tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6276561747841568697.post1587981659344149477..comments2024-03-27T05:23:48.855-04:00Comments on Krugman-in-Wonderland: Once Upon a Time When Krugman Was an EconomistWilliam L. Andersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01802990642236807359noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6276561747841568697.post-23692712257289796872010-08-21T19:15:28.372-04:002010-08-21T19:15:28.372-04:00Socialists would rather you live in a garbage heap...Socialists would rather you live in a garbage heap than to have a job they arbitrarily deem you "underpaid" for. Too many self esteem and narcissism problems to go into.ekeyrahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17413110869433997820noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6276561747841568697.post-18295840993645849692010-08-21T17:15:09.743-04:002010-08-21T17:15:09.743-04:00The left generally applies the same shallow thinki...The left generally applies the same shallow thinking to the Industrial Revolution. They decry the awful conditions in factories in which children worked, completely missing the point that even such conditions were a vast improvement from earlier standards of living. Before the revolution in Britain, most kids died before the age of 10. They were starving, they were thieves, vagabonds, prostitutes, alcoholics. The opportunity to work did more to improve things for children than any subsequent child labor laws (which were largely motivated by the influence of unions who saw children as competition).Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6276561747841568697.post-7745875448757835232010-08-21T09:48:20.355-04:002010-08-21T09:48:20.355-04:00Good point! Aid generally is pure consumption, and...Good point! Aid generally is pure consumption, and if there is "investment," it is state-run (and ultimately politicized) investment that serves the political elites.William L. Andersonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01802990642236807359noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6276561747841568697.post-18380353956732681602010-08-21T09:15:32.470-04:002010-08-21T09:15:32.470-04:00@Another Anonymous:
> What the US owes to Guate...@Another Anonymous:<br />> What the US owes to Guatemala is monetary reparations for criminal acts; not economic advice or investment.<br /><br />As an Honduran (Guatemala's neighbor), I'll take investment over monetary reparations every time. Money can be squandered by "digging ditches" or many other ways but capital that comes to our countries AND the knowledge of how to use it can be re-utilized even if it was (at first) squandered.Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13569391569760295994noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6276561747841568697.post-21309641950311703592010-08-21T06:49:13.031-04:002010-08-21T06:49:13.031-04:00I would agree with you, 11:10. Americans like to t...I would agree with you, 11:10. Americans like to think that THEIR interventions are not socialistic in nature, but that is not true. Furthermore, our interventions have created conditions that make political divisions even bloodier than they would have been otherwise.<br /><br />As one who went for a year during with Vietnam War with a draft card of 1-A (I took my draft physical 45 days before the Peace Accords were signed, which saved me from the draft and the war), it is horrible to see the same failed arguments promoted today that we have to intervene to "save the world."William L. Andersonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01802990642236807359noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6276561747841568697.post-9457275866892408792010-08-21T02:10:15.218-04:002010-08-21T02:10:15.218-04:00It's impossible to analyze free trade and soci...It's impossible to analyze free trade and societies like Guatemala without mentioning the elephant in the room: the history of US intervention to implant murderous dictatorships serving the most narrowminded, shortsighted US interests. Had the US not overthrown Arbenz in the 50s it would surely be a great deal more advanced and prosperous. Whether they want free trade or not is their decision. What the US owes to Guatemala is monetary reparations for criminal acts; not economic advice or investment. With business and large landowners incestously involved with a state that rules by terror, as Guatemala frequently has been, leftist demands for some kind of "fair trade" are more reasonable even from the laissez-faire point of view - the side that employs the workers certainly has not played by the rules, and played a great part in creating this "previous, less visible rural poverty."Another Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6276561747841568697.post-84144308830026349032010-08-20T22:29:29.360-04:002010-08-20T22:29:29.360-04:00It's hard to remember sometimes that Krugman u...It's hard to remember sometimes that Krugman used to be an economist. Another old paper of his defending free trade:<br /><br />http://web.mit.edu/krugman/www/ricardo.htm<br /><br />Also, in his book <i>The Great Unravelling</i>, there are a few more articles of this type.Daniel Hewittnoreply@blogger.com