It's complicated to know what's best for people, and if we can't specify the things that constitute wellbeing, then measuring it will be misleading, no matter how well you do it.
But while it's relatively easy to dole out tit-for-tat punishment when it comes to goods like bananas, which are easy to measure, it will be much harder to do that with intellectual property, because copies of, say, Hollywood movies, can be further copied.
Walking past a microgram particle of caesium-137 will indeed give you a harmless gamma dose compared to background radiation and the officials measuring it will be able to release nice figures for the press.
Having constructed the draft PMOS measure, it will be important to explore its acceptability and face validity.
If Republicans choose to oppose these measures, it will be a clear sign of its anti-democratic (small "d") bent.
That way if the context is in another measure it will be found.
By George Packer Without extraordinary measures, it will be hard to maintain current troop levels past next summer.
If both houses approve the measure, it will be an important test for Gov. David A. Paterson, who was sworn in on Monday.
"If we start with a bunch of flawed measures, it will be as devastating as putting in the wrong coordinates before a moon shot".
