Tuesday, April 05, 2005

Self-Promotion

The other participants (except for this one) have advertised it, so I might as well, too: This Saturday, April 9th, I’ll be speaking at the Boston University Libertarian Society’s Liberty Conference. My topic will be “Meet the New Boss, Same as the Old Boss: Thoughts on the New Paternalism.”

ADDENDUM: Someone in the BU Libertarian Society has studied economics, because their compensation system provides excellent incentives. Most of the time when I travel to give a lecture, I am provided with a fixed honorarium for the lecture itself, plus reimbursement for travel and lodging (sometimes with a ceiling, sometimes not). The result is that I pay little or no attention to the price of travel and hotel, as I have no incentive to compare the value of amenities to their price. The BU Libertarian Society, however, is providing me with a lump-sum that is a noticeably larger than my typical honorarium, out of which I must cover my own travel and lodging. The result, of course, is that I chose a somewhat less convenient flight and a somewhat less attractive hotel than I normally would, in order to keep the extra cash.

4 comments:

Blar said...

Do you have anything written about "the new paternalism?" Because I won't be in Boston this weekend, but I am interested in what you have to say (about issues related to Sunstein's libertarian paternalism, I presume?).

Anonymous said...

Glen,

Have a nice trip and splurge a little. It always stuck me as odd that people scrimp and save for there old age. First, you may be so unfortunate as to die young. Second, your 5 senses (along with your brain) start to fail as you age so that your experiences may be less intense than when you were young. This means that a dollar spent today on your vacation (travel comfort costs included) is more important than a dollar spent on a walker when you're eighty. Third, whatever money that is left over when you die won't do you one bit of good, not even in heaven. Be good to yourself and be a sport (gals like guys who will spend some dough on them).


-Fellow Traveler

Anonymous said...

And please don't scrimp and save on the food and vitamins you buy and consume. I know that the law of supply and demand is supposed to apply to food as well as everything we buy. Well, screw supply and demand! Always, eat the best food and take the best vitamins. Your health comes first!!

-F.T.

Anonymous said...

I wonder what your lectures are like in a strictly libertarian setting. I would imagine that you hold back a little in a regular classroom setting with all spectrum of political leanings. Too bad it's in Boston. If our client meeting was at the same time, I would have gone.

FT: but when you travel alone, you don't try to be somewhat frugal? Splurging once in a while is ok but when I travel alone which is often, I like to save a little like Glen. I think that's a better sign to the gals then someone who doesn't know how to manage his money. There is a time and place for everything. And I'm sure he ain't staying at some sleezy motel.

sk