Megan McArdle: Conservatives worry too much about 'moral hazards'

last updated 8 January 2015

Journalist Megan McArdle's new book, The Up Side of Down (about how failing well is the key to success), is sure to challenge both conservatives and liberals. When it comes to irking conservatives, McArdle argues that conservatives worry way too much about moral hazards.

For example, she notes that America's liberal bankruptcy laws actually benefit our nation. "Because of easy bankruptcy," she says, "we get more entrepreneurs." This is true for a few reasons. First, she says, "It's a lot easier to take a risk if you're not worried that your kids are going to end up with nowhere to live." And second, because "a lot of entrepreneurs fail the first time — and so if you shackle them to their debt...then you don't get that second company that would have been successful."

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Matt K. Lewis is a contributing editor at TheWeek.com and a senior contributor for The Daily Caller. He has written for outlets including GQ Politics, The Guardian, and Politico, and has been cited or quoted by outlets including New York Magazine, the Washington Post, and The New York Times. Matt co-hosts The DMZ on Bloggingheads.TV, and also hosts his own podcast. In 2011, Business Insider listed him as one of the 50 "Pundits You Need To Pay Attention To Between Now And The Election." And in 2012, the American Conservative Union honored Matt as their CPAC "Blogger of the Year." He currently lives in Alexandria, Va.