links of the day 8-25-09

An extremely great read about the complacency of Americans in resisting healthcare reform. (The New Yorker)

What this suggests about health care is that, if people have insurance, most will value it highly, no matter how flawed the current system. And, in fact, more than seventy per cent of Americans say they’re satisfied with their current coverage. More strikingly, talk of changing the system may actually accentuate the endowment effect. Last year, a Rasmussen poll found that only twenty-nine percent of likely voters rated the U.S. health-care system good or excellent. Yet when Americans were asked the very same question last month, forty-eight per cent rated it that highly. The American health-care system didn’t suddenly improve over the past eleven months. People just feel it’s working better because they’re being asked to contemplate changing it.

Obama: "Nobody's gonna hold me down. Oh no, got to keep [the money] amovin'!" Deficits are gonna get worse, sure.

The big news of the day: Beardie has been reappointed as Chairman of the Fed! Hurrah for maintaining consistency with monetary policy! I'll drink to that. (WSJ)

Becker has a new post out about the Cash for Clunkers program.