Michael DiBaggio > Quotes

“As Stu Patter explained it, the basic rationale of the partnership mandate was to ensure the quality of the dating pool. "I talked this issue over with the President many times. She was skeptical at first. 'Isn't it heavy-handed to force people to date?' Well, maybe, but viewed another way, the people who don't go out on dates are forcing other people not to be able to see them. And when those young invincibles eventually decide that they want to date people, they will further weaken the quality of the dating pool by siphoning off the most attractive people who selflessly entered the dating pool. The only way you can ensure that the dating pool remains strong is to get those young invincible attractives into the pool as soon as possible. Hence the partnership mandate." While”
― Michael DiBaggio, Imagining Liberty: Volume 1

“For example, one programmer argued vociferously for the inclusion of a question to female users: "How expensive is your perfume?" The answer would factor into the algorithm by increasing a female user's "femininity" variable if she purchased expensive perfume. Generally speaking, the higher the "femininity" variable, the better the male dates the woman would end up with. DateEx users quickly realized that fact, and the word spread through online forums: start buying more expensive perfume (or lying about it, which would still create the expectation among the general population that perfume was important). The programmer who came up with that question now works for L'Oreal. But,”
― Michael DiBaggio, Imagining Liberty: Volume 1

“In practice, the mandate proved to be easily subverted. While attractive single people may not be a majority of the population, they are a discrete (and very popular) interest group. The most beautiful people in the country descended upon Washington to lobby for votes, forming coalition organizations such as Band Against Bad Economics (BABEs). Suddenly, elected representatives throughout Washington were spotted around the city with extremely attractive dates. Within days, the mandate fine was lowered from $5,000 per year to $100, dramatically undermining the usefulness of the mandate.”
― Michael DiBaggio, Imagining Liberty: Volume 1

“Some courts held that Congress had no constitutional authority to force individuals to enter into relationships. Others held that Congress had power to levy the fine for individuals who didn't fulfill the mandate under its taxing power. Charles Friedman, a constitutional scholar from Harvard, maintains that the case was an easy call from the beginning. "Any reasonable person would concede that Congress has the authority to force people to pay taxes. If Congress wants to raise taxes through a fine on single people, there is no particular reason they can't do that." But”
― Michael DiBaggio, Imagining Liberty: Volume 1

“Good God! Are you saying he turned his own girlfriend into a statue and then killed himself in remorse? That is art!” I exclaimed, only half-facetiously. “Some”
― Michael DiBaggio, Copper Knights and Granite Men