Slow Blogging
Sorry for the leisurely pace today. I spent the morning on the Hill doing interviews and have to run to a panel on why the media hates using numbers in a few minutes. Then there'll be more blogging.
In the meantime, read this quote from respected conservative economist Arthur Laffer and tell me that this country has any chance of surviving the coming fiscal crisis. Go on. I dare you.
By
Ezra Klein
|
August 4, 2009; 1:49 PM ET
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Posted by: bluegrass1 | August 4, 2009 2:06 PM | Report abuse
Laffer's a tool. I'm going to take this opportunity to say again how much I love the DMV in Bensalem, PA. It's run by the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation. My son just got his learners permit there last week. If our health care were delivered as efficiently and as fairly as services are delivered at my DMV and its satellite offices, we'd have the best system in the world.
Posted by: eRobin1 | August 4, 2009 2:07 PM | Report abuse
John Kay's review of several financial crisis books, which appeared in the Weekend FT, is a good read ( at http://www.ft.com/cms/s/2/ef20a360-7d61-11de-b8ee-00144feabdc0.html ), especially this passage, written in the context of Posner's little book: "Widely expressed among financial market participants is the view that we would never have trashed the house if our parents had supervised us properly. But it won’t do. If self-interested behaviour, inadequately restrained by state actions, leads to social and economic disaster it does not follow that the individuals and businesses which engage in the self-interested behaviour escape culpability. We don’t apply that standard to lorry drivers. We expect them to drive safely and professionally and hold them responsible when their failure to do so causes accidents. “I would have had to slow down” is not an excuse. It is not apparent that we should lower our expectations when it comes to the senior executives of banks."
Posted by: bdballard | August 4, 2009 2:17 PM | Report abuse
CNN = Corperate News Network. No supprise they didn't correct the piece.
Posted by: obrier2 | August 4, 2009 2:21 PM | Report abuse
Maybe we can find some unemployed bankers to run the health care system.
Posted by: SteveCA1 | August 4, 2009 2:29 PM | Report abuse
New Wapo 'blog'
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QJEPDwGVirQ
Two Dudes and a webcam.
Posted by: JimPortlandOR | August 4, 2009 3:29 PM | Report abuse
Tsk, tsk. Interviewing people and gathering facts before writing? You'll never be a true blogger and commentator with that kind of work ethic. Just make up whatever best suits your current argument - the Laffer quote is a good example.
Posted by: kcc3 | August 4, 2009 3:48 PM | Report abuse
Ezra, I have but one quibble: shouldn't the term "respected" about Laffer be in quotes. He was wrong a quarter-century ago with his Laffer Curve nutiness (lowering taxes increases revenues). Laffer is "respected" only by those who keep him afloat.
As eRobin1 says above, Laffer is a tool.
Posted by: rkarraker | August 4, 2009 6:53 PM | Report abuse
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Will the panel be livestreamed?