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The flaws of the EU's asymmetric approach to imbalances | 132 comments (132 topical, editorial, 0 hidden)
Re: Self-censorship (4.00 / 2)
We are not in a "post-industrial" society. Most of the industry has gone to Asia, that's all.
by afew (afew(a in a circle)eurotrib_dot_com) on Wed Jul 20th, 2011 at 01:39:02 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Re: Self-censorship (none / 0)
But we are going in that direction due to resource scarcity: production efficiency (the 5% of pop for agriculture) is decreasing, not increasing. That is a tectonic shift.
by cagatacos on Thu Jul 21st, 2011 at 07:13:44 AM EST
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Re: Self-censorship (none / 1)
No, that's not true. Productivity has increased over the past quarter century, and has only flatlined in the last decade. And this is largely due to deliberate policy choices, not because there is any technical reason that it had to.

Past performance is no guarantee of future performance, but so far the productivity loss has been purely self-inflicted, unless you consider the absence of competent policymakers a natural resource shortage.

- Jake

Friends come and go. Enemies accumulate.

by JakeS (JangoSierra 'at' gmail 'dot' com) on Thu Jul 21st, 2011 at 10:54:12 PM EST
[ Parent ]
So you're a cornucopian, Jake? (none / 0)
How disappointing.

[just a drive-by ad hominem... ;)]

It is rightly acknowledged that people of faith have no monopoly of virtue - Queen Elizabeth II

by eurogreen on Fri Jul 22nd, 2011 at 05:56:02 AM EST
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Re: So you're a cornucopian, Jake? (4.00 / 2)
No. Past performance does not guarantee future performance. I am simply pointing out that the resource crunch has not happened yet, and therefore can not serve as an excuse for impoverishing people. This impoverishment is, in fact, a deliberate political decision rather than an unavoidable fact of life.

It is possible that this is the last decade for which such a comment can be made. But this is now, and the future isn't quite here yet. And arguing that the neoliberal thirdworldisation policies were unavoidable when they were not plays directly into the hands of the very people who have been sitting with their thumbs up their asses for the last thirty years when we should have been doing something about the scarcities that are forecast to hit within the next decade or two.

- Jake

Friends come and go. Enemies accumulate.

by JakeS (JangoSierra 'at' gmail 'dot' com) on Fri Jul 22nd, 2011 at 12:01:45 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Re: Self-censorship (none / 0)
  ..."unless you consider the absence of competent policymakers a natural resource shortage."

     whether a natural resource or not, and, whether there's a "shortage" or not, somewhere, there's a problem:

     if better responses exist, the current crop of policy-makers is a bloody-minded lot who adamantly reject and refuse those better responses.  There are good reasons to believe that they're doing this for rationally sound reasons though for reasons which are morally corrupt. (With the most amazing nonchalance, they've dismissed the whole notion of moral hazard, once taught with such stern authoritarianism when the subjects and lessons had to do with third-world macro-economic thriftiness, as no longer being very important.)

    There are competent policy-analysts, and they're producing valid critiques and useful policy formulations which, ultimately, have been utterly ignored by the PiP.  In such circumstances, while it can be disputed as neither a natural resource nor a shortage, so far, one is hard-pressed to explain why it might not as well be desribed that way.

    Economic theories which have been thoroughly discredited remain in sway among lots of PiP.  Though good critiques are available, these make little impact on practical affairs.  So, our real troubles--as numerous analysts have repeated--are political failings more than failings of economic theory at this point.  Right?

 

"In such an environment it is not surprising that the ills of technology should seem curable only through the application of more technology..." John W Aldridge

by proximity1 on Fri Jul 22nd, 2011 at 08:23:12 AM EST
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Re: Self-censorship (4.00 / 2)
(With the most amazing nonchalance, they've dismissed the whole notion of moral hazard, once taught with such stern authoritarianism when the subjects and lessons had to do with third-world macro-economic thriftiness, as no longer being very important.)

No, no, you still see moral hazard trotted out to explain why Greece needs to be punished, cannot default, and cannot have its debt rolled over at a discount.

Moral hazard, like other economic concepts, is used selectively in support of political goals.

Economics is politics by other means

by Carrie (migeru at eurotrib dot com) on Fri Jul 22nd, 2011 at 08:59:51 AM EST
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Re: Self-censorship (none / 0)

  At some point, the double-standards will collapse under their own weight, won't they?

 Q:  Who said (apparently not "famously"-enough)

    "Deficits don't matter!"

   A: Republican U.S. Vice-President Richard "Dick" Cheney.

"In such an environment it is not surprising that the ills of technology should seem curable only through the application of more technology..." John W Aldridge

by proximity1 on Fri Jul 22nd, 2011 at 09:05:09 AM EST
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Re: Self-censorship (none / 0)
No, because the conservative mind can hold two contradictory thoughts, as long as it doesn't think them at the same time.

Economics is politics by other means
by Carrie (migeru at eurotrib dot com) on Fri Jul 22nd, 2011 at 09:37:19 AM EST
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Re: Self-censorship (none / 0)
the conservative mind can hold two contradictory thoughts, as long as it doesn't think them at the same time.

And especially if it is in their interest to confound the two thoughts because neither is in their immediate interest.

"It is not necessary to have hope in order to persevere."
by ARGeezer (ARGeezer a in a circle eurotrib daught com) on Fri Jul 22nd, 2011 at 07:29:12 PM EST
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Re: Self-censorship (none / 0)
At some point, the double-standards will collapse under their own weight, won't they?

What part of human history gives you cause for such unbridled optimism?

- Jake

Friends come and go. Enemies accumulate.

by JakeS (JangoSierra 'at' gmail 'dot' com) on Fri Jul 22nd, 2011 at 12:04:03 PM EST
[ Parent ]

The flaws of the EU's asymmetric approach to imbalances | 132 comments (132 topical, 0 editorial, 0 hidden)
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