Aaron Huslage

These are notes. I am needing narrative.

Read these things:

http://www.slate.com/id/2213029/?from=rss
http://www.marginalrevolution.com/marginalrevolution/2009/03/assorted-links-3.html (yes i do agree with this)
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/05/opinion/05geanokoplos.html?_r=1&scp=1&sq=matters%20of%20principal&st=cse

Put on top of that, this startling statistic. The actual unemployment rate (counting those who have stopped looking for work and those who are part-time employed due to economic reasons) is 14.8% as of Friday [http://www.bls.gov/news.release/empsit.t12.htm]. Astounding. To say that we shouldn’t be stimulating the economy from the government angle is dangerous, I think. The damn bill was too small [http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/archives/2009/03/bleak_house.php, http://mediamatters.org/items/200903060025?f=h_latest] and a lot of economists do too.

Now is not the time for idealistic musings about the size of government and their role in our lives. The government is back-door nationalizing the banks, will end up taking over mortgages at some point, and will likely be the economic engine of our country for the short-term. This is a good thing because it cannot work any other way. The market failed us this time. There simply isn’t enough “there” there to make things better without serious intervention.

The right wing whines about how Obama is pushing some far-left progressive agenda. It’s awful. It’s inhumane. [http://economistsview.typepad.com/economistsview/2009/03/what-was-the-point.html]. What’s the point.

These are my thoughts today.