Some Good Links

Today Andy Kessler wrote a column on why the Fed should raise rates.  I have been on that team for a year.  Raghu Rajan confirmed by intuition with a blog post last year.  Not only would commodity prices fall if the Fed raised rates, but people on fixed incomes are being forced to pay a silent tax with 0% interest.

The US manufactures stuff, but the power of the consumer far outweighs the manufacturer.  A strong dollar is the right policy.  Reagan pursued a strong dollar policy, whipped inflation and laid the groundwork for a long term economic expansion.

Brad DeLong takes a shot across the bow of the Chicago School of Economics.   My response to Professor DeLong is “scoreboard, scoreboard”.  All this damn stimulus got us a goose egg.

Here is a link to the Top Economic Institutions based on research and published papers.  That’s why there is such pressure to produce at top schools.  However, here is a counterpoint to this ranking.  Just because you are going to a top school doesn’t mean you actually will learn anything.  Just think, most of the kids I know attending the top schools in the country are paying over 50K per year for their education.  Yet, they are sitting in huge lecture halls listening to a prof give a powerpoint-and then interact with a grad student.  No different than going to a large public institution.  The kids I know attending small (>2500) size schools actually are in class sizes of 10-12 kids.  At places like Harvard, they use undergrads as a cash cow.

Moral, spend as little as you can for your undergrad, unless you go to a really small school.  Get good grades, and spend your money on grad school.

Want to lose weight.  Download this application to your smartphone.  I have been on a diet for the past several weeks.  My weight was at all time highs.  So far, I have lost 14 pounds.  Loseit.com really helps.  It’s all about intake, because I haven’t worked out that much.  Just intense weight lifting once a week at CitywideSuperSlow in Chicago.

From the “If You Don’t Like it, Just Ban it Department”, the legislature in Iowa banned activist videos.  They are sick of anti-meat, and anti-factory farming advocates making slanted biased videos of farm animals. How come they haven’t passed anything against Mainstream News?

Read more at Points and Figures