On 11/15/2008 2:40:44 PM, John Williams ([EMAIL PROTECTED]) wrote: > On Sat, Nov 15, 2008 at 11:46 AM, Rceeberger <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > wrote: > > > > On 11/15/2008 11:55:20 AM, John Williams ([EMAIL PROTECTED]) > wrote: > > > >> Did you make any posts predicting the housing crisis before, say, > >> 2004? > > > > I don't recall having posted about this onlist, but it has been on my > > mind > > for a few years as being a serious problem w/consequences. > > I hazard a guess that the reason you did not post is one of these: > > 1) You were not certain enough of your prediction to risk that other > people might act on it > > 2) You did not care enough to help others with your insight
It is such cynical and sarcastic statements that makes you appear to run "Asshole" as a native app. Not trying to be insulting, just an observation on why you catch so much flak. You remarks here were uncalled for and if you are trying to draw my ire......try harder. > > Or perhaps none of the above. Probably. It is not like this mailing list is a compendium of my every thought or belief. I've been here for 10 years or so, and have discussed many things. I even started all that Maru stuff a few years ago. There is no master Brin-L list of everything in the universe that we tic once a conversation gets underway. Then, one must also consider that I have no expertise in this subject, just some observations based on what I know from the news and the experiences of people I know. I try not to start such a conversation, laden with ignorance or potential ignorance on my part. I tend towards pragmatism in that respect.<G> > But whatever the reason, it is a good > example of the difficulty of regulating markets. Regulation is always a balancing act, but then so is running a business. > > If the government were good at predicting these things, then I think > what should be done is to convey the predictions and warnings to the > public, and let people act on them as they see fit. [snip] By the same token, if business were good at predicting things (without constantly lying about it), they should be spreading the word in order to self-regulate. You know there is nothing keeping them from taking their data back to the regulators in order to get change when conditions warrant. And then it would be a matter of public record rather than self-serving polemics. Of course, this never happens because business gets it's pool of experts from the same place government does. And business does not embrace the concept of enlightened self-interest to a degree that would allow it to be self-regulating, thereby making a need for government regulation superfluous. xponent The Invisible Hand Has No Brain Maru rob _______________________________________________ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
