Steve Isser

JD/Ph.D (Economics)
Management Consultant, Litigation Economist, Regulatory Lawyer
Author of 3 academic books

[Steve Isser @IsserSteve]

@CoreyWriting Qatar is the financier of the Muslim Brotherhood.
Omar is an Islamist like her father, of course she supports Qatar.
But she doesn't believe in self-determination for Somaliland of course.

[Steve Isser @IsserSteve]

@Noahpinion Or implementation takes decades, hype takes minutes.

Just like other general purpose technologies, there will be a positive effect on productivity in the long-run, but it will be far from dramatic.

Coding is low lying fruit and even there, quantity over quality so far.

[Steve Isser @IsserSteve]

@hahussain UAE has become a secondary target, probably both due to improved defenses and the capability to hit Iran really hard (you wouldn't want anything bad to happen to a certain island, would you?).

Whereas SA, Kuwait, Qatar and Oman are easily intimidated.

[Steve Isser @IsserSteve]

@mattyglesias The lesson for Progressives:
"You can't hurry love, you just got to wait . . ."

Social attitudes do change over time, but it's slow and gradual, not "revolutionary."
So it's best to gently persuade, not alienate.

[Steve Isser @IsserSteve]

@Mr_Andrew_Fox Those terms provide a lot of latitude.

Eliminating discrimination is pretty neutral.
Equality of opportunity doesn't imply DEI or equality of results. Just elimination of barriers.
Fostering good relations doesn't require pandering, just don't "be an asshole."

[Steve Isser @IsserSteve]

@JustinWolfers This assumes that the BLS hasn't been politicized.
Count me skeptical of good news when the Trump needs it to fend off criticism.

Unfortunately, EVERYTHING that comes out of this administration requires independent verification b/c they have no track record of integrity.

[Steve Isser @IsserSteve]

@mdubowitz Hezbollah between the rock and hard place.
Can't alienate Iran.
Can't defeat Israel or regain the South.
Can't get help from Syria.
Turkey won't rescue them.
Becoming unpopular even with Shia.

Status quo unbearable, but surrender unthinkable.
So saber rattle and pray for rain.

[Steve Isser @IsserSteve]

@JoshPhillipsPhD Does anyone out of academia care?
All the "Great Books" are available on the net.

Social sciences, which inform policy, are a different matter. Ideological slop leading to poor research can have real world consequences. Though Economics and PS are more immune.

[Steve Isser @IsserSteve]

@JFreshHockey @PDOcast Like most deep PO series.
Fans that salivate over skill ignore the reality of PO hockey, pace is faster, windows are tighter, play is more physical.
Finesse players who won't go to dirty areas or corners disappear.

[Steve Isser @IsserSteve]

@HenMazzig Omar is an Islamist like her father.
That explains her "logic," it has nothing to do with principle.
Russians killing Ukrainians, OK
Muslims killing Muslims, family affair.
Jews killing Muslims, evil.
Muslims killing Jews, justice.

[Steve Isser @IsserSteve]

@charlieo_conn @PHLY_Flyers @BiladelphiaPHLY The risk is falling off the cliff. It happens.

If he declines to 1B like a lot of veteran goalies, same way Dvorak becomes a 3C/4C in 4 years, then the cap is manageable and the player is tradable (eat some money).

[Steve Isser @IsserSteve]

@KennethHarwer @IsraelMFA @grok What natives? "Palestine" is probably the most conquered region on earth. Who exactly is native?

Doesn't matter. All rights to land in history were earned by conquest. Arabs got it by conquest, lost to the Ottomans, then the British, then the Jews.

[Steve Isser @IsserSteve]

@MazenMahdi @sorenson1948 @roundabout87 @IsraelMFA @grok Do you believe the Shia majority should rule Bahrain and thereby achieve self-determination as is their right?

[Steve Isser @IsserSteve]

@DavidAFrench There's also differences of opinion v intellectual dishonesty.
Denial of climate changed (I've followed for 40 years) is dishonest, driven by placating potential donors, not facts.
Denial of historical facts is dishonest. Example, Civil War due to slavery, not states rights.

[Steve Isser @IsserSteve]

@kearney_melissa I read everything. but quickly dismiss articles which are obviously biased or use abstract jargon to talk about things that people have common knowledge.

There are good anthropology articles based on empirical evidence (including genetics, archaeology, etc.) that have value.

[Steve Isser @IsserSteve]

@hahussain Nothing wrong with that.

Saudis have little power or influence (they're financially strapped due to overspending and facing "the end of oil") so they can't buy their way out of situations anymore.

He's admitting the obvious.

[Steve Isser @IsserSteve]

@Mr_Andrew_Fox What prestige?
The UN is going to soon be a shadow of itself as US cuts funding, no one else will pick up the slack.
As it should be, the purpose of the UN is not world government, but to facilitate back door channels for diplomacy.
Get it out of peace keeping, moralizing, etc.

[Steve Isser @IsserSteve]

@lugaricano Gov can provide general incentives (carbon taxes, etc.) that encourage investment and innovation in solutions.

But Gov is lousy at picking winners or losers, and command and control is clumsy and inefficient.

"The Best is the enemy of the Good."

[Steve Isser @IsserSteve]

@P_Kallioniemi Why would anyone care what she says?
Or cared what Charlie said?
Or Greta . . . or . . .

These self-proclaimed spokespeople of social media who wallow in their ignorance should be ignored.

[Steve Isser @IsserSteve]

@polidemitolog This isn't the Great Patriotic War.
Russians didn't care as long as the dead were ethnics from the provinces and trash from the prisons.
Nor did they care as long as no economic backlash.

But permanent war, inflation, conscription in order to take Ukraine and Latvia?