Turns out you can learn a whole lot from Mr. Calomiris. Russ Roberts has a new episode of econtalk up which discusses the financial crisis and housing boom/bust with Columbia economist and scholar Charles Calomiris. I first came across Calomiris last year during the panic when I was listening religiously to ...
exploring the worlds of economics and philosophy with passionate skepticism.
…about getting less bang for the buck?
So apparently we’ve already seen the “best” America’s largest peacetime Keynesian stimulus in history has to offer in terms of unemployment prevention. From the AP: Christina Romer, the chair of President Barack Obama's Council of Economic Advisers, said Thursday that the $194 billion already spent gave a jolt to the ...
…about the hustle & flow of macro?
It’s true. George Mason economist and friend Russ Roberts and I are producing a hip-hop song and video about the macroeconomic debate between John Maynard Keynes and Friedrich von Hayek. The news of our secret project leaked out after Russ took part in a Newshour debate with Lord ...
…about Michael Moore and Corporatism?
Michael Moore is asked one of the questions that I have wanted to ask him since the release of his latest movie: isn’t it corporatism, the alliance of big government with big business, that’s really what you find “Evil” and not capitalism, which is a system of private property rights built on profit and loss?
…about “brain-dead conservatives”?
The Cato Institute’s David Boaz has an excellent article about the “brain-dead conservative” movement. It’s a worthwhile read. Here’s the best two quotes in the piece from (and about) a personal intellectual hero, Friedrich A. Hayek. Hayek insisted that he was not a conservative: "Conservatism, though a necessary element ...
…about public vs. private?
I like to debate people who are on the opposite point of view of my own far more than I like agreeing with the like-minded. You’re more likely to learn something. One point that comes up all the time in these debates is the fact that the private sector has plenty of crooks. Lacking any ...
…about taxes, spending & “multipliers”?
There are two different political experiments happening in America right now. At the Federal level, we are witnessing an unprecedented deficit spending spree in the name of “stimulating” the economy out of the deepest recession since the 1930s. At the state level, thanks to balanced budget amendments, we’re seeing large spending cuts and tax hikes, ...
…about being too bigger to fail?
TARP’s looking like it’s morphing fully into a permanent slush fund for the Treasury department to dole out money to Wall Street and whoever else is politically connected enough to get a seat “at the table". Check out this amazing, disturbing interview with Neil Barofsky, the government’s special inspector general for the “Troubled Asset Relief ...
…about healthcare competition?
This video, (HT via jontaplin.com) is a funny and effective lampooning of an easy and probably deserving target: health insurance executives. One of the biggest issues in healthcare system redesign ...
…about the financial crisis one year later?
Actually, I’d put the start of the crisis at March 2008 with the collapse of Bear Stearns, but surely “the panic of 2008” had its most dramatic set of events last September. The causes go much MUCH farther back, however. I’ve been reading about this financial crisis more than is likely healthy or reasonable for a ...
I’m John. This blog is where I work through ideas. I’m not an economist. In some cases, that may work to my advantage (or so I’m told). Still, I’m bound to make mistakes. That’s kinda the point. Be skeptical. Take everything with a grain of salt. Push back. I’m looking for feedback. Oh… and I’m not this serious in real life. I’m actually kinda goofy.
Read my full backstory.
