15 Jan 2013

Potpourri

Potpourri, Shameless Self-Promotion 25 Comments

==> John Goodman (the economist, not the actor) cites two Murphys at Forbes.

==> Apparently Nate Silver could’ve saved me $500.

==> Speaking of the Henderson/DeLong/Krugman fiasco, here was Jeff Tucker’s reaction.

==> David Beckworth (and Ramesh Ponnuru) are half right: The government should cut spending. I get really worried when people say “Bernanke Controls the Economy’s Fate,” in this sense.

==> Some funny examples of Obama supporters being stunned by their 2013 paychecks. (I think I saw this from Danny Sanchez.)

==> I was reading and enjoying this Matt Zwolinski discussion of “left libertarianism,” but when he praised my takedown of Kevin Carson’s labor theory of value, I knew this rose to the level of a Potpourri link.

==> My interview with Bob Wenzel. We laugh, we cry. Seriously, I think there are some anecdotes in here that you’ve never heard before, including my awful impression of Israel Kirzner.

25 Responses to “Potpourri”

  1. Yosef says:

    When I saw potpourri I assumed you would have something on the Krguman/Jon Stewart showdown. Nothing?

    • Bob Murphy says:

      I’m saving my thoughts for an upcoming speech. If you give away the milk no one buys the cow.

      • integral says:

        Bob, you have no reason to be ashamed of your body.

        • Ken B says:

          I’d chime in here but Bob made me promise that what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas.

  2. Dan says:

    The Wenzel interview was good. The stuff on Kirzner as interesting.

  3. senyoreconomist says:

    One point regarding Tucker’s piece, Krugman is a professor at Princeton and LSE, not MIT. It is worth noting because Krugman sometimes mentions how he and Bernanke were at Princeton together…

    Senyor

  4. John p says:

    Your Israel Kirzner is exactly the same as your Paul Krugman!

  5. joeftansey says:

    “Some funny examples of Obama supporters being stunned by their 2013 paychecks. (I think I saw this from Danny Sanchez.)”

    This is a nasty and unfair article.

    • Richie says:

      How is it “unfair”?

    • Ken B says:

      Unfair how? These people wished higher taxes on others. Inflicitng higher taxes on people was a major goal of folks over at Dem Underground and the like. Why is it *unfair* to note how they react to higher taxes on themselves?

      • skylien says:

        I guess he was sarcastic.

        BTW: I am not sure if you saw this comment directed at you in the other thread:

        “I am not talking about who interpreted Landsburg better. I am just referring to the OLG debate itself. Of course we don’t want to go over that again. Yet I have an idea:

        Since you (and Gene) think that Bob’s model can be replicated quite flawlessly with direct taxation, why don’t you take Bob’s screen play “The economist zone” and rewrite it without debt or any form of IOUs, just direct taxation. Put it up your blog and tell us when you are ready.

        I doubt you can do that without making the story quite absurd.”
        http://consultingbyrpm.com/blog/2013/01/thoughts-on-glenn-beck.html#comment-55377

        I just like to know what you think about it?

        • Daniel Kuehn says:

          Lots of people have done this skylien. Grant McDermott has the best example of this, I think.

          • skylien says:

            You have one or more links for me?

          • skylien says:

            Just to be clear. I am not talking of the xls spreadsheet, but the dialogue.

          • skylien says:

            Daniel, Ken,

            So who would have thought. Ken is silent and Daniel says ‘lots of people have done it’ but doesn’t care to back it up…

            Quite telling…

      • Daniel Kuehn says:

        I think it’s just that this is more a function of not being aware of what is going on around you as it is a function of being an Obama supporter.

        It’s like the the “get your government hands off my Medicare” citations. Funny. Convenient to illustrate a point. But probably unfair.

        If I was actually trying to make an argument against Tea Partiers (rather than a casual off the cuff mocking) and I cited “get your government hands off my Medicare” I think it’s fair to say that that would be “unfair”.

        • Dan says:

          I think it is perfectly fair to point out the hypocrisy of tea party people who don’t want to cut SS or Medicare.

          • skylien says:

            Well I think you just can shorten that statement to:

            It is perfectly fair to point out hypocrisy.

            The question is not about “fair” or “unfair”, but is it hypocrisy or not, that is all.

          • Daniel Kuehn says:

            Dan –
            Right, but do it by producing figures on Medicare participation among Tea Party members – not with a quote from one woman that doesn’t understand the nature of the program.

          • Daniel Kuehn says:

            Anyway I don’t even think the “get your government hands off my Medicare” isn’t even hypocritical so much as it is woefully uninformed. Same with these people and the payroll taxes. The real striking thing is how unaware they are about what is going on, not really their hypocrisy.

            But I wouldn’t want to generalize either of their lack of awareness to the broader population of Obama supporters or Tea Partiers.

        • Ken B says:

          “I think it’s just that this is more a function of not being aware of what is going on around you as it is a function of being an Obama supporter.”
          Now you’re just teasing me, with such slow fat ones right over the plate.

          I think a considerable fraction of the Obama base wanted more taxes because in their minds those people deserve to be taxed. Schadenfreude may be nasty but it’s not really unfair. It’s not like the article is aimed at people who supported Obama for other reasosn, or accepting their fate in this regard. It’s mockery aimed at a certain self righteous, clueless, coddled segment.

  6. Matt M says:

    Dr. Murphy,

    Not to try and get you in trouble or anything, but any thoughts on the recent flare-ups of the long running spat between Wenzel and Kinsella/Tucker regarding IP? They’ve been pretty chippy at each other lately…

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