The post argues against California's Proposition 36, claiming it will increase imprisonment without effectively reducing crime or drug use, and suggests alternative solutions. Longer summary

This post argues against California's Proposition 36, which aims to increase mandatory sentences for certain drug and theft crimes. The author contends that while Prop 36 will certainly imprison more people, it won't effectively combat crime. The post analyzes the proposition's impact on drug-related offenses and theft, using data to show that increased sentencing doesn't correlate with reduced drug use or crime rates. It also points out the lack of treatment resources required by the proposition and the potential negative impact on existing crime prevention programs. The author suggests that instead of longer sentences, California should focus on targeted interventions, increased police resources, and expanding treatment options for drug addiction. Shorter summary

Scott Alexander shares and responds to reader comments on his article about California's Central Valley, offering diverse perspectives on life and challenges in the region. Longer summary

This post is a collection of reader comments on Scott Alexander's original article about the Central Valley in California. It includes various perspectives from residents and former residents, discussing topics like housing costs, air quality, crime, agriculture, water rights, commuting patterns, and cultural amenities. The comments offer a mix of criticisms and defenses of life in the Central Valley, providing nuance and additional context to Scott's original analysis. Shorter summary

A detailed review of Michael Shellenberger's 'San Fransicko', examining its critiques of San Francisco's progressive policies on homelessness, drugs, and crime. Longer summary

This post reviews Michael Shellenberger's book 'San Fransicko', which criticizes progressive policies on homelessness, drug addiction, and crime in San Francisco. The review examines key claims in the book, fact-checking statistics and comparing them to other sources. While finding some of Shellenberger's criticisms valid, the review also points out areas where the book presents a one-sided narrative or misrepresents data. Overall, the reviewer sees the book as a flawed but thought-provoking critique of San Francisco's approach to urban problems. Shorter summary

Scott analyzes California's water usage, critiques media coverage of the drought, and proposes a market-based solution focused on reducing alfalfa farming. Longer summary

This post analyzes California's water usage and the current drought crisis. Scott breaks down water consumption by sector using data from various sources, comparing it to a family budget for easier comprehension. He then examines recent news stories about water usage, pointing out how some concerns (like fracking and bottled water) are insignificant compared to agricultural use, particularly alfalfa farming. Finally, he discusses the potential for a market-based solution, suggesting that paying alfalfa farmers not to grow their crop could be more cost-effective than current water-saving measures. Shorter summary

Scott Alexander critiques a study on gender gaps in academia, arguing it ignores actual measures of ability which better explain the disparities. Longer summary

Scott Alexander critiques a study claiming that women are underrepresented in fields perceived to require innate talent. He argues that the study ignores actual measures of ability like GRE scores, which correlate more strongly with gender representation. Scott shows that when controlling for GRE quantitative scores, there is little left to explain in terms of gender gaps in fields like mathematics. He suggests the study's findings are an artifact of using perceptions as a proxy for actual ability, and criticizes how the media has misinterpreted the results. Shorter summary