Index for 2003


92: Benefits and Costs, by Jack Powelson

"One purpose of The Quaker Economist is to assist Quakers in making this a better world, by avoiding the mistakes of misunderstanding economics... I cannot give you a full economics course in one Letter, but here are a few concepts..." [16-Dec-2003]

91: Mandatory Recycling, by Asa Janney

"My wife and I have experienced 31 years of blissful marriage. We are quite compatible and get along really well except for a few moments every Thursday evening when we have a big fight over recycling..." [15-Dec-2003]

90: There Will Always be an England, by Jack Powelson

"I looked around me. Where only an hour ago the streets had been bustling, now there was no one. I was all alone in a deserted, darkening downtown London..." [10-Dec-2003]

89: Institutions and Organizations, by Jack Powelson

"In forming its Iraqi policy, the Washington administration does not seem to know that "organization" is not the same as "institution." What is the difference..." [30-Nov-2003]

88: Drugs from Canada? by Jack Powelson

"The real story is generally not told, possibly because Americans are considered not able to understand it. It is the old question of fixed versus direct costs..." [17-Nov-2003]

87: The Product Cycle and Globalization, by Jack Powelson

"When I was in grad school over fifty years ago, the product cycle was a hot topic for economic history. This cycle is the way products are initiated in one country but then spread to the rest of the world. It stands at the basis of economic development..." [1-Nov-2003]

86: A Marshall Plan for Iraq? by Asa Janney

"Many have claimed that this aid sparked the economic recovery of European countries, that it encouraged free enterprise, and boosted the American economy. Also, it is said to have done all this without becoming a toy of U.S. special interest groups. I doubt all these claims..." [22-Oct-2003]

85: Bolivia: Hard Choices, by Jack Powelson

"Ever since I was economic advisor to its president in 1960, Bolivia has been dear to my heart. Yet right now roadblocks are set up all over the country..." [8-Oct-2003]

84: Is the European Union a Good Model? by Jack Powelson

"What are the problems? The first lies in agricultural subsidies. The EU spends over half its budget subsidizing its farmers. These subsidies have caused European farm exports to outcompete those of less developed countries in world trade..." [30-Sep-2003]

83: The Bell Curve, Part 2: Criticism, by Asa Janney

"Most scientists believe the black-white gap exists but disagree with Murray on its causes. Their theories use environmental factors to explain the gap..." [18-Sep-2003]

82: The Bell Curve, Part 1, by Asa Janney

"Charles Murray, who attends Goose Creek Meeting (Virginia), is one such scholar. His book, The Bell Curve, observes that whites on average get higher scores on IQ tests..." [8-Sep-2003]

81: Governments and Corporations, by Jack Powelson

"Governments are monopolies, but corporations are not. I cannot think of any corporation today that does not fear its competitors..." [20-Aug-2003]

80: Regulation, by Jack Powelson

"We do need regulations, but I ask: Who will do the regulating? It is not only the free market that allows people full rein with their selfishness. A government is also selfish..." [13-Aug-2003]

79a: Relying on Others, by Jack Powelson

"Some thirty years ago my wife and I planned a family camping trip. Our oldest daughter, Cindy (then a teenager), announced she would bring her boyfriend and they would sleep in the same tent..." [4-Aug-2003]

79b: The Bush Tax Cut, Part 2, by John Spears

"It is in an individual's self-interest to have other people pay more taxes than they do. As Senator Huey Long said, 'Don't tax him, don't tax me, tax that fellow behind the tree' ..." [4-Aug-2003]

78: Interventionists and Freemarketeers, by Jack Powelson

"The West lives in a divided era, in which much of the population prefers a welfare state, where benefits are provided by the government, to be paid for by progressive taxes, of which the rich pay more than the poor. But the West was not always that way..." [28-Jul-2003]

77: The Bush Tax Cut, Part 1, by Jack Powelson

"In the Vietnam war, we were told we could have both guns and butter, and the result was one of the biggest inflations ever. Mark my prophesy: Taken all together, Bush's programs will lead to a whopping inflation that our children will suffer..." [15-Jul-2003]

76: How Political Should a Friends' Meeting be? by Jack Powelson

"Why is it so difficult to distinguish a spiritual concern from a political one..." [30-Jun-2003]

75: Technology Access for Minorities, by Wallis Bolz

"You have to start your working life somewhere, and the back of a garbage truck isn't a bad place. But what if the back of a garbage truck is your only opportunity? ..." [15-Jun-2003]

74: Private Money, by Jack Powelson

"Let us think innovatively, centuries ahead. Suppose in 2250 central banks have all been abolished because they operated poorly, creating more money than was needed for civilian purposes..." [31-May-2003]

73: The Nature of Money (Who is Alan Greenspan?), by Jack Powelson

"We know that if the Federal Reserve wants to prod the economy into prosperity, it lowers the interest rate. If it wants to cut off inflation, it increases it. Who is this Federal Reserve, and what interest rate does it raise or lower? And why is Alan Greenspan so powerful? ..." [15-May-2003]

72: How Do We Get Out of Iraq? by Jack Powelson

"President Bush and I have different perceptions of how the United States will exit from Iraq..." [30-Apr-2003]

71: Affirmative Action, by Jack Powelson

"In a referendum earlier this year, 41 percent of the students in the University of Michigan voted for the university's position in favor of affirmative action, while 41 percent voted against it..." [19-Apr-2003]

70: The American Empire, Part 2, by Jack Powelson

"If others can see what happens when a tiny state goes against the wishes of the great American Empire, they will think twice before attempting anything similar..." [31-Mar-2003]

69: The American Empire, Part 1, by Jack Powelson

"In the New York Times Professor Michael Ignatieff of Harvard tells his readers that the United States is now the first power to oversee a world empire..." [21-Mar-2003]

68: Chiapas, Mexico, Part 2: Historical Antecedents, by Jack Powelson

"Will the peasants of Chiapas gain their freedom and dignity though fighting undertaken by the Zapatistas? Let us look to history for the answer..." [15-Mar-2003]

67: Who Rules the Economy? by Asa Janney

"Many Friends do not believe that consumers are in charge. I hear Friends say that instead of making up our minds independently, we are slaves of large corporations, who 'persuade' us by advertising their products..." [8-Mar-2003]

66: Chiapas, Mexico, Part 1, by Jack Powelson

"In Mexico, the hacienda system was abolished with the Revolution (1910-17), after which hacienda lands all over the country were confiscated and divided among the peasants. But Chiapas — far from Mexico City — was virtually forgotten..." [28-Feb-2003]

65: Violence for a 'Good Cause'? by Jack Powelson

"Four members of the Symbionese Liberation Army (SLA) have just been sentenced for the murder of Myrna Opsal in a bank the SLA was robbing to finance its war against racism..." [21-Feb-2003]

64: Why Should we Not Fight in Iraq? by Jack Powelson

"Do we depend on the proposition that it has not yet been proved that Saddam Hussein has weapons of mass destruction? Are these our reasons? Not for me they aren't..." [13-Feb-2003]

63: What Should Quakers Talk About? by Jack Powelson

"I have just returned from a Quaker Peace Conference, where many heartfelt thoughts were expressed. Several of the delegates, recently returned from Iraq, had communicated in friendly fashion with ordinary Iraqis..." [30-Jan-2003]

62: The Cost of the War in Iraq, by Jack Powelson

"If there is going to be a war, Quakers ought to be prepared for the cost. The cost will be registered in human lives, property destruction, environmental damage, hatred creation, deterioration of the world economy, and the effect upon our lives..." [10-Jan-2003]

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