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Don't Quit Your Day Job: The Intersection of Personal Finance, Economics, and Politics.

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Who Is My Representative?

Posted By PK    Last updated September 19th, 2012 13 Comments

Newsflash: most people don’t know who their representatives are. Let’s correct that oversight, at least for those of you who come to this website!

On this page you’ll find some code which identifies what politicians represent a given address. You can either enter an address in the search box, or zoom the map in and do a single click (don’t drag) to get politician information. I wrote this piece of code as part of a far larger project, but it stands on its own merits so I decided to release it to the public. Have fun!

Filed Under: Politics Tagged With: get out the vote, politicians, voter information, voter knowledge

Does Paul Ryan Really Scare Seniors?

Posted By PK    Last updated August 17th, 2012 11 Comments

Spoiler alert for anyone who is still ignoring the Presidential race, Republican Mitt Romney has picked Paul Ryan (a Representative from Wisconsin) as his running mate (and President Barack Obama and Joe Biden work out some kinks). The battle has already begun as each campaign has pivoted from talking about the economy to talking about how their opponent will cut Medicare to the bone, and leave millions of seniors without health care options. If talking about Social Security and Medicare is the third rail of American politics, then the best way to describe it would be to say that the candidates are trying to push their opponents onto the track.

Filed Under: Politics

What Presidential Race? (Read: When to Start Paying Attention…)

Posted By PK    Last updated August 8th, 2012 9 Comments

I’ve made the warning before… and I’ll make it again: be wary of false precision. This time, in particular, I’m talking about political odds – yes, of the very sort I now display prominently on the right sidebar of this very site!

Filed Under: Politics Tagged With: conventions, enthusiasm, Polls, presidential elections, vice president

Taxing Fat Citizens and the Health Care Bill

Posted By CameronDaniels    Last updated July 23rd, 2012 7 Comments

The multi-payer system sets up the incentive for those without their own insurance to be unhealthier. Car accident deaths increased after the seatbelt law was instituted. When I finally have to foot some of the bill, do I still want to see Americans wolfing down their Wendy’s?

Filed Under: Economics, Politics Tagged With: adverse selection, fast food, federal deficit, Health Care, health care bill, health insurance, Health Savings Account, lobbyists, pigovian tax, supreme court, tax incidence

How Much Would Your IRA Be Worth if You Invested As Much as Mitt Romney?

Posted By PK    Last updated July 16th, 2012 4 Comments

In a case of great timing, DQYDJ’s article guessing how Mitt Romney has so much money in his IRA is now the third most popular article on the site! While I hold no belief that this situation will continue past November of this year, I think that, in the moment, it’s interesting to ask how a retail investor (read: the rest of us) might have fared had we contributed as much as the Romney family must have during Mitt’s 24 year stint in the public sector (whew). So, how much out-performance did Mr. Romney achieve?

Filed Under: Politics Tagged With: ira, mitt romney, private equity, S&P 500

Inflation is Good! (Or not horrible)

Posted By CameronDaniels    Last updated June 27th, 2012 9 Comments

Media and fellow bloggers alike enjoy bemoaning the hazardous plague of inflation. I will show that not only is this argument not grounded in reality, but that it also ignores many ancillary benefits of an inflationary rate: spending encouragement, debtor relief and avoidance of a deflationary spiral.

Filed Under: Economics, Politics Tagged With: aggregate demand, asset bubble, ben bernanke, contraction, Debt, deflation, deposits, expansion, federal reserve, financial leverage, fiscal policy, inflation, investment savings, japan, liquidity of money, monetary policy, mortgage, network effect, personal leverage, real return, recession, risk, TIPS

Mortgage Interest Deduction A Good Idea?

Posted By CameronDaniels    Last updated June 13th, 2012 7 Comments

It has been mentioned here and elsewhere that the mortgage interest deduction in the tax code is a roundabout way of subsidizing banks. If interest rates are determined by supply and demand then the demand for interest rates is only dependent on what a taxpayer’s “effective interest expense is”. A new study suggests that most of the benefits fall into the hands of lenders.

Filed Under: Economics, Personal Finance, Politics, Real Estate, Taxes Tagged With: budget deficit, charitable contributions, charitable deductions, charity, Deficit, Fannie Mae, federal deficit, FHA, Freddie Mac, government subsidy, homeownership, mortgage, mortgage interest, tax deductions, tax incidence

Things That Don’t Matter: Congressional Approval Polls

Posted By PK    Last updated June 7th, 2012 10 Comments

If there is anything in politics sillier than Congressional Job Approval polls, I’ve yet to find it – yet here I am writing about it. Ostensibly, these polls are set up to gauge the public’s trust in Congress – to get an idea about the public mood regarding our elected leaders.

In reality, the entire setup of the poll is a sham. Here’s the thing – unlike the President, the average voter cannot vote out the average Congressman (or woman). The truth is, Congress is set up in the way that it is strictly to avoid the public’s mood from tearing the House and Senate apart.

Filed Under: Politics Tagged With: approval poll, congress, pointless poll, Politics, president

Who Decided 417:1 Leverage is a Good Idea?

Posted By PK    Last updated April 16th, 2012 15 Comments

Here’s something interesting: even though there is a massive push to limit leverage in financial instruments controlled by private parties, Congress allows politically connected entities to drink from a different punch bowl. Today’s example of poor risk control? The FHA, better known as the Federal Housing Administration. Congress mandates that the FHA maintains at least 2% of their outstanding liabilities (they insure home mortgages) in the form of cash reserves. For those keeping score at home, that’s an implied leverage of 50:1. Fifty to one would be bad enough – but FHA’s reserves actually sit at just .24% of their $1.1 Trillion in insured mortgages.

Filed Under: Politics, Real Estate Tagged With: 1% down, cheap mortgage, fha mortgage, no down payment, real estate

Republican Primary Popular Vote Count Through 3/9/2012

Posted By PK    Last updated March 9th, 2012 12 Comments

Before the primaries move on to Kansas and various territories (the Virgin Islands, Guam, and the Northern Marianas), it’s time to take a quick look back at how far the four remaining candidates have come – in both votes and delegates!

Filed Under: Politics Tagged With: 2012 republican primary, delegates, gingrich, paul, popular vote, romney, santorum
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