Paul Krugman - GOP has become the Party of Denial

NYT ^ | May 2nd, 2008 | Paul Krugman

[The_Republican]

During Barack Obama’s Sunday appearance on Fox News, the interviewer asked him for an example of “a hot-button issue where you would be willing to buck the Democratic Party line” and say that Republicans have the better idea.

Mr. Obama’s answer was puzzling because he gave credit where it isn’t due — and thereby undermined what could be a very effective Democratic line of argument.

In particular, Mr. Obama attributed to Republicans the idea that regulation can be flexible rather than a matter of “top-down command and control,” and in particular for the idea of controlling pollution with a system of tradable emission permits rather than rigid regulations.

Well, that’s not at all what actually happened — and the tale of what really did happen has a lot of relevance to current events.

It’s true that the first President Bush established a market-based system for controlling sulfur dioxide emissions, which has been highly successful at controlling acid rain. But by then the idea of markets in emission permits had long been accepted by economists of all political stripes.

And it had also been accepted by leading Democrats. The Environmental Protection Agency began letting cities meet air-quality standards using emissions-trading systems during the Carter administration — which also led the way on deregulation of airlines and trucking.

Furthermore, the sulfur dioxide scheme actually marked a sharp change in policy from the Reagan administration, which — committed to the belief that government is always the problem, never the solution — spent eight years opposing any effort to control acid rain.

[hinckley buzzard]

the Carter administration — which also led the way on deregulation of airlines and trucking.

Not to mention the deregulation of the S&L's. How'd that one work out for ya Krugman, ya phoney.

[mallardx]

All this moron needs to type each week is “Democrats are great, Republicans are stupid and evil.” That’s been his only thesis over the years, and I’ve never seen someone so consistently wrong and misinformed in all my years. What a ninny and a bitter little weasel this “man” is. I bet he wears panties.

[Vigilanteman]

Climate change is the obvious contemporary parallel with acid rain.

And Krugman, once again, confirms that he is a Putzhead on anything to do with economics. The climate change lobby is so uncertain about global warming now, they don't even want us to use the term anymore. They call it climate change instead.

Just when hasn't the climate changed???

And if melting icecaps and rising sea levels were the problem, rather than the need of global warming climate change prognosticators to enrich themselves trading carbon credits, why don't we see serious discussion of a real mechanism to cope with it? Like this:

Qattara Depression

If Greenland melted down completely, 88% of the excess water produced could be contained by flooding the uninhabited Qatarra Depression in northwest Egypt, producing thousands of miles of valuable lakefront property, generating electrical power as water flowed from the Medditerranean to the depression and potentially turning much of the surrounding Sahara Desert into arable land.

It took Greenland 18,000 years to accumulate as much ice as it has now. How long do you think it will take it to melt?

[okie01]

That’s been [Krugman's] only thesis over the years, and I’ve never seen someone so consistently wrong and misinformed in all my years.

Besides being a columnist for the New York Times, his day job is as an economist on the Princeton faculty.

By all accounts, he is as good an economist as he is a columnist.

[HappyinAZ]

And this is why the bonds from NYT have been downgraded to one level above “junk”.....can’t wait fot this paper to go bankrupt!

[griswold3]

They had to change their phraseology to ‘climate change’ because the earth is cooling due to a reduction in solar activity.
I say we send Al Gore to negotiate with the sun god.

[sappy]

I’m sure this op/ed will improve circulation of the Slimes. NOT

[nyyankeefan]

krugman could not find his butt with both hands!!!

[Minn]

By all accounts, he is as good an economist as he is a columnist.

It's hard to be a social scientist when you life's purpose revolves around white hot hatred of anybody who disagrees with your theories. It also doesn't help when you are a petty little troll and a complete idiot.

[buffyt]

If he searches deep enough he will find his head up his buttee.

[mallardx]

This man is not truly an economist, but he most certainly is a Democrat party activist. He gives a bad name to true economists.