Wednesday, April 30, 2008

Quick shorters

Don't get too attached to that poll as is, I've a feeling there's editing left to do on it.(That should probably do it.)

The return of double-digit inflation?:

On a more serious note, the economy actually grew last quarter, albeit by a miserly 0.6%. Outright recession is starting to feel somewhat less likely to me, though even if we technically dodge two quarters of economic contraction, I expect we'll see very slow growth for some time to come.
Megan from 9 days ago:
Gap Inc reports sales declines. Can I haul out the "R word" yet? Please? Please?
Either way, Krugman is wrong.

By request: a long post in which I link Kathy G several times: This post is effectively a war crime, and I would be just as guilty as Megan were I to excerpt it in any way. My condolences to Kathy G., who will probably feel compelled to read the whole damn thing.

Do drugs make gangs, or do gangs make drugs?: So... are gangs chickens and drugs eggs? Or does that mean the white rabbit is Kissinger and Alice is Nixon? Duuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuude.

Will legalization reduce abusive polygamy cults?: Not would, but "will". Megan is sitting on a hell of a scoop, it seems.

When should you link another blogger?: I'll treat this post individually in a moment, but first I'd like to highlight the following.
I quite agree that it is far too often applied profligately.
I disagree, I think it's far too often applied profligately with unfortunate frequency.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

The number of ignorant generalizations and plain factual errors that lead her to unbelieveably stupid conclusions in that post about polygamy is *stunning*. It's like she skimmed over the Wikipedia entry on Mormonism and decided she was expert enough to write about it.

Megan, you're a poseur. Don't write about stuff you don't understand.

CLBetley said...

Redundancy, misuse of subjunctive mood... among other abuses of the English language.

Wasn't she supposed to have been an English major, before her brief exposure to the Idiots' Guide to economics taught to MBAs?
(Yeah, she went to U of Chicago School of Business, but that's not that same thing as the U of Chicago economics department. )

spencer said...

If I were an editor at The Atlantic, I'd fire her just for using the word "profligately."

Certainly there was a less awkward, less pretentious way to make her point. But then again, if she had actually used it, then she wouldn't be our widdle Meggsie, would she?

And clbetley, don't be too quick to praise the Chicago econ department. They have produced more than their fair share of batshit lunacy over the years. The cumulative damage inflicted on our economy by the work product of Chicago econ grads is likely pretty severe.

CLBetley said...

No undue praise intended, Spencer.

Just saying, whatever reputation U of Chicago econ has, as a graduate of the Business School she has no right to imply a claim to it. Her misunderstanding of the Coase theorem proves it.