The Stand-Up Economist: a personal favorite

This is true, informative (if you have already tirelessly memorized the original ten principles) and worth the watch. It’s the basic idea behind two of my favorite quotes about economists:

If you spent fourteen minutes talking to an economist, you’ve wasted twelve minutes. – Author Unknown

If all economists were laid end to end, they would not reach a conclusion. – George Bernard Shaw

It’s the problem with economics, and a lot of other things in this world. People who become experts don’t always know everything, but they have more resources. In the world in which I live, repeating something still doesn’t make it true, how about in your reality?

The trouble with relying on statistics…

Statistics can lie. In fact, all statistics are generated by studies funded by someone interested in finding something. Different research groups get together with an aim and, especially in the social sciences, they either publish all of their successes or abort the project. A bright line can be drawn between social scientists (including myself) and natural scientists. That particular science community is self-checking and one of the most reliable bodies of highly trained problem solvers on this planet. In the “debate” about global warming, how often are you presented with real studies of the issue, done by true scientists? I’ve heard some 3rd-degree evidence, such as the fact that Pluto is warming (and climate changes are being recorded on nearly every other planet in our solar system) and therefore our planet’s warming is not the result of human activity. This seems very convincing until you try to find actual studies, and the methodologies and findings from the study.

It is easy to find analysis and coverage (especially on talk radio) of these studies, but much more difficult to find and examine as a researcher. I am not claiming there aren’t a few scientific studies disproving global warming, but the media blitz set to dumb down and polarize the debate have done an incredible job. You could be led to believe that the debate is raging within the science community, and it’s really not. To what extent humans do negatively and can positively affect our planet is a debate, but the fact that humans have contributed to rapid degradation of some of our vital resources isn’t a question. Some environmentalist causes are complete nonsense, and so are some free market entrepreneurs’ money-making schemes. The point is to have the issues we do agree on sorted out and tackled first, let researchers argue over details and not put every cause and issue under the same umbrella.

A few points of the hype to avoid getting caught up in:

Al Gore’s theory of global warming – This is not one man’s theory, this is one man’s philanthropic goal and a majority of scientist’s viewpoint on climate change and the effects humans can have on the planet. If you’re attaching Al Gore’s name to everything Green, you’ve been swindled by someone. He’s involved, but he doesn’t get a cut of your tax credit for making your home more energy efficient.

Not every environmental issue is global warming – They shouldn’t even be billed as such, the umbrella of Green has put the stamp of sloganized consumerism all over anything remotely friendly for the environment. For example: if you think we can breathe for long on this planet after we’ve clear-cut every forest, you’re wrong. If you think we’ll cure many more diseases when the rain forest frog population has gone extinct. That isn’t to say we chain ourselves to trees, but stop the PR campaigns and admit what the agreed problems are, there are many.

Gas prices are about economics, not the environment – If you had 100 diamonds and only 3 people wanted to buy them, how would you go about maximizing your profit? If you now still have only 100 diamonds and thousands of people want them, would you leave prices the same? This is much the same as the gas price debacle. It has nothing to do with profiteering oil companies. If anything they take more risks being where they are in the Middle East and being liable for employees who need serious protection. This doesn’t make it right, but they aren’t gouging us during a war time. Something different is happening: India and China are developing. In the same way our population and way-of-ease exploded in the twentieth century, so are those of India and China as we speak. That means the teenagers of wealthy parents might be driving a car to school. That means more two-car homes. That means two countries with populations over a billion apiece have more drivers on the road. Demand goes up, prices go up. We need to eliminate our dependence on foreign oil and all fossil fuels if we are to stay ahead in this world. It’s the American thing to do.

This was all sparked by a blog by Charles Wheelan, an economist and columnist for Yahoo! discussing the problem with job conversion to overcome skill jobs lost overseas and due to a slumping economy, and his link to how a lack of education is part of the issue. I would say to Dr. Wheelan he’s accepted an incomplete idea when he looks at statistics like unemployment rate by education to justify his hypothesis, that we cannot use empty buildings and available labor workers to train and build a new green energy infrastructure.

Although I generally agree with Dr. Wheelan, this just isn’t a very solid argument. His thought experiment can be considered another way: how many screw-ups do you know who still never lost their shot at a good job because of their situation at birth? How many hard-working people (or people at all) do you know in the poorest neighborhoods and rural areas in our country? Education is another indicator, a symptom maybe, but not the direct cause of anything. This argument falls flat at the point you realize pursuing an education (for some even beyond 8th grade) is not an equal opportunity. You can easily make it look like a race argument, but it’s truly just another sad testament to the shrinking middle-class. Here are my skillful questions:

Are standardized tests in wealthy, well-served schools the same as those in schools in the Phoenix area which do not have any maps in their history classrooms (except for the few instances where the teachers were able to provide one?

Are the common jobs people do around those same schools similar in any way? Is the school surrounded by Doctor’s and Dentist’s offices tested using the same material as those who walk by a Church’s chicken and a row of unused (except for the loitering junkies) office spaces?

Soon to come: my laundry list for improving our education system.

Digg: Could the President have a prisoner’s eye poked out?

Thirty pages into a memorandum discussing the legal boundaries of military interrogations in 2003, senior Justice Department lawyer John C. Yoo tackled a question not often asked by American policymakers: Could the president, if he desired, have a prisoner’s eyes poked out?

Or, for that matter, could he have “scalding water, corrosive acid or caustic substance” thrown on a prisoner? How about slitting an ear, nose or lip, or disabling a tongue or limb? What about biting?

by Dan Eggen, Washington Post, April 6, 2008 pg. A06

I highly recommend reading all of the article, it is a sad mark of where our nation has been and is headed if the people do not take the reigns. Things like this don’t happen “for a reason”, and there’s never anything people did to justify their own suffering, but we have total control over the future. When it comes to government, there are things which will ensure every American doesn’t shoulder the guilt of wars waged against people who tried to kill your daddy. Instead of trusting elected fools with the lives of Americans who wear the uniform, I have two ideas for a better America.

National Initiative for Democracy – This project is working to institute something similar to the initiative, referendum and recall system which implemented in 11 states, including Arizona. The idea is simple, if I can get a certain amount of signatures (say 10% of last elections total turnout), I could get certain legislation introduced to be weighed by the people in the next election. Recall also allows for appointed judges to be recalled, this would eliminate the need to accuse and the existence of “activist judges”. Sometimes the will of the people comes out in odd ways, and sometimes it is a judge with an agenda.

Transparent Government – This concept hasn’t had near enough elaboration, but it’s safe to say that in the Google Age, we can make any information accessible. We just need government cooperation and willingness to take a magnifying glass to their cushy jobs with frivolous fringe benefits. I’ve represented the movement with a great resources site. I’ll admit I’m not as well versed as I need to be, but I’ll continue to bring you my findings, with links to the sources.

Please feel free to comment and add to the discussion/fuel my research. All I want is the truth, and yes, it does hurt.

[UPDATE: I found a video of a reporter saying that as a result of this “torture memo” many top officials may be indicted for war crimes. I’ll believe that when I see it, but it’s nice to know at least someone wasn’t afraid to speak the truth. These men committed war crimes. At the point we realize this war was unnecessary and took our attention off the real target, who was a sworn enemy of Saddam Hussein, we should also realize lies got us into the war and the liars who manifested them are guilty of war crimes. What the public decides to do with that is their collective prerogative. Sources: original story from the Washington Post, video and analysis from the Huffington Post.]