Thanks for your comments, ID. Surely you’re not arguing there was more income equality in the late 19th Century than today?
ID June 15, 2010 5:41 pm
Mark Levine, I thought you were much more reasonable and less emotional in this discussion than you were in the debate you had with Lee Doren, and I really appreciated that.
As an economist, something that struck me was how, over and over, you made statements that revealed a lack of understanding of economics, particularly when you discussed the nature of the corporation, but also when you discussed the minimum wage, and also–especially–in your statements regarding economic growth, i.e. that the late 1800s saw an increase in the wealth of a small percentage of rich people, while the standards of living of the middle class and the poor stagnated or even fell. This is simply false.
I know it might sound condescending to make book recommendations in a setting like this, but since this is the only contact I have with you, and since I am a teacher by profession, I will do it anyway, and hope that you will not take offense. Lee Doren always recommends Thomas Sowell’s book Basic Economics, so I would like to add my recommendation to his.
In addition, because it sounds like you are so interested in the history and economics of rising living standards today and in the past, I recommend the book Myths of Rich and Poor, by Cox and Alm. This is not a partisan book; Cox is a VP and the chief economist at the Dallas Fed.
Finally, thank you for having this discussion with Lee Doren and making it available to us online; I really enjoyed it. You are passionate about the topics you discuss, and it sounds like you are genuinely interested in the truth. I hope you do read the books I mentioned, and that you thoroughly enjoy them.
Kevin H May 29, 2010 12:18 pm
I am tired of the double talk from both the left and the right! Tell both the Republicans and the Democrats to start checking citizenship at the federal line, state lines, County, City lines, School application lines, Welfare lines, corporate welfare lines, and any other government entitlement lines before anyone tries to force the private sector or small businesses to check citizenship. We the people paid taxes for the government on all levels to seal our border! The USA/Mexican border needs to be militarized with as many soldiers as it takes to stand shoulder to shoulder all the way along the border from the Pacific Ocean to the Gulf of Mexico! Or import 10-14 million Chinese to build a Chinese wall with housing retail and military garrison from the Pacific Coast to the Gulf of Mexico in a joint project to help pay China back the debt we owe them! Tell the illegal Mexicans that they are not getting amnesty and that they don’t have an exclusive right to be here illegally!
peter argenta May 19, 2010 3:48 pm
This was one of the most enjoyable discourses I have ever heard on politics. Bravo to you for bringing on a bona fide conservative and actually letting both sides speak – perhaps a little more of this would raise our collective AMerican IQ – which would in turn of course generate more conservatives 😉
Mark June 16, 2010 1:03 am
Thanks for your comments, ID. Surely you’re not arguing there was more income equality in the late 19th Century than today?
ID June 15, 2010 5:41 pm
Mark Levine, I thought you were much more reasonable and less emotional in this discussion than you were in the debate you had with Lee Doren, and I really appreciated that.
As an economist, something that struck me was how, over and over, you made statements that revealed a lack of understanding of economics, particularly when you discussed the nature of the corporation, but also when you discussed the minimum wage, and also–especially–in your statements regarding economic growth, i.e. that the late 1800s saw an increase in the wealth of a small percentage of rich people, while the standards of living of the middle class and the poor stagnated or even fell. This is simply false.
I know it might sound condescending to make book recommendations in a setting like this, but since this is the only contact I have with you, and since I am a teacher by profession, I will do it anyway, and hope that you will not take offense. Lee Doren always recommends Thomas Sowell’s book Basic Economics, so I would like to add my recommendation to his.
In addition, because it sounds like you are so interested in the history and economics of rising living standards today and in the past, I recommend the book Myths of Rich and Poor, by Cox and Alm. This is not a partisan book; Cox is a VP and the chief economist at the Dallas Fed.
Finally, thank you for having this discussion with Lee Doren and making it available to us online; I really enjoyed it. You are passionate about the topics you discuss, and it sounds like you are genuinely interested in the truth. I hope you do read the books I mentioned, and that you thoroughly enjoy them.
Kevin H May 29, 2010 12:18 pm
I am tired of the double talk from both the left and the right! Tell both the Republicans and the Democrats to start checking citizenship at the federal line, state lines, County, City lines, School application lines, Welfare lines, corporate welfare lines, and any other government entitlement lines before anyone tries to force the private sector or small businesses to check citizenship. We the people paid taxes for the government on all levels to seal our border! The USA/Mexican border needs to be militarized with as many soldiers as it takes to stand shoulder to shoulder all the way along the border from the Pacific Ocean to the Gulf of Mexico! Or import 10-14 million Chinese to build a Chinese wall with housing retail and military garrison from the Pacific Coast to the Gulf of Mexico in a joint project to help pay China back the debt we owe them! Tell the illegal Mexicans that they are not getting amnesty and that they don’t have an exclusive right to be here illegally!
peter argenta May 19, 2010 3:48 pm
This was one of the most enjoyable discourses I have ever heard on politics. Bravo to you for bringing on a bona fide conservative and actually letting both sides speak – perhaps a little more of this would raise our collective AMerican IQ – which would in turn of course generate more conservatives 😉
Ed from NY May 13, 2010 9:33 pm
I’m really enjying this debate!