David McElroy

Retraction: I was fooled by a hoax. A Republican political writer admitted this morning that he created the fake Google+ profile and post that are quoted here. When I posted the item at midnight, other sources were reporting the item as legitimate, too, but I was still inaccurate. If you want to know why I was so sure that it was really Krugman’s view, take a look at what he wrote in the New York Times just three days after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. I’m leaving this posted for more discussion of the topic — either Krugman’s view or the hoax itself — if anyone is interested.

Update: Krugman has made a statement on the hoax.

When an earthquake hit the east coast Tuesday, most people were just happy that there wasn’t much damage done. My favorite idiot economist was instead sorta lamenting the fact that there wasn’t more damage so that rebuilding could “stimulate” the economy more:

“People on twitter might be joking, but in all seriousness, we would see a bigger boost in spending and hence economic growth if the earthquake had done more damage.”

Yes, Paul Krugman is at it again. I’ve talked recently about how these Keynesian acolytes honestly believe that digging ditches and filling them back up helps the economy and I’ve also talked about their idiotic attachment to the notion that breaking things and then fixing them stimulates an economy.

If Krugman were right that random damage is good for the economy, then we ought to knock down cities just for the heck of it. All we’d need to produce full employment is turn loose the guys with wrecking balls.

It’s honestly hard to believe that anybody could still stick to the Keynesian religion. It hasn’t ever worked. It’s not going to ever work. It makes no sense.

When I was walking Lucy this morning, I came across something I’m seeing more often these days. On a street just around the corner from me, a man from the city water utility was at a house to turn the water off. He shut off the meter and left a bright red disconnect tag fluttering on the front doorknob for all the world to see.

People have had money problems ever since there were people and money. Even in good economic times, some people struggle and have trouble paying their bills. With some, it’s a moral failing. With others, there are psychological issues at work. But I’m seeing more people today whose lives are being slammed by the economy who don’t fit the traditional categories. These are people who’ve worked hard and planned their lives, following the advice that responsible people gave about how to make it in the world.

It turns out that much of that advice means nothing today, because nothing seems to work today in the ways “the experts” had expected.

Keep Reading

I can’t seem to escape children lately. It’s not that I’m trying to avoid them, but I seem to see them everywhere I go — happy children and proud parents full of love for those kids.

I don’t have any children yet, but I really want them. Given the circumstances of my life, I might never have any. I’m told that having the right woman agree to be the mother of your children is one of the prerequisites — and that part is beyond my control.

The closest things I’ve had to kids have been my nieces, Katherine and Anna, and my animals, too numerous to mention by name. (The picture above is about four years old. Anna’s the one on the left with the huge grin. The picture below is Anna with me at the Birmingham Zoo.) They live three hours from me, so I don’t see them as often as I’d like, but I love them very much and I’m proud of them. They’re wonderful girls.

Still, I’d like to have my own family. I bring this up partly because the subject of children and family keeps coming up in my life lately, but also because I was thinking about something related to it over the weekend.

Keep Reading