Budget Blast
http://www.newsday.com/coverage/current/editorial/wednesday/nd679.htm
Re: Re: Re: smartness
Jim Devine wrote: Brad asks: Why is there this extraordinary--eager--desire to take Keynes's quote out of context? Unfortunately, Brad, quoting out of context is a major indoor sport. Marx is quoted out of context more than most. Keynes is hardly the only target. Worse are made-up quotes, as seen in the book THEY DIDN'T SAY THAT. Keynes himself fell for that quote attributed to Lenin, about how the surest way to destroy a country is to debase its currency, something Lenin apparently never said. Doug
Re: Re: smartness
Brad asks: Why is there this extraordinary--eager--desire to take Keynes's quote out of context? Unfortunately, Brad, quoting out of context is a major indoor sport. Marx is quoted out of context more than most. Keynes is hardly the only target. Worse are made-up quotes, as seen in the book THEY DIDN'T SAY THAT. Jim Devine [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://clawww.lmu.edu/Faculty/JDevine/JDevine.html
Business Economics Conf / Los Angeles - July 2000
CALL FOR ABSTRACTS/PAPERS. The 2000 Business Economics Society International Conference will be held in Los Angeles / California - USA (Hyatt Regency Hotel) July 22-26. You may participate as panel organizer, presenter of one or two papers, chair, moderator, discussant, or observer. The deadline for abstract submission and participation is March 30, 2000. All papers will pass a blind peer review process for publication consideration in the 'GLOBAL BUSINESS ECONOMICS REVIEW - ANTHOLOGY 2000', a volume of selected papers from the Conference. For more information please contact Helen Kantarelis through Regular Mail: Business Economics Society International c/o Helen Kantarelis 64 Holden Street Worcester, MA 01605-3109, USA Tel: (508) 595-0089 or E-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] The WEB SITE for BESI is: http://www.assumption.edu/html/faculty/kantar/missb1.html
Re: Budget Blast
Congratulations Max on a great piece. One thing though. Given your insistence on politics as having to do with the possible, why do you think Congress will go for greater spending on child care etc.? In other words, why do you think the Democrats are wrong to think that, if they abandon the call for paying down the debt, they'll be outmaneuvered into large tax cuts for the rich rather than more social spending? Edwin (Tom) Dickens Max Sawicky wrote: http://www.newsday.com/coverage/current/editorial/wednesday/nd679.htm
RE: Re: Budget Blast
Thanks Tom. This year I don't think much will happen, as per the wrestling match point. After the ritual grunting and hair pulling, the parties will default to big debt reduction. An exception is a likely expansion of the minimum wage. This gives the Repugs a chance to give some new tax breaks to "small" business. The budgetary implications will be small. The Repugs don't want to give the Dems the min wage issue for the fall. Large tax cuts are dead dead dead. Just ask Steve Forbes or Bob Dole. Or watch Junior Bush sink in South Carolina like he did in New Hampshire. I keep coming back to the fact that the drive for debt repayment seems to indicate something new in deep U.S. political economy. I don't know exactly what. Foregoing a possible expansion of the public sector is obvious enough, but we weren't getting that anyway. mbs -Original Message- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]]On Behalf Of Edwin Dickens Sent: Wednesday, February 09, 2000 4:02 PM To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: [PEN-L:16171] Re: Budget Blast Congratulations Max on a great piece. One thing though. Given your insistence on politics as having to do with the possible, why do you think Congress will go for greater spending on child care etc.? In other words, why do you think the Democrats are wrong to think that, if they abandon the call for paying down the debt, they'll be outmaneuvered into large tax cuts for the rich rather than more social spending? Edwin (Tom) Dickens Max Sawicky wrote: http://www.newsday.com/coverage/current/editorial/wednesday/nd679.htm
Drazen's new book?
In the new Princeton University Press economics catalogue, they are featuring a new book by Allan Drazen entitled Political Economy in Macroeconomics. Does anyone know anything about this book? Does it represent an attempt to reclaim "political economy" from the left? Joel Blau
re: A snapshot of today
Rob Schaap wrote, * Yahoo hack has (surprisingly) surprised people such that the possibility of the medium of their optimism (the Net) actually being quite vulnerable has become apparent (Beeb World Service); The hacking has now persisted for three days and is being blamed for declines in NASDAQ stocks (not that one should believe the talking heads). I have no idea whether the hacking is politically motivated or, should I say, informed in any way by political consciousness. But there is a possibility that it is or that it may start people thinking about the political possibilities of cyber-sabotage. I would be very surprised if the CIA and other spy agencies haven't developed capabilities for hacking and harrassing dissident internet communications. Let's not forget the original post-nuclear war function of this ARPA-net thingy, after all. Tom Walker
Re: re: A snapshot of today
I would be very surprised if the CIA and other spy agencies haven't developed capabilities for hacking and harrassing dissident internet communications. didn't they do that against Serbia? Jim Devine [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://liberalarts.lmu.edu/~jdevine
Re: Drazen's new book?
In the new Princeton University Press economics catalogue, they are featuring a new book by Allan Drazen entitled Political Economy in Macroeconomics. Does anyone know anything about this book? Does it represent an attempt to reclaim political economy from the left? I don't know that book (and would be interested in hearing about it), but political economy was rescued from the left a long time ago, by people like James Buchanan and the Virginia school. Jim Devine [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://liberalarts.lmu.edu/~jdevine
Re: Re: Drazen's new book?
Sure, but from the blurb, this book looks like more than simple public choice theory. "He proposes that conflict or heterogeneity of interests should be the field's essential organizing principle, because political questions arise only when people disagree over which economic policies should be enacted or how economic costs and benefits should be distributed." The "interests" are certainly there, but the tone of the blurb (and it may be inaccurate or incomplete) sounds more synthesized and middle of the road than classic Buchanan. Joel Blau Jim Devine wrote: In the new Princeton University Press economics catalogue, they are featuring a new book by Allan Drazen entitled Political Economy in Macroeconomics. Does anyone know anything about this book? Does it represent an attempt to reclaim "political economy" from the left? I don't know that book (and would be interested in hearing about it), but political economy was "rescued" from the left a long time ago, by people like James Buchanan and the Virginia school.Jim Devine [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://liberalarts.lmu.edu/~jdevine
Re: Repeal of Glass-Steagell
Tom, I think a short summary of what it does would help the whole list (at least those of us USians). So if someone knows... At 02:49 PM 2/9/00 -0800, you wrote: Does anybody know of articles on what exactly the banking legislation passed in the fall says and does? To avoid clutter, please respond off-list. Edwin (Tom) Dickens Jim Devine [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://liberalarts.lmu.edu/~jdevine
Re: Re: Repeal of Glass-Steagell
The Financial Markets Center web site has a Glass-Steagall Repeal page at http://www.fmcenter.org/fmc_superpage.asp?ID=245 The page contains summaries (short and long) of major provisions in the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act, analysis, links and updates on rulemaking related to GLB
Re: Re: Re: Repeal of Glass-Steagell
Many thanks. This is great stuff. Edwin (Tom) Dickens [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: The Financial Markets Center web site has a Glass-Steagall Repeal page at http://www.fmcenter.org/fmc_superpage.asp?ID=245 The page contains summaries (short and long) of major provisions in the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act, analysis, links and updates on rulemaking related to GLB
Re: RE: Re: Budget Blast
Max Sawicky wrote: snip I keep coming back to the fact that the drive for debt repayment seems to indicate something new in deep U.S. political economy. I don't know exactly what. snip A labor movement on the defensive, perhaps? If the so-called Keynesian Revolution in fiscal policy was designed to disorganize the only labor offensive in United States history--as some of us have argued, then something similar to the Keynesian Revolution may only be possible if labor succeeds in its current organizing drive. Edwin (Tom) Dickens
Manufacturing Consent (Chomsky) on TV tonight and tomorrow
For anyone who is interested and has Dishnetwork, Direct tv, or Worldlink tv on his or her cable system, Manufacturing Consent is on the Worldlink tv channel (a relatively new public network) tonight and twice tomorrow as well http://worldlinktv.com/
China: State-owned firms left behind as dependence on US grows
Hopefully we can convince the good cadres to stop the bad cadres and then this problem can be solved.Steve South China Morning Post Friday, February 4 6:44 AM SGT State-owned firms left behind as dependence on US grows The imports and exports of foreign-invested joint ventures in the mainland exceeded those of state companies last year for the first time, while the country's dependence on the United States as an export market increased. Figures released yesterday showed imports and exports of joint ventures reached US$174.5 billion, an increase of 10.7 per cent over 1998 and accounting for 48.4 per cent of the national total, up from 39 per cent in 1995. Exports were $88.63 billion, up 9.5 per cent from 1998 and accounting for 45.5 per cent of the national total. The net increase of $7.69 billion during the year accounted for 70 per cent of the growth for exports as a whole. Their imports were $85.88 billion, an increase of 11.9 per cent. The figures indicate the increasing importance of joint ventures to the mainland's export drive. They also show that foreign-invested firms are better able to compete in the global market than state-owned companies. Many joint ventures were set up to produce exports, with companies relocating plants from Hong Kong, Japan, Taiwan, South Korea and other countries to take advantage of the mainland's cheap land and labour. Last year was a good trade year for the mainland. It posted its third-biggest surplus on record, with growth in major markets, despite the effects of the Asian financial crisis and the fact that it did not devalue its currency, like many of its Asian competitors. It recorded a trade surplus of $29.2 billion, on exports of $194.93 billion, up 6.1 per cent on 1998, and imports of $165.71 billion, up 18.2 per cent. The mainland's reliance on the US as an export market continued to grow. Exports last year were $41.94 billion, an increase of 10.5 per cent, and accounting for 21.5 per cent of total exports, up from 18.5 per cent in 1993. Its trade surplus with the US was $22.4 billion, with imports rising 15.7 per cent to $19.53 billion. US figures show a substantially higher surplus because they include mainland goods shipped through other places, principally Hong Kong. The US was the mainland's second-biggest trading partner, after Japan and ahead of the European Union. Trade with Japan was $66.16 billion, an increase of 14.2 per cent over 1998, with the US at $61.42 billion, up 12 per cent, and with the EU $55.7 billion, up 13.9 per cent.
Re: Drazen's new book?
In a message dated 00-02-09 16:37:16 EST, you write: In the new Princeton University Press economics catalogue, they are featuring a new book by Allan Drazen entitled Political Economy in Macroeconomics. Does anyone know anything about this book? Does it represent an attempt to reclaim "political economy" from the left? Joel Blau Oh, the term "political economy" is not trademarked. I can think of a half dpzen squarely liberal. nonradical books in political science that have it in their titles. --jks
RE: Re: Re: Drazen's new book?
In the public choice area can be found moderate and liberal perspectives. It is true that in the field can be found more Buchanan types, but its not obvious that this makes it more conservative than, say, trade. If you think the state is the executive committee of the bourgeoisie, than you are a public choice theorist too. There's a lot of good stuff in the field, IMO. I got a dose of it from people like Mancur Olson and Dennis Mueller, who are quite different from the Buchanan people. One a these days I may do a number on it myself. mbs -Original Message-From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]]On Behalf Of Joel BlauSent: Wednesday, February 09, 2000 6:10 PMTo: [EMAIL PROTECTED]Subject: [PEN-L:16180] Re: Re: Drazen's new book?Sure, but from the blurb, this book looks like more than simple public choice theory. "He proposes that conflict or heterogeneity of interests should be the field's essential organizing principle, because political questions arise only when people disagree over which economic policies should be enacted or how economic costs and benefits should be distributed." The "interests" are certainly there, but the tone of the blurb (and it may be inaccurate or incomplete) sounds more synthesized and middle of the road than classic Buchanan. Joel Blau Jim Devine wrote: In the new Princeton University Press economics catalogue, they are featuring a new book by Allan Drazen entitled Political Economy in Macroeconomics. Does anyone know anything about this book? Does it represent an attempt to reclaim "political economy" from the left? I don't know that book (and would be interested in hearing about it), but political economy was "rescued" from the left a long time ago, by people like James Buchanan and the Virginia school.Jim Devine [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://liberalarts.lmu.edu/~jdevine
Re: Re: Re: smartness
Brad De Long wrote: Why is there this extraordinary--eager--desire to take Keynes's quote out of context? Remarkable, isn't it? Didn't Hayek offer the charming interpretation that Keynes's queerness made him not care about the future? Doug I missed this. Where? Brad DeLong
More Trademark Insanity
Date: Wed, 09 Feb 2000 16:20:04 +0100
From: Annick Bureaud [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Subject: Syndicate: Proces contre Leonardo / Leonardo under attack
LEONARDO SUED !
ENGLISH PRESS RELEASE
PRESS RELEASE FEBRUARY 2000
LEONARDO
French Association Founded in 1967 and On the Web Since 1994
Under Legal Attack for Using the Name " Leonardo "
Court Suit Threatens the Existence of a Non-Profit Organization
Dedicated to Bringing Together Art and the New Technologies
For the Past 30 Years
THE FACTS
On November 3, 1999 a bailiff and eight policemen carried out a
search directed against the Leonardo Association, raiding a private
residence. This highly unusual procedure was followed by the filing
of a lawsuit against Leonardo by the Transasia Corporation and two
co-complainants.
Transasia has just recently registered the names Leonardo, Leonardo
Finance, Leonardo Partners, Leonardo Invest and Leonardo Experts in
France. It is suing Leonardo for a million dollars in damages and
interest on the grounds of trademark infringement.
Their basic argument is that a search engine request using the keyword
"Leonardo" brings up not only the Transasia's sites but also the Web
sites affiliated with the Leonardo arts organization.
As part of this suit, Transasia has asked that Leonardo be forbidden
to use the word "Leonardo," not only on its Web sites, but in any of
its products and services, including its publications. This strikes
at Leonardo's right to exist.
LEONARDO: for 30 years the world's premier champion of a closer
relationship between the arts and the sciences, providing information,
promoting exchanges and stimulating thinking on both sides.
The Leonardo Association is a French non-profit organization.
Together with the International Society for the Arts, Sciences and
Technology (ISAST), it works to forge an international community of
artists, scientists and students.
John Cage, Franck Popper, R. Buckminster Fuller have participated in
Leonardo, an artistic and academic network founded in Paris during
the 1960s by Frank Malina, a space science pioneer and kinetic artist.
For 30 years now Leonardo has been dedicated to promoting artists
who use science and the new technologies in their work. Its activity,
long centered on print media, now also includes a Web site and online
publishing.
The broad juridical implications of the Transasia suit are of a matter
of serious concern for all those involved in the Net. The Leonardo
Association, conscious of what is at stake in this case, is preparing
a legal defense based on three main arguments:
Net Democracy: Forbidding someone to use a particular keyword means
facilitating access to some sites and obstructing access to others.
This is inequitable and contrary to the spirit of democracy that
characterizes the Net.
The principle of antecedence ("first come, first served"): Leonardo
magazine has been published and circulated internationally for
three decades. It has been available online as an MIT electronic
publication since 1994 (mitpress.mit.edu/Leonardo).
Thus suit betrays a bias in its choice of target: Search engines
looking for the keyword "Leonardo" come up with many Web pages,
some of them dedicated to Leonardo da Vinci and others to Leonardo
DiCaprio!
LEONARDO'S ACTIVITIES
__
(c) OLATS (Observatoire Leonardo des Arts et des Techno-Sciences)
www.olats.org
The Leonardo Observatory for the Arts, Sciences and Technology (OLATS)
is a research group whose work is presented on a mainly French-
language Web site. OLATS offers information, guidance and potential
links between the arts and science and technology. It encourages
the production of technologically-based artworks and helps bring
scientists and artists together. This site is affiliated with the
Leonardo Association, which for 30 years now has played a major role
in providing information, promoting exchanges and stimulating thinking
on both sides.
The VIRTUAL AFRICA Project
Virtual Africa is a multimedia project whose mission is to build
bridges between artists and intellectuals in Africa and the rest of
the world.
In January 2000, OLATS/Virtual Africa sponsored The River Festival,
in which a group of international artists, most of them working in
new media, gathered to travel down the Mouhoun River in Burkina Faso
and meet with their counterparts in that country. Together they
have produced artwork in the villages and hold workshops with local
artists, school children and street kids. In November-December 2000
and May-June 2001, all of these artists will tour Europe.
The PIONEERS PRECURSORS Project
Technological art has a past, but does it have a memory ? Through
rigorous online documentation, the PIONEERS PATHBREAKERS Project
aims to resituate the importance of artists such as Nicolas
Schoffer, Nam June Paik, Rauschenberg, Stockhausen, Takis, Tinguely,
whose thoughts and work were so influential for the evolution of
Pessimism over Japan
NY Times op-ed, February 9, 2000 RECKONINGS / By PAUL KRUGMAN The Japan Syndrome When Japan's Kansai International Airport was being planned, there was considerable uncertainty over how much the artificial island on which it sits would sink. The officials in charge chose to accept the lowest, most favorable estimate; as it turned out, the reality has been worse than even the most pessimistic estimate, and despite expensive emergency measures -- and continual assurances from those officials that everything is under control -- the island is still sinking. It's not a bad metaphor for the story of Japanese economic policy in recent years. Japan's government keeps on insisting that its economic strategy has put the nation on the road to sustained recovery, brushing aside both the doubts of outside economists and the growing evidence that the strategy is not, in fact, working. For most of the past year this unwarranted confidence has been supported by a strange consensus on the part of investment analysts, who somehow became committed as a group to the view that Japan's economy is on the mend. And so it came as a shock last Sunday when a senior official admitted that the Japanese economy has almost certainly been shrinking for the last two quarters, which means that by the usual definition it has slipped back into recession. Japan has the dubious distinction of being the first major nation since the 1930's to experience a "liquidity trap," in which even cutting the interest rate all the way to zero doesn't induce enough business investment to restore full employment. The result is an economy that has been depressed since the early 90's, and that in 1998 seemed to be on the verge of a catastrophic deflationary spiral... Full article at: http://www.nytimes.com/library/opinion/krugman/020900krug.html Louis Proyect (The Marxism mailing list: http://www.marxmail.org)
