"makes most people here willing to tolerate antics that would not be tolerated from less valuable contributors."

Quod licet jovi, non licet bovi?

shrug

There's a single rule for everybody: Thou shalt improve the signal to noise ratio of the site. Posting puerile Nazi comparisons alongside insightful deconstructions of prevailing policy is a net improvement in signal to noise ratio compared to posting nothing. Posting puerile Nazi comparisons with no offsetting contribution of positive value is a net loss of signal to noise ratio compared to posting nothing.

Posting insightful deconstructions of prevailing policy without puerile Nazi comparisons improves the signal to noise ratio compared to posting them with puerile Nazi comparisons. But people are not paid to contribute, so if they insist on reducing the value of what they freely give by shitting on it, then we have very little sanction that can be gainfully applied as long as the final contribution remains net positive value.

The ECB is doing what it is doing because its member countries did pack it full of right wing ideologues.
A fact you tend to ignore.

Because clearly the European right wing is a monolithic hive mind that has no internal class and national conflicts?

Now who's talking conspiracy theories here?

If the Spanish plutocrats have as much influence on ECB policy as the German plutocrats, then why does all the money end up in Frankfurt?

No, most laws, especially the laws that create institutions do create an objective reality.

That does not mean that the objective reality they create can be divined from the text of the law.

A question: If the Bundesbank is all powerful, why did Weber resign?

His arrogance and mental instability made him many enemies. When he went and contradicted something Merkel had said publicly, "many" turned into "too many."

He was frustrated not getting his way at the ECB after all and did give the chance to lead the ECB away. Is he clinically insane? Or did he indeed did not get his way time after time at the ECB, leading to frustration?

Is a homeopath who truly believes in his nostrums clinically insane? Does it matter?

Weber was accommodated far beyond any reasonable limit. But when you insist on attempting to repeal the rules of arithmetic and throw an infantile tantrum every time someone points out that this might be a bad idea, then eventually enough people get tired of you that you are purged. This is less proof of Weber's lack of influence than of his inability to function outside his Hayekian echo chamber.

- Jake

If you only spend 20 minutes of the rest of your life on economics, go spend them here.