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Who: Kimball Corson. Text and Photos not disclaimed or that are obviously not mine are copyright (c) Kimball Corson 2004-2016
Port: Lake Pleasant, AZ
09 April 2018 | Pago Pago, American Samoa
An Informed Atheist Re-Addresses Christianity
10 March 2018 | Pago Pago, American Samoa
A Progressive Reform Program for America
10 March 2018 | Pago Pago, American Samoa
Supply Side and Libertarians Are Wrong and Not Supported by the Data
10 March 2018 | Pago Pago, American Samoa
How Income Inequality Injures People and the Economy
22 August 2017 | Pago Pago, American Samoa
A Democratic Reform Program for America
22 August 2017 | Pago Pago, American Samoa
The Supply Side Libertarians Are Wrong and Not Supported by the Data
22 August 2017 | Pago Pago, American Samoa
The Rise of Economic Ignorance
22 August 2017 | Pago Pago, American Samoa
The Rise of Corporate Dominance and the Rise of Income Inequality (Part VI)
22 August 2017 | Pago Pago, American Samoa
The Rise of Corporate Dominance and the Rise of Income Inequality (Part V)
22 August 2017 | Pago Pago, American Samoa
The Rise of Corporate Dominance and the Rise of Income Inequality (Part IV)
22 August 2017 | Pago Pago, American Samoa
The Rise of Corporate Dominance and the Rise of Income Inequality (Part III)
22 August 2017 | Pago Pago, American Samoa
The Rise of Corporate Dominance and the Rise of Income Inequality (Part II)
22 August 2017 | Pago Pago, American Samoa
The Rise of Corporate Dominance and the Rise of Income Inequality (Part I)
22 August 2017 | Pago Pago, American Samoa
Racial Hatred Is Confused
22 August 2017 | Pago Pago, American Samoa
What To Do About North Korea
22 August 2017 | Pago Pago, American Samoa
On Neoliberalism
22 August 2017 | Pago Pago, American Samoa
Ban Hate Marches and Assemblies
22 August 2017 | Pago Pago, American Samoa
On Miss Piggy and Mr. Pork
22 August 2017 | Pago Pago, American Samoa
The Demise of the Democratic Party
09 August 2017 | Pago Pago, American Samoa
On Elitism

Scatterbrained Commentary

03 May 2016 | Pago Pago, American Samoa
Kimball Corson
Social commentary and the general media are substantially dominated by what the authors of such media think is important from a macroeconomic viewpoint. But much, if not most, really isn't relevant to understanding or predicting the course of the macro economy. Why that is so is my topic in this essay.

Those addressing, explicitly or implicitly, the macro economic course of events or the direction of the macro economy, or engaged in discussion of one or another topic with those goals in mind, of necessity have some form of macro economic model in the back of their minds, at the very least to determine the relevance of their chosen topic, if not to judge relevant events to come.

The rub for almost all such authors and commentators in those forums is they do not understand or have any sensible, worthwhile or sound macro economic model in mind, and too often are simply following the heard of such commentators and addressing what they seem to think is important. It is often a case of the blind leading the blind.

A core failing here is being unable to distinguish between the financial economy, as engineered by the Fed and Wall Street within the financial sector, and the real economy which deals with the real production and distribution of goods and services and how the two sectors interact and which is overwhelmingly dominant and which draws the commentary.

The habit of mind of such commentators is most often very much unlike that of an economist and very much more alarmist in pursuit of readers and sales. This volume of economic commentary is huge and exceedingly scatterbrained, with little idea of what is meaningfully going on at a macro level in the real economy.

The gamut runs from from 'a depression is coming tomorrow" and "the sky is falling . . . soon" to the macro economy is just fine and our problems are minor, with both groups not really knowing what it is taking about. Everyone is an economist, whether they have any training in the area or not. However, most are not even able to discern what is economically important and why, even though they can muster a savvy sounding economic "news speak," if called upon.

If these groups are noisy and scatterbrained, those who really can do economics and address macro economic matters most usefully, are often too silent and unwilling to participate in the mindless fray which really can't focus on real macroeconomics anyway. Would that the reverse were the true.. So there is much flaying about as the scatterbrains endlessly searching for answers or an economic Messiah on one or another macro topic, if not for assurance, at least for authority.

It is a tiring scene and one that mutilates good economics and that never really recognizes that virtually any economy can have sectoral problems related to the immediate prospects of one or another market, and still not materially affect the macro economy.
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Vessel Name: Altaira
Vessel Make/Model: A Fair Weather Mariner 39 is a fast (PHRF 132), heavily ballasted (43%), high-aspect (6:1), stiff, comfortable, offshore performance cruiser by Bob Perry that goes to wind well (30 deg w/ good headway) and is also good up and down the Beaufort scale.
Hailing Port: Lake Pleasant, AZ
Crew: Kimball Corson. Text and Photos not disclaimed or that are obviously not mine are copyright (c) Kimball Corson 2004-2016
About:
Kimball Corson: I am a 75 year old solo sailor, by choice. However, I did take on a personable, but high maintenance female kitten, now a full grown cat, named KiKiPoo when she is sweet, or KatKatPo after she has just killed something like a bird or bat. [...]
Extra:
Although I was a lawyer and practiced law with good success for thirty years, creating significant new law, I never really believed in the law, the politics of law or in the over reaching self-interest of most lawyers I met. Too much exposure to Nietzsche and other good and seriously thoughtful [...]
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Profile

Who: Kimball Corson. Text and Photos not disclaimed or that are obviously not mine are copyright (c) Kimball Corson 2004-2016
Port: Lake Pleasant, AZ