[Echognome]

cherdanno, on Apr 20 2010, 04:57 PM, said:

I think economics textbooks, among other things, teach the free rider problem. Thus they will assume it is true. Thus they will assume that Clee is right, and that Josh's suggestion won't lead to the most efficient outcome.

I agree with this. He just has to work harder on his mechanism to overcome the free-rider problem.

Perhaps something like this. The town being visited has a vote on a referendum. If the referendum passes, then there is a special 0.25% city sales tax levied over the next X months to cover the amount of the funds being raised. Of course you also get to choose the majority needed to pass the referendum (simple majority, 2/3 vote, etc.). In return, the president is not allowed to disrupt the streets and traffic.

In addition, one cost we expect the city to incur is the lost of sales tax due to decreased economic activity while people are stuck in traffic.

I'm sure this mechanism carries its own distortions and doesn't capture the losses of all those affected by the motorcade, but you are going to face similar problems finding the right people to ask to donate as well.

[jdonn]

I hereby swear to never use another analogy.

[Winstonm]

jdonn, on Apr 20 2010, 07:25 PM, said:

I hereby swear to never use another analogy.

I double.

[Al_U_Card]

jdonn, on Apr 20 2010, 07:25 PM, said:

I hereby swear to never use another analogy.

Next time, try phrenology

[jdonn]

Good point I can't hold to that.

I hereby never swear to use another analogy.

Better?

[y66]

So, like, where do LA cops go to school to learn traffic control?

[cherdanno]

jdonn, on Apr 20 2010, 07:25 PM, said:

I hereby swear to never use another analogy.

I recommend not redoubling against clee, his doubles are fairly sound.

[helene_t]

I think campaigners (like polluters etc) should pay for the cost they inflict on society. If I delay traffic then I pay a charge for it, which goes to road services that would otherwise be financed by taxes on car usage, so in the end drivers get a monetary compensation for the delay (maybe the money will not reach the particular drivers that were delayed on that day, but in the long run it should even out in "theory").

Yeah those costs can be difficult to access objectively, and sometimes it may be more practical not to charge because of the costs of calculating and collecting the charges, but you get the idea.

Something else: maybe it's in society's interest that candidates without money have a chance to campaign, too. In some countries, campaign are subsidized by the gvt for that reason. Now you could see failure to charge for traffic disruption as such a subsidy, but it would be more efficient to give a general subsidy so candidates were free not to disrupt traffic but spend the money on some other means of boosting their campaign.

[jdonn]

cherdanno, on Apr 23 2010, 08:54 AM, said:

jdonn, on Apr 20 2010, 07:25 PM, said:

I hereby swear to never use another analogy.

I recommend not redoubling against clee, his doubles are fairly sound.

On this one he doesn't even know he miscounted the hand. Neither do you!

[rogerclee]

jdonn, on Apr 23 2010, 09:24 AM, said:

cherdanno, on Apr 23 2010, 08:54 AM, said:

jdonn, on Apr 20 2010, 07:25 PM, said:

I hereby swear to never use another analogy.

I recommend not redoubling against clee, his doubles are fairly sound.

On this one he doesn't even know he miscounted the hand. Neither do you!

Where did I make an error? (I realize that using 499999 instead of 500000 is not exactly right but I assume you are not referring to this.)

[Winstonm]

rogerclee, on Apr 23 2010, 12:53 PM, said:

jdonn, on Apr 23 2010, 09:24 AM, said:

cherdanno, on Apr 23 2010, 08:54 AM, said:

jdonn, on Apr 20 2010, 07:25 PM, said:

I hereby swear to never use another analogy.

I recommend not redoubling against clee, his doubles are fairly sound.

On this one he doesn't even know he miscounted the hand. Neither do you!

Where did I make an error? (I realize that using 499999 instead of 500000 is not exactly right but I assume you are not referring to this.)

He'll answer as soon as he can think of a good non-analogy.