08 Dec 2010

Potpourri

Potpourri, Shameless Self-Promotion 8 Comments

* Citigroup comes up with a new catchphrase to justify its continuing reliance on bailouts.

* Gerald O’Driscoll gets pretty feisty, for the Wall Street Journal. (HT2 the photosynthetic von Pepe.)

* Check out Andrew Jackson’s explanation for why he killed the 2nd Bank of the United States. BTW mark your calendars, the Night of Clarity 2011 will be July 22-23. The theme will be Jackson’s killing of the bank, and retiring the national debt. (Yes that’s right, he didn’t simply balance the budget, or pay down some of the debt–Jackson paid off the federal government’s debt. He was the only president to do so.)

* I do believe that Krugman is even less sympathetic to free trade in this post, than in the last time he addressed this issue. Now, not only does free trade not create jobs (in the midst of a global recession), but it only “may” make the world more efficient. At least a year ago, he wasn’t hesitating in doling out praise for what free trade did do. (BTW here is my response to that original post.)

* I am going to nominate myself for “Wittiest EconLog Comment of 2010.” I’m not saying I should win, but that I definitely should be nominated for this coveted award.

* I continue with my boycott of the Amazon boycott.

* Here’s my appearance on Judge Napolitano’s “Freedom Watch,” talking about my good friend Ben Bernanke. Napolitano asked me to psychoanalyze The Bernank at the end.

8 Responses to “Potpourri”

  1. Shannon Pietro says:
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    What is being planned for “Night of Clarity 2011”? Is this an organized thing or more of a “day of remembrance”?

    • bobmurphy says:
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      Shannon, details are forthcoming. You just have to hope and dream, for now.

      • scarson says:
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        Should I hope and dream that it’s in Nashville again?? Or are you going to be a cruel destroyer of my hopes and dreams?

        BTW, good interview on “Freedom Watch”.

      • Shannon Pietro says:
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        I dream to be part of whatever it is you are scheming up and just hope that I’m cool enough to be included.

  2. ListenEllipse says:
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    Too bad Andrew Jackson killed all those Native Americans. He would have been such a brilliant example of a libertarian statesman.

  3. Mike Sandifer says:
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    Bob,

    This is where Krugman seems to succumb to undergrad level, maybe even freshman level economic fallacy. I see it not as beggar-thy-neighbor in the case of China, but beggar-thy-poor-Chinese worker, and they’re also presumably paying the price in terms of inflation. I don’t see negatives for us. What’s wrong with cheaper labor inputs?

  4. Iwant Liberty says:
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    What a terrific interview with The Judge! Your responses were crisp, clear and on the money. I particularly liked your comment “a lot of free market economists have a blind spot when it comes to the Fed”. Nice!