If Ezra Klein were Tyler Cowen

A very good post.  On the specifics: relative to most libertarian economists, I am more likely to think — or should I say admit — that human beings are irrational, even when the stakes are high (see the self-deception chapter in Discover Your Inner Economist).  But, relative to social democrats, I tend to think that politicians are irrational actors trying to pander to irrational voters and that it can’t be any other way.  I am much less optimistic about democracy as an instrument for fine-tuning good policy or for that matter as a medium for enforcing progressive sentiments.  On health care I don’t think the solution is to strip away insurance, a’la HSAs, so I agree with Ezra’s paragraph more than not.  On The Wire, the defect is fully mine.  I’ve watched seven or eight episodes, from seasons one and three, and I thought: this is fantastic.  But I never really looked forward to the next episode and eventually I stopped watching.  I have an inability to appreciate all things gritty, regardless of medium.  I don’t enjoy Grapes of Wrath either, or for that matter Goodfellas.  I wonder if needing a tinge of romanticism isn’t some kind of character weakness of mine.

Addendum: Kevin Drum comments on the last round.