tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8537995.post115591386230161774..comments2023-10-29T10:54:58.681-04:00Comments on Vox Baby: Paul Krugman on InequalityAndrewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13514024573333057559noreply@blogger.comBlogger20125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8537995.post-51329523192709064072008-02-20T15:35:00.000-05:002008-02-20T15:35:00.000-05:00Don’t believe one optimistic word from any public ...Don’t believe one optimistic word from any public figure about the economy. They are all part of the problem. Its like a game of Monopoly. The richest 1% of Americans now hold more than 1/2 OF ALL UNITED STATES WEALTH. That is more than the upper, middle, and lower classes combined. This is EVEN AFTER you account for all of this ‘good will’ ‘humanitarian’ BS from celebrities and executives. As Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8537995.post-1164296256620446062006-11-23T10:37:00.000-05:002006-11-23T10:37:00.000-05:00Krugman argues that rising inequality is better ex...Krugman argues that rising inequality is better explained by the political ideology ruling Washington than Paulson's contention that rising inequality is a matter of higher wage growth for the highly educated.<BR/><BR/>You should acknowledge that Krugman presents no evidence of any consequence in his article to support his argument. With that low standard of proof as a starting point, I provide Andrewhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13514024573333057559noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8537995.post-1164273682274470952006-11-23T04:21:00.000-05:002006-11-23T04:21:00.000-05:00Mr. Samwick, are you really an economist? Since wh...Mr. Samwick, are you really an economist? Since when a single example proves a trend? You criticize Krugman for minor inconsistencies in his data and then bravely refute it by a statistics of one. I see... Let me suggest a counterexample of my own, Bill Gates, probably the richest man in the world, is _not_ highly educated. <BR/><BR/>More interestingly, in a typical american fashion, both PaulsonAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8537995.post-1156360753377263172006-08-23T15:19:00.000-04:002006-08-23T15:19:00.000-04:00Some have criticized this post for being an ad hom...Some have criticized this post for being an <A HREF="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ad_hominem" REL="nofollow">ad hominem</A> attack. I do not believe that it is. <BR/><BR/>Suppose that Brad DeLong had written the NY Times column instead of Paul Krugman. I might have commented to Brad that Krugman is an example of someone in the top 1 percent who has not arrived there as a tool of the dominant Andrewhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13514024573333057559noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8537995.post-1156260703138000072006-08-22T11:31:00.000-04:002006-08-22T11:31:00.000-04:00I agree 100 percent with Jonah B. Gelbach. Yes, w...I agree 100 percent with Jonah B. Gelbach. <BR/><BR/>Yes, we can disagree about the importance of inequality in our society. We can also have a debate on the driving factors of inequality and government policy might only play a minor role as compared to, say, technological change.<BR/><BR/>But what is wrong about criticizing government policy, even if you benefit personally from it?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8537995.post-1156233292204301422006-08-22T03:54:00.000-04:002006-08-22T03:54:00.000-04:00I agree it isn't logical to assume just becaues Kr...I agree it isn't logical to assume just becaues Krugman is rich that he wouldn't support progressive policies. <BR/><BR/>It says something that Samwick allows criticism against him on his blog. DeLong would have deleted it all by now.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8537995.post-1156128598384822602006-08-20T22:49:00.000-04:002006-08-20T22:49:00.000-04:00"What always puzzles me about Paul Krugman and his..."What always puzzles me about Paul Krugman and his claims about inequality is why he doesn't seem to realize how silly he sounds..."<BR/><BR/>What's interesting about this argument is not just that it's a bad one, but that the author seems sincere. His view seems to be that no one with an income over $277,000 a year would ever support anything but the most regressive sort of policy. Might be Bucehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16452321114185736762noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8537995.post-1156042609257747412006-08-19T22:56:00.000-04:002006-08-19T22:56:00.000-04:00If only you fellows would stop playing tag with on...If only you fellows would stop playing tag with one another and discuss current as well as developing economic situations. <BR/><BR/>We should be discussing the impact of the new federal pension legislation signed into law last week, or Ford Motor Company's announcement on Friday. <BR/><BR/>There are better subjects, Andy. <BR/><BR/>MG<BR/><BR/>>>Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8537995.post-1156007063244467712006-08-19T13:04:00.000-04:002006-08-19T13:04:00.000-04:00The question I keep asking is: When will Fox News ...The question I keep asking is: When will Fox News punditry and smear replace science itself?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8537995.post-1156005527365045052006-08-19T12:38:00.000-04:002006-08-19T12:38:00.000-04:00Andrew, Just to be perfectly clear here, fully 1/3...Andrew, Just to be perfectly clear here, fully 1/3 of your piece is devoted to a strictly ad hominem accusation. Is that the best you can do?<BR/><BR/>And then, to make things worse, most of the rest of you accept this as a legitimate point, and respond to it. No wonder things are a mess!Michaelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06827590227791599907noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8537995.post-1156005254456230982006-08-19T12:34:00.000-04:002006-08-19T12:34:00.000-04:00This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.Michaelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06827590227791599907noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8537995.post-1155959744174618862006-08-18T23:55:00.000-04:002006-08-18T23:55:00.000-04:00The top 1% of your students get citations. (I pre...The top 1% of your students get citations. (I presume that is still done, as it was in my time.) If those citations were now redeemable for a large cash reward, would the students have reason for additional pride, above and beyond that of students who got the citations in past times when they were worth only a pat on the back?<BR/><BR/>And consider the 1% at the top of the Dartmouth graduating Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8537995.post-1155951847033745552006-08-18T21:44:00.000-04:002006-08-18T21:44:00.000-04:00Jonah:You don't get it do you?The well-to-do can't...Jonah:<BR/><BR/>You don't get it do you?<BR/><BR/>The well-to-do can't criticize these policies without being branded hypocrites, and the less well-off fall prey to charges of petty jealously.<BR/><BR/>Heads I win, tails you lose.eightnine2718281828mu5https://www.blogger.com/profile/10719758054708390064noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8537995.post-1155951735054458702006-08-18T21:42:00.000-04:002006-08-18T21:42:00.000-04:00This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.eightnine2718281828mu5https://www.blogger.com/profile/10719758054708390064noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8537995.post-1155951671744402682006-08-18T21:41:00.000-04:002006-08-18T21:41:00.000-04:00.... since you're saying it matters, what exactly ....... since you're saying it matters, what exactly is your annual income, Andrew? Not trying to be rude, but since Krugman's income is apparently worth mentioning, why shouldn't yours, or mine for that matter, be known?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8537995.post-1155945506380123862006-08-18T19:58:00.000-04:002006-08-18T19:58:00.000-04:00AndrewI think you're entitled to the "Good for the...Andrew<BR/><BR/>I think you're entitled to the "Good for the top 1%" part of your argument -- there's no arguing with preferences over inequality (and, to the extent that it holds, preferences over the tradeoff between equity and efficiency).<BR/><BR/>But I found your personal criticism of Krugman quite odd. You are vexed by Krugman's simultaneous (a) being part of the top 1% and (b) criticizing Jonah B. Gelbachhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16937666641251545988noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8537995.post-1155924137032182732006-08-18T14:02:00.000-04:002006-08-18T14:02:00.000-04:00I think Krugman would be more than willing to admi...I think Krugman would be more than willing to admit personality, connections, and luck played more than a minor role, and probably much more than education and hard work. If you want to see what hard work brings, just examine the life of any minimum wage worker.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8537995.post-1155922849213466592006-08-18T13:40:00.000-04:002006-08-18T13:40:00.000-04:00A dollar an hourincrease in the present federal mi...A dollar an hourincrease in the present federal minimum wage would improve the well-being of a very large number of American wage earners. And, I doubt very much if the relative income of the top 20 percent of Americans would be adversley impacted.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8537995.post-1155921880076550452006-08-18T13:24:00.000-04:002006-08-18T13:24:00.000-04:00---under the very reasonable assumption that the t...---<BR/>under the very reasonable assumption that the top 1 percent is on average "highly educated.")<BR/>---<BR/><BR/>Compare the top 0.1% vs the top 5%; I doubt you'll see much difference in education levels. In fact, I'd guess that there may be an actual decline in education levels.<BR/><BR/>One potential reason for my expectation is that we're social critters, and personal/family contacts eightnine2718281828mu5https://www.blogger.com/profile/10719758054708390064noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8537995.post-1155914719670247982006-08-18T11:25:00.000-04:002006-08-18T11:25:00.000-04:00Bibamus will now tell me I'm being silly.Bibamus will now tell me I'm being silly.Andrewhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13514024573333057559noreply@blogger.com