12 | January | 2012

Saturday, May 25, 2013

Mortgage rates fell again this week, and 30-year fixed rates (3.89%), 15-year fixed-rates (3.16%) and one-year ARMs (2.76%) are all at their lowest levels in history (see chart above). Related: “Miami-area homes sold at the fastest pace for a November … read more >

Carpe Diem

U.S. Life Expectancy Reaches New High of 78.7 Yrs.

Mark J. Perry | January 12, 2012, 4:51 pm

Life expectancy in the U.S. increased to a new all-time high of 78.7 years in 2010, according to data released yesterday by the government. The chart above shows the significant correlation between real GDP per capita and life expectancy in … read more >

Economics, Entitlements

Defending public employee pensions: I guess that’s the best they’ve got

Andrew Biggs | January 12, 2012, 4:10 pm

Last week in the Wall Street Journal, Jason Richwine and I debunked the claim that typical public employee pensions are “modest,” as public sector unions claim. Average pension amounts cited by unions include both older retirees and short-time workers, whose … read more >

Politics and Public Opinion

Why Danny DeVito could be Romney’s best rebuttal to ‘King of Bain’ attacks

Josh Burek | January 12, 2012, 3:59 pm

Remember that big-budget Hollywood movie about the powerful company that creates jobs, drives innovation, and gives millions to charity? Neither do I. From Gordon Gekko in “Wall Street” to Edward Lewis in “Pretty Woman,” Hollywood loves to hate corporate raiders. … read more >

Society and Culture, Education

6 reasons the House Republicans’ education bill gets it right

Frederick M. Hess | January 12, 2012, 3:10 pm

Earlier this month, we marked the tenth anniversary of the No Child Left Behind Act. While well-intentioned, this sweeping legislation has suffered for its grandiose ambitions and simplistic, incoherent approach to educational accountability. Reauthorization is several years overdue, and the … read more >

Carpe Diem

Personal Bankruptcy Filings Decline 11.6% in 2011

Mark J. Perry | January 12, 2012, 3:05 pm

“Fitch Ratings says personal bankruptcy filings declined for the first time in four years in 2011, as economic conditions improved marginally during most of the year and consumers reigned in borrowing and paid down existing debt. According to National Bankruptcy … read more >

Foreign and Defense Policy, Asia

Human rights violations on the rise in North Korea

Michael Mazza | January 12, 2012, 2:50 pm

Predictions that the human rights situation in North Korea would worsen—inconceivable as that may sound—in the wake of Kim Jong-il’s death are being borne out, if the following report is accurate: Daily NK learned from a source from North Hamkyung … read more >

Economics, Energy and the Environment

First study, then teach

Kenneth P. Green | January 12, 2012, 2:30 pm

Yale English-major Chris Mooney, self-annointed liberal champion-of-science, has claimed, once again, that it’s mainly the political Right which is anti-science, because they “deny” evolution. This time, he was criticizing the Florida-based PolitiFact for failing to discuss the issue. As Mooney … read more >

Carpe Diem

A Most Incredible End to a College Football Game

Mark J. Perry | January 12, 2012, 2:05 pm

The video above shows a last-minute touchdown after 15 separate lateral passes, and the announcer hyperventilates that “it might be the most sensational, incredible ending in all of Division 3 football.” HT: William Heasley

Carpe Diem

Markets in Everything: Smart Contact Lenses

Mark J. Perry | January 12, 2012, 1:43 pm

PITTSBURGH (CBS) — “Forty-million Americans wear contact lenses. In the not so distant future, contacts may do a lot more than just help you see. What if the lenses could look inside of you to diagnose, monitor and even treat … read more >