tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5687347459208158501.post7611097246127302777..comments2024-03-28T20:47:48.468-04:00Comments on The Philosopher's Stone: AMONG THE THINGS THAT REALLY BUG MERobert Paul Wolffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11970360952872431856noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5687347459208158501.post-35656238991651609442014-03-20T10:09:41.171-04:002014-03-20T10:09:41.171-04:00It gets even worse when trying to explain why it ...It gets even worse when trying to explain why it is possible that:<br /><br />1. A tax cut can hugely favor the rich AND<br />2. The rich still wind up paying a larger share of total taxes<br /><br />The missing piece of the picture is that the rich have ALSO gotten such a huge increase in income.<br /><br />The best "story" version of this I have come up with (and it is still lame) is: "my boss got both the biggest raise AND the biggest tax cut. But the raise was so HUGE that he still wound up paying a little more in taxes."<br /><br />I think inequality of income stems in no small part from the strong human tendency to innumeracy. Unequal ability to understand numbers yields unequal ability to count money, and from there you quickly get to unequal ability to accumulate the stuff.Sethhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16486234948199900568noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5687347459208158501.post-82030364302310685472014-03-20T07:30:07.343-04:002014-03-20T07:30:07.343-04:00seems fair. :)seems fair. :)Robert Paul Wolffhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11970360952872431856noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5687347459208158501.post-213964117388723192014-03-20T05:46:50.806-04:002014-03-20T05:46:50.806-04:00I once had to explain why averages can be misleadi...I once had to explain why averages can be misleading. I used the following story:<br /><br />You and I go out for lunch. We order a BBQ chicken and two beers. I have the whole stuff, while you stand there.<br /><br />When I finish I ask you for half the bill. After all, on average we both had half a chicken and one beer...Magpiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07528637318288802178noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5687347459208158501.post-37887538474264904042014-03-19T12:59:56.341-04:002014-03-19T12:59:56.341-04:00Alas, David, in my experience, it is more than lik...Alas, David, in my experience, it is more than likely that all but one are below average!Robert Paul Wolffhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11970360952872431856noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5687347459208158501.post-14263474156153136402014-03-19T10:30:13.443-04:002014-03-19T10:30:13.443-04:00As I like to point out to my classes occasionally ...As I like to point out to my classes occasionally it may be that not all the children are above average, of necessity; but it can be that all but one are.David Auerbachhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15612242467208247588noreply@blogger.com