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Hayekian

3 months ago

in Journalistic Capture on Will Wilkinson
Bingo ! Stewart is a hypocritical jerk. And a lot of the people in his fawning studio audience are pseudo-sophisticated morons.

Scarborough nails it....http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jeILW5T0E3M
1 reply
Jay Rosen "Andrew Sullivan has basically stated that these guys are responsible for what he's been calling the 'depression'."

Bull. I read his blog regularly. He hasn't said anything like that. You made it up.

This statement, the one I am about to quote, is hysterical and ridiculous: ""But to suggest that CNBC, in giving bad, predatory financial advice, is solely responsible for the bubble we've found ourselves in, and the subsequent losses many Americans have endured is hysterical and ridiculous."

9 months ago

in Obama’s Economic Xenophobia on Will Wilkinson
Good point about Republican cultural xenophobia. If you expect me to defend Republicans, you need to look elsewhere. But if you continue to educate yourself on economics, you should read up on Freidman, Hayek, Mises and Public Choice Theory. I think you will discover that the incorrect economic assumptions of most Democrats extend far beyond just trade policy.

Incidently, I also consider myself a "liberal". I think it is way past time for the rehabilitation of that word.
1 reply
Jack Its worth emphasizing that the "liberals who understand economics" model for libertarianism is much more palatable to those who grew up in (left) liberal households (in my case with a Marxist mother).

And I have no doubt there's plenty for me to read up on on economics. But part of the problem is that those on the left wouldn't really have a problem with a far less restricted market if there were market friendly solutions for the issues we were concerned about- like say some form of negative taxation in place (as I undestand it Hayek is ok with this, right?) But for various reasons that kind of program is much harder to put in place politically than is a minimum wage- same goes for a carbon tax versus cap and trade. Now you and I might feel differently about global warming and economic inequality but the point is the more market-friendly solutions to these issues have (somehow) become less politically viable than more statist solutions. From my perspective this happened because Republicans (and a lot of Democrats) are more concerned with protecting corporations than the free market and because the politics of welfare are so racialized.

9 months ago

in Obama’s Economic Xenophobia on Will Wilkinson
Obama may be the lesser of two evils in this election, but even if - as John V indicated - Obama is more economically literate than most of his supporters, what are we to make of a political party which thrives on the economic ignorance of its constituents ?
1 reply
Jack Well its a lot easier to educate people on economics than it is to reverse the extensive xenophobia of the Republican Party.

As a liberal who's changed my views on trade issues in the past year because I've been learning about economics- I assure you it's possible.

11 months ago

in Video: Traffic in Tehran on A Welsh View
I have not been to Iran, but I have traveled extensively worldwide. This video is more evidence supporting my conclusion that the Anglosphere - the English speaking nations - brought order and civil society to the planet. Those parts of the planet whose cultural capital is not derived from having been greatly influenced or colonized by Britania are far less civil and more chaotic. There are exceptions of course, but generally, the English speaking people and nations are more civil than the others.

Face it - the English speaking people have brought order to the world.

11 months ago

in Motive, Opportunity, and Means-Testing on Will Wilkinson
Cowen is absolutely correct. Leftists frequently claim that forced wealth redistribution from the "rich" to the "poor" is justified on moral grounds. Questions about the morality of coercion aside, it baffles me why many of these same people have no objection to the redistribution of wealth from the middle class young working families to wealthy retired people, many of whom are healthy and perfectly capable of working, but do not do so.

The poltical problem is that these wealthy old people vote in large numbers, and they have a very powerful voice in America's most obnoxious lobbying organization : the AARP.

Anecdotal evidence of the obstacle facing entitlement reform : A co-worker of mine and his wife earn a combined income of well over $200K / year. They are in their late 30s. Yet, when I recently mentioned to him the idea of means-testing Social Security and Medicare, he lapsed into the typical mantra " By God I paid into those programs, and I deserve my benefits". And I know for a fact, he votes in every election.

There is not getting around it. This attitude is what the Left now supports.

1 year ago

in Why I’m Not Patriotic on The Progressive
Spoken like a true post-1968 Democrat.
1 reply
KenBurch If you call yourself "Hayekian" you were never a PRE-1968 Democrat. Hayek hated the New Deal and would have the policies every Democratic president after FDR pursued as well.
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