Marginalism and Ignorance and Covid

Two very good and short articles about marginalism --  and how people ignore it's importance.  

The first --  Marginalism - Econlib -- discusses the concept generally. How people confuse "Total Utility" with "Marginal Utility", and the enormous costs of that misunderstanding.

The second--  Maximum Vaccination - by eugyppius - eugyppius (substack.com) - focusses on how so many resources are being spent on trying to vaccinate a high percentage of the population, which will has very little effect on the per capita cases of Covid. The chart below summarizes low correlation between population vaccination rates and Covid. 

Useless Mask Mandates

Two neighboring states. One chose to force it citizens to wear masks. The other didn't.  Can you tell which is which? 

natural immunity is more protective than vaccine related immunity

Very good research that shows natural immunity is better than immunity from one of the vaccines. SARS-CoV-2 Vaccines, Breakthrough Infections and Lasting Natural Immunity (cure-hub.com)

The data exists and multiple studies show that reinfection in people with natural immunity is rare. Data also suggests that natural immunity is more protective than vaccine related immunity

Mask Up? Why?

Once again we are being told by EXPERTS that wearing masks will stop the spread of the Corona virus. If so, shouldn't virus activity be far less in Japan where virtually everyone wears masks than it is in Sweden where very few people wear masks? But it's not. As Dr. Fauci said last year before he was corrected by the politicos, masks are mostly symbolic. They provide little if any protection against organisms as small as viruses.  They do keep much larger bacteria in check, though, which is why surgeons wear them. 

Socialism Saps the Energy From the Economy

The track record of socialism is so consistent, one wonders how it can retain such widespread interest among people who haven't suffered it. 

Data on the Ineffectiveness of Masking

So maybe the mask crusaders can explain why Peru, Czech Republic and Los Angeles have such high death rates despite having the earliest mask mandates? And why Sweden that didn’t have mask mandates di so much better.

It’s almost as if there are other factors at work that trivialize any impact masks might have (if any).  

The Minimum Wage Does Almost Nothing for Low Wage Workers

Mark Perry points out that doubling the minimum wage does not provide much net financial benefit to low wage earners. 

Lockdowns Do Not Control the Virus. Evidence from Europe

Last year the Fauci Oracle said that Europe was managing Covid better than the US because they were employing more widespread economic shutdowns. If so, why wasn't the mortality rate different there? Why do more widespread shutdowns not result in lower death rates? Any statistician can answer that question for you. easily.

Mask Mandates Unmasked

 More research confirms what we (and the CDC) have always known:

“Mask mandates and use are not associated with slower state-level COVID-19 spread during COVID-19 growth surges."

The CDC has known this for years, but kept quiet to protect politicians. 

“There is limited evidence for their effectiveness in preventing influenza virus transmission either when worn by the infected person for source control or when worn by uninfected persons to reduce exposure. Our systematic review found no significant effect of face masks on transmission of laboratory-confirmed influenza.”

The fact is that THE SCIENCE governors continually said they were following is not science. It was simply an effort to obscure the fact that they have no power to control a virus. They never like to admit that they don't possess god-like power, so they invented a Kabuki Theater of masks, hand washing, sanitizing, arbitrary and selective restrictions (you may attend BLM rallies, but not go to church). 

The Unaffordable Healthcare Results

After the "Affordable Healthcare" Act passed, health insurance became LESS affordable and LESS available.  

Of course, not all states suffered this way. Six states were able to get Obamacare waivers. In those states premiums actually dropped by around 10%.

Thank you Democrats.

More People = More Abundance (Economist versus Biologists)

Contrary to what "experts" and media say, we are NOT running out of resources or being threatened by over population. 

We found that humanity is experiencing what we term Superabundance—a condition where abundance is increasing at a faster rate than the population is growing. Data suggests that additional human beings tend to benefit, rather than impoverish, the rest of humanity.

The Simon Abundance Index 2021 - HumanProgress

The Simon Abundance Index is measured in time prices. To calculate a commodity’s time price, the nominal price of a commodity is divided by the global average nominal hourly wage. Over the last 40 years, the average nominal price of the 50 commodities rose by 51.9 percent, and the global average nominal hourly wage rose by 412.4 percent. So, the average time price of the 50 commodities fell by 75.2 percent.

 

Minimum Wage = Lower Total Compensation

 This study published in the Harvard Business Review by three economists demonstrates that when companies are forced to pay wages higher than the market price (e.g. minimum wage laws), they will adjust other labor factors to compensate. In fact their conclusion is that the higher minimum wage results in lower worker compensation. 

in the stores that experienced a minimum wage hike, workers on average worked fewer hours per week, were less likely to qualify for benefits, and had less-consistent schedules. These factors corresponded to an average 11.6% decrease in total compensation for every $1 increase in the minimum wage.

https://hbr.org/2021/06/research-when-a-higher-minimum-wage-leads-to-lower-compensation

Mask Mandates Do Not Stop Viruses

 A very detailed statistical statistical analysis by two biology professors on "Mask mandate and use efficacy in state-level COVID-19 containment" came to this conclusion:

In summary, mask mandates and use were poor predictors of COVID-19 spread in US states. Case growth 282 was independent of mandates at low and high rates of community spread, and mask use did not predict 283 case growth during the Summer or Fall-Winter waves

No Evidence that Lockdowns Work Part 3

If there is one chart the sums up the effectiveness of mask mandates, lockdowns and other restrictive measures, it is this one. Lockdowns may give you the illusion of DOING SOMETHING (and they clearly give government control over your life), but they do NOTHING to change the course of a virus. 

 

No Evidence That Lockdowns Work -- Part 2

 The states that locked down their economics, obviously had the worst economic performance, but those costs are not even offset by lower mortality rates. NY, NJ, MI, IL and PA had way above average excess death rates. One might have been tempted to cut these governor some slack a year ago, but this has been quite evident for some time. They simply do not want to admit how wrong they were -- and continue to be. 

No Evidence That Lockdowns Work

If lockdowns are effective in stopping the virus, then shouldn’t those states that lock down have fewer deaths per capita than those states that didn’t lock down? Yet government continues to play up this hoax. Perhaps because stopping the virus isn't really their objective?

Climate Change in the Holocene Era.

I don’t pretend to be a climatologist, but I can read graphs. Even if the climate has been in a warming trend the last few decades, why should we think that would be terribly alarming or unusual? Climate alarmists like John Kerry say we have only a few years left to "save the planet from destruction". But even their apocalyptic forecasts are far below the temperatures of a few thousand years ago. 

The Big Factor Contributing to the "Wealth Gap"

 The media is constantly telling us about the "wealth gap" between white families and black families. Does the chart below suggest a factor other than racial discrimination why this might be?

Biden's Plan to Drive Corporations Away from the US

 Joe Biden is proposing that the United States become the worst place in the world to domicile a corporation. Even a first year economics student can tell you what will happen if that occurs. Capital is more fluid today than ever, and it moves from where it is poorly treated to where it is well treated. 

Media LIes About Forest Fires

The media keeps fanning the flames of climate change, claiming that forest fires are increasing because of increased CO2. Just another lie in service of an agenda.