The following story, one that I find most enlightening, appears in two textbooks written by Professor Krugman who maintains, only slightly tongue-in-cheek, that this is all we need to know about economics. Continue reading
Monthly Archives: November 2011
What should we do to survive the coming Depression?
A friend wrote to ask what he and his family should do given the impasse in Congress and the ongoing debacle in Europe. What follows is my response:
I share your concern. And the brief answer to what I am doing is “not much.” But let me explain my position. Continue reading
Conceptual Framework
With two chapters of the proposed common framework now official, it was time for me to revise Chapter 5. You can find the result at http:://vanbreda.org/theory/chap05_4.pdf (254kb). I have not hesitated to throw my opinion in the chapter on grounds that we make accounting seem to sterile and to encourage readers to ponder a little more on accounting. Please don’t hesitate to let me know if you think I sound to harsh. I am in search of newer references for this chapter so if you know of any — or have written something yourself — please let me know.
Personal pronouns
When I was a youngster, says my cousin John, we had a minister who would go ballistic if anyone deigned to put a Bible on the ground. This fetish was particularly difficult to respect when (for example) we were sitting round a campfire. His reasoning was that this was the Word of God and should be respected as such. Today he would probably be mocked as an eccentric, but his vehemence on the issue has stuck with me all these decades on. Continue reading
What am I missing?
My reading of annual reports from cities across the nation tell me that public finances are in a shambles and that the salaries, pensions, benefits and jobs of public service employees are threatened. The police are among those who are in danger of being hurt by the economy. So, can anyone explain to me why the police are treating Occupy Wall Street as the enemy instead of as their best friends. I am missing something here!!!
The moral divide
This morning’s New York Times includes a most illuminating essay by Thomas B. Edsall titled “The Gulf of Morality.” In it he argues unexceptionally that liberals and conservatives see the world through very different eyes. What drew my attention was his five dimensions of morality: care, fairness, loyalty, respect, purity. Continue reading
Healthcare costs
Last week’s New York Times had an article by Dr. Ezekiel J. Emauel, arguing that most of the proposed solutions for getting healthcare costs under control would make at best a one percent different. This week’s article argues that there is a place where real savings can be made. Continue reading
The real issues
We can argue ideology as long as we like but I would like to suggest that the real reason for all our troubles has nothing to do with liberal Democrats and country-club Republicans. I offer three things that have changed our world and require all us to rethink our assumptions. Continue reading
Government finances — in denial
Today’s newspapers brought some astonishingly sad news about the state of economic education. David Leonhardt writing in the New York Times (The Gridlock Where Debts Meet Politics) is picked up in the Dallas Morning News under the better title “Voters won’t do the math.” The point being made in the articles is that there is simply not enough money in the system to pay pension and healthcare benefits for retirees. Continue reading
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