Outside the Beltway

We need to stop talking as if the Medicare debate is a question of the Ryan Plan v. the Status Quo.

A profile of George Mason economist and blogger Tyler Cowen offers this amusing description: “Cowen, 49, has round features, a hesitant posture, and an unconcerned haircut.”

How do the DC suburbs of Maryland and Virginia compare?

American states and localities, desperate for new sources of revenue, concoct some creative ways to tax.

While the amount of wealth controlled by the top 1% is at record highs, real inequality is smaller than ever.

Humorist David Sedaris says that he can get $500 a night in his tip jar “for candy” but the same people would probably give a beggar outside 75 cents.

The US has always outspent our G7 brethren on healthcare but the divergence has skyrocketed over the last three decades.

You might not hear little kids say they want to be “powerful” when they grow up. But they sure as hell want power now.

The value of education depends on what one means by “education.”

Bryan Caplan argues that the fact so many kids in the developing world don’t go to school proves that education isn’t very valuable.

Free parking is a very inefficient use of land resources that wouldn’t exist without government mandates and subsidies. Is it time to end the practice?

German government payments compensating hunters for lost income due to radioactive boar have quadrupled since 2007.

Money, so they say, is the root of all evil today.

What can you learn about a blogger’s personality from his word choice?

A Princeton economist has devised a formula for a classic sitcom paradox.

Parenting is hard work and kids are a giant pain. Is it worth it?