Friday, June 14, 2013

Friday Links

  • Krugman proposes redistribution as the only solution to the problems of technological unemployment.
  • Edward Snowden's choice to go to Hong Kong just keeps looking more and more interesting.
  • Kevin Drum has some questions about Snowden.
  • The current Black Canyon fire will likely be the most expensive fire in Colorado history.
  • Dishwashers use less energy than washing the dishes by hand.

6 comments:

Unknown said...

>Krugman proposes redistribution as the only solution to the problems of technological unemployment.

Somebody dusted off his copy of Das Kapital. Marx must be comfortably reclining in his grave.

Mr. Sunshine said...

Re: Kevin Drum --- it's been sort of painful to watch the rank and file "party line" left struggle with this one.

kjmclark said...

"Dishwashers use less energy than washing the dishes by hand."

Not really. That should read, "Studies show people don't know (or care) how to use less energy & water to wash dishes by hand than a dishwasher would use."

Heck, most Americans supposedly don't know (or care) how to wash their hands properly after using the loo.

kjmclark said...

And yet Prof. Krugman hasn't been able to put his finger on how inequality will negatively effect the economy. He's tried for some time, and he's said several times that it troubles him, because he's inclined to think there should be a problem, but wasn't able to spot one.

Maybe he's coming around to the idea that concentration of wealth and income depresses everyone else's spending.

But really, we don't need "redistribution" so much as fair interpretation of labor laws, an end to the ridiculous tax breaks and havens the rich enjoy, a reasonable inheritance tax rate, and paying for things like infrastructure, social security, and healthcare that we've all agreed to. (If fixing the roads and the power grid is redistribution so be it.) The problem would solve itself in about the same 30 years it took to create it.

sunbeam said...

I don't have an answer for the concerns Krugman expressed.

But I do know this: there is a limit to retraining and going back to school. You wind up trying to fit square pegs into round holes.

Adam Schuetzler said...

Re: Krugman

The old fart isn't revolutionary enough to call for true redistribution, or rebuilding corporate law to require fair distribution.

What I mean by that is that we need to redistribute land and real property, which are currently the biggest hole for most people's money (rent or mortgage). Corporations need to be forced to pay to exist - income ratio ceilings on executive pay that links their pay to the lowest paid worker, employer healthcare pro-rated so that if they hire someone for even 2 hours a week they pay 2 hours worth of healthcare, stuff like that. Otherwise, their corporate charter should be revoked. Not to mention they could actually pay taxes, like they did in the past.

Krugman is unimaginitive and his solutions are stupid, useless, and boring. Frankly, our problems cannot be solved by thinking that begins and ends with the orthodox.