Tuesday, September 11, 2012

Tuesday Links

  • The chart above is improving fuel economy of new vehicles in the US.
  • The employment population ratio no longer responding to job opportunities?
  • Thoughtful Bill Keller op-ed on a nuclear Iran.
  • Introverts unite!
  • The next Chinese leader has disappeared?
  • This next chart is from a paper by economist Robert Gordon arguing that we may be slowing toward a steady state economy and that the growth rates of the industrial revolution were a one time thing.  This comes as no surprise to those of us who think energy is foundational to the economy.  It doesn't seem to have occurred to Professor Gordon that smoothly slowing to zero growth is not the worst outcome here...
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6 comments:

  1. Stephen B.September 11, 2012 at 6:29 AM

    "It doesn't seem to have occurred to Professor Gordon that smoothly slowing to zero growth is not the worst outcome here..."

    Thanks for the early morning laugh, Stuart!

    It's amazing the bubble traditional economists mostly all seem to be trapped in, concerning energy availability and affordability and the latter's intimate ties to the whole course of the Industrial Revolution.

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  2. "e Brutto"September 11, 2012 at 7:41 AM

    Yes, whose needs the pseudo-science of economics - the ruling elite to justify the status quo.
    Any ecology student could do a better job.
    Look at who these people are - the sons of rich men or running dogs for the elite..
    From the wiki; '

    Gordon is a member of a family of economists...
    Here is his father; 'In an interview Gordon stated in response to the question "Do you think that people with low IQs should be paid to be sterilized?" replied:
    “ I think that's a rather shocking proposal! I would prefer not paying people. [Laughter] I do think that if we could persuade people with lower IQs not to have as many children as they are having, there would be obvious benefits. As far as black people are concerned, I don't know. If they care about the future of their race, they might be willing to go to some trouble to accomplish that. I think it's right to give them the proper information in order for them to do that.[2]

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  3. JohnSeptember 11, 2012 at 11:02 AM

    As an INFP, I really appreciated your 'Introverts unite!' link :)

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  4. Stuart StanifordSeptember 11, 2012 at 12:18 PM

    John: INTJ myself.

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  5. Stuart StanifordSeptember 11, 2012 at 12:24 PM

    e Brutto: not the same guy. The father of Robert J Gordon was Robert Aaron Jordan who died in 1978. The Robert A Jordan who you refer to is a living sociologist (with, I agree, rather unpleasant views).

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  6. "e Brutto"September 11, 2012 at 2:35 PM

    Whoops...

    Still, digging around he also had a brother who was also an economist...
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Gordon_%28economist%29
    That was my major point - its a trade not a science.
    Who was Steve Keens father - a banker...
    I saw him state this during a video of a lecture to his students.
    It does not appear in his wiki, no family details.

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