739_101_f&fid=38966&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdtsemt.wordpress.com%2F2009%2F11%2F10%2Ffine-print%2F The pager went off, instructing us to pick up a patient for transport to a psychiatric facility. Pickup was at Biggish Hospital, room 4. P. Artner is teching the call, and stops the cot halfway down the hallway. There’s a bed above which is affixed a large cardboard sign, “4H”. DTs: “Um –” P. Artner, to woman in bed: “Hello!” DTs, sotto voce: “cough cough room 4 cough…” P. Artner: “How are you feeling today?” Woman: “Fine. Who are you?” DTs, sotto voce: “cough ROOM 4 not HALL 4 cough…” P. Artner: “We’re from the ambulance company.” Confused Woman: “Well, what do you all want?” DTs, softly humming: “Roooooom 4, once more, as we stroll further on, t... DTsEMT blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2981102 Tue, 10 Nov 2009 19:25:46 +0100 2981102 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2865644&cid=t_246739_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FhLVuoFWesAs%2F In a response to my post this morning, Charles Murray remains unconvinced that changes to our school system could result in dramatic improvements in educational outcomes. He asks to see the scholarly study showing that a school has miraculously boosted achievement above the norm. In one way, this hurdle is too low, and in another it’s too high. If we could only point to a single study of a single school, it wouldn’t instill much confidence in the generalizability of the phenomenon. A consistent pattern of scholarly results is necessary for that. On the other hand, asking for “miraculous” improvement is a needlessly high standard. My disagreement is with Murray’s earlier, lower threshold claim that:  ”reforms of the schools can never do more than pro... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2865644 Mon, 05 Oct 2009 21:20:42 +0100 2865644 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2862465&cid=t_246739_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FlTr48a3bkh0%2F An earlier post revealed that higher tax rates in Maryland were backfiring, leading to less revenue from upper-income taxpayers. It seems New York politicians are running into a similar problem. According to an AP report, the state’s 100 richest taxpayers have paid $1 billion less than expected following a big tax hike. The story notes that several rich people have left the state, and all three examples are about people who have redomiciled in Florida, which has no state income tax. For more background information on why higher taxes on the rich do not necessarily raise revenue, see this three-part Laffer Curve video series (here, here, and here): Early data from New York show the higher tax rates for the wealthy have yielded lower-than-expected state wealth. …[New York Govern... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2862465 Mon, 05 Oct 2009 16:39:23 +0100 2862465 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2862469&cid=t_246739_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2Fm7V6xSpz6FU%2F Last week, I posted a chart on this blog showing the percent change in federal education spending and student achievement since 1970 (achievement has been flat while federal education spending has nearly tripled). After laughing out loud when he saw it, IQ expert and Bell Curve author Charles Murray mused that “such a huge proportion of a child’s educational prospects are determined by things other than school (genes and the non-school environment) that reforms of the schools can never do more than produce score improvements at the margin.” But consider the accomplishments of Ben Chavis, who spoke at Cato last Friday. When he took over the American Indian Public Charter School in Oakland in 2001, it was the worst school in the district. Under his leadership (imagine a hybrid... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2862469 Mon, 05 Oct 2009 13:40:48 +0100 2862469 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2788644&cid=t_246739_101_f&fid=38966&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdtsemt.wordpress.com%2F2009%2F09%2F01%2Fthe-greeks-had-a-word-for-it%2F In Isaac Asimov’s essay, The Rigid Vacuum, he describes Aristotle’s coining of the word ether to describe what must lie beyond Earth’s atmosphere. “It was impossible to reach the heavens and study this mysterious substance, but it could at least be given a name.  (The Greeks were good at making up names, whence the phrase, “The Greeks had a word for it.”) And so they probably did, a word for most everything, but what that word is is sometimes elusive. Our patient was quite out of it, eyes open but rolled back in the head, mid- and lower-airway at that borderline point where one more ounce of fluid will completely remove lung sounds, but right now sounding like Aqualung: “And you snatch your rattling last breaths with deep sea diver sounds”.�... DTsEMT blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2788644 Wed, 02 Sep 2009 01:38:27 +0100 2788644 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2788652&cid=t_246739_101_f&fid=38966&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdtsemt.wordpress.com%2F2009%2F08%2F25%2Fstrip-poker%2F Ever since EMT-B school I have loved EKG strips.  Of course, as a “B”, they simply held one up and said, “This is a rhythm strip.  Now, back to splinting…” To me, the most interesting thing about EKGs, and 12-leads in particular – I blurted out, “Holy crap!” when reading about them – was how much information there was in a strip.  EKG strips always seemed to be a “now” kind of thing.  This is what is happening now.  And just heart stuff.  Not so.   Holy crap. Has the patient had a previous infarct?  Look for Q waves.  Oh, here’s a very low “T” wave – perhaps the patient has had diarrhea this week?  Or, a patient has very peaked “T” waves – may be a kidney problem here as w... DTsEMT blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2788652 Tue, 25 Aug 2009 15:17:57 +0100 2788652 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2667404&cid=t_246739_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FkfDjliCwb_I%2F I wax poetic in a podcast discussion with the folks at Investor’s Business Daily. We talk about tax competition, the Laffer Curve, American competitiveness, the flat tax, and the dangers of Obama’s class-warfare tax policy. (Source: Cato-at-liberty) Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2667404 Mon, 03 Aug 2009 13:56:41 +0100 2667404 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2593127&cid=t_246739_109_f&fid=34795&url=http%3A%2F%2Fsoloshrink.blogspot.com%2F2009%2F07%2Fbell-curve.html IQ seven two Just enough to understand Fitting in’s not yours IQ one three nine Not quite ready for prime time Asks what might have beenPeace, DocCopyright © 2009, Thomas A. Blood, Ph.D. (Source: Solo Shrink) Solo Shrink blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2593127 Sun, 12 Jul 2009 07:42:00 +0100 2593127 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2741096&cid=t_246739_139_f&fid=38879&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FVirologyBlog%2F%7E3%2FCe3400KRagc%2F The plaque assay is an essential tool for determining virus titers. The concept is simple: virus infection is restricted to neighboring cells by a semisolid overlay. By counting the number of plaques, the virus titer can be calculated in PFU per ml. A key question is: how many viruses are needed to form a single plaque? For most animal viruses, one infectious particle is sufficient to initiate infection. This conclusion can be reached by studying the relationship between the number of infectious virus particles and the plaque count. A linear relationship means that one infectious particle can form a plaque. In this case the virus is said to infect cells with one-hit kinetics. This concept is illustrated below. In this figure, the number of plaques produced by a virus with one-hit kinetics ... virology blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2741096 Wed, 08 Jul 2009 13:00:57 +0100 2741096 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2416802&cid=t_246739_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2F1c3gTc551gg%2F Steve Moore and Art Laffer have an excellent column in today’s Wall Street Journal. They explain that high-tax states drive repel entrepreneurs and investors, leading to a pronounced Laffer Curve effect. Productive people either leave the state or choose to earn and report less taxable income. And because growth is weaker than in low-tax states, there also is a negative impact on lower-income and middle-class people: Here’s the problem for states that want to pry more money out of the wallets of rich people. It never works because people, investment capital and businesses are mobile: They can leave tax-unfriendly states and move to tax-friendly states. …Updating some research from Richard Vedder of Ohio University, we found that from 1998 to 2007, more than 1,100 people ... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2416802 Mon, 18 May 2009 16:27:17 +0100 2416802 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=588811&cid=t_246739_113_f&fid=34649&url=http%3A%2F%2Ftechnhealth.blogspot.com%2F2007%2F05%2Fblackberry-with-curves-research-in.html Blackberry with curves Research In Motion has released a new smart-phone which is sure to entice many more health professionals to the joys of blackberries.Curve, the latest smartphone to the market includes all the usual blackberry features and now comes with a 2 mega-pixel camera with 5x zoom, built-in flash and a full-screen viewfinder.It lets users watch videos and play music like other BlackBerries, but also comes with an advanced media manager program and a photo editor as well."For those that were eagerly awaiting for a Pearl-like design with a full QWERTY keyboard, this is it," RIM co-Chief Executive Jim Balsillie said in an interview.The Curve's bells and whistles are aimed at high-end customers who are willing to pay top dollar for stylish looking smart-phones with multimedia cap... Tech 'n' Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=588811 Thu, 03 May 2007 04:00:00 +0100 588811 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=574179&cid=t_246739_132_f&fid=35011&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2Fmndoci%2F%7E3%2F112438080%2F Pedro has a cool take on the Gartner hype cycle. He has projected where certain life science technologies lie onto the Gartner hype cycle chart (reproduced below) Figure by Pedro Beltrao I’ve been involved in a few of these over th years (bioinformatics, structural biology, nanobiology, expression profiling). I might disagree on some of the specifics, e.g. I think nanotech in biology is probaby ahead of synthetic biology, but that reflects our personal experiences as well. Further reading: … hype and naysayers Technorati Tags: Gartner, Hype Curve, Life Science, Technology (Source: business|bytes|genes|molecules) business|bytes|genes|molecules blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=574179 Fri, 27 Apr 2007 13:45:39 +0100 574179 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=488335&cid=t_246739_133_f&fid=35129&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwhitterer-autism.blogspot.com%2F2007%2F03%2Fclueless.html We sit at the table on the last spot of homework, a cross-word for the first grader. Rather than written clues, it has pictures. The last slot is blank. The icon depicts a bowl filled with some kind of liquid and a spoon. It begins with s and ends in p. It is a foodstuff that junior has never consumed. [nor likely to in the near future] I think that he is being awkward. You would think after all this time, I would be more 'with it,' in the autism department. My learning curve in other areas of my life, is advancing, as evidenced by my ability to understand the humor in "my pal's posting." This is fun, this is progress. In theory it is evidence that despite my advancing years, you can teach an old dog new tricks. At the same time, when it comes to autism, I always feel that I am several ste... Whitterer on Autism blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=488335 Fri, 16 Mar 2007 02:05:00 +0100 488335