Just this past Monday Steve Sailer published a fairly lengthy excerpt from an article by a Nobel winning economist, Angus Deaton. The article appeared at the web site of the International Monetary Fund (which is not bookmarked in my feed reader). In the article Deaton—at the age of 78—pretty comprehensively revised his ideas on,well, economics. Here’s the Wikipedia short version of who
Growing up in Detroit I was a forced participant in several unions, UAW, Teamsters among others for part time seasonal jobs. They took a big chunk of my pay but the hourly was better than minimum wage. Every year when I returned to work during school breaks I had to pay another “initiation fee” even though I had paid each previous year. As I grew older, I saw how the only thing the unions really worked hard at was getting non performers and trouble makers out of trouble.
When I graduated from college a took a “car company” security job, we weren’t allowed to join the union because we were the “enemy”. Our crimes, getting drunks taken off the line where they might be injured, stopping employees from steaming, and the sabotaging the conveyor belt that pulled the vehicles down the assembly lines, because they needed an extra break time.
Even in law enforcement I had little need of their collective bargaining groups, love me some right to work state.
As a decades-long member of a public sector trade union I echo this! I was an official for many years and latterly Branch Secretary, and veered very slowly but steadily from regarding this as a "lesser evil" option to utter disgust and contempt for the union. This solidified when unions here in the UK wholeheartedly jumped in with both feet in the race to shun and cancel as many 'covidiots' as they could. Health And Safety being a more reliable lever than wage bargaining.
Prof Deaton, judging from the extracts, is saying very similar things to the authors of White Rural Rage. I'm only two or three chapters in, and quite possibly going to abandon the book, but it is a masterclass in low-rent propaganda. The better title might be Deplorables 2.0
I have a notion that this is what he means by "rising populism", which the authors of WRR prefer to call "threats to democracy". A key allegation that they make is that rural white America is unfairly influential compared to level-headed city folks. They continually refer to this key demographic group while ignoring completely a much more obvious one. I gather both are wearers of small hats so that might be a key reason why.
As for the Economics quants -vs- quals battle: lost a long time ago... but maybe that tide is turning.
It’s funny how social academics work from nebulous constants with their theories (after all they have to begin with axioms) while the power elite deal with reality.
One would think it’s almost as if they were the power elite’s tools or lackeys…..
It’s odd how critical race theory never talks about a particular race while economists never talk about cui bono.
Seems to me that Deaton is having a "spiritual awakening" at 78. Modifying his thinking to take in variables previously unheard of by mainstream 'science' economists e.g. Power (as in influence / political) corruption impact, et al.
I agree with your assessment of Unions too and feel Deaton's examples may be a bit dated. True they played a key role at one time but I recently read somewhere where Union enrollment was at historical lows while also reading California minimum wage increases to $20/hr. Seems as if this is incongruous.
When my agency was still Defense Mapping Agency, some employees wanted to unionize. I'm harking back to approximately 1991. I don't remember if it was with NFFE or AFGE.
A lot of us didn't want the union. We were told, "If you don't want the union, please don't vote." I voted against it. It narrowly failed.
They tried again. I guess the anti types realized they'd better not sit this one out because the second vote overwhelmingly went against unionization.
"Without exception government unions have led to union capture of government and the rise of a privileged class whose interests are at odds with those of the people who fund government".
Absolutely. The class struggle between public sector privileged (and their courtiers) and private sector deplorables has (under the radar) become the dominant class struggle of our times. Identity politics is a technology by which political parties representing public sector (Democrats in US, Liberals in Canada) add votes to achieve an electoral plurality.
Growing up in Detroit I was a forced participant in several unions, UAW, Teamsters among others for part time seasonal jobs. They took a big chunk of my pay but the hourly was better than minimum wage. Every year when I returned to work during school breaks I had to pay another “initiation fee” even though I had paid each previous year. As I grew older, I saw how the only thing the unions really worked hard at was getting non performers and trouble makers out of trouble.
When I graduated from college a took a “car company” security job, we weren’t allowed to join the union because we were the “enemy”. Our crimes, getting drunks taken off the line where they might be injured, stopping employees from steaming, and the sabotaging the conveyor belt that pulled the vehicles down the assembly lines, because they needed an extra break time.
Even in law enforcement I had little need of their collective bargaining groups, love me some right to work state.
The immigration is a good thing is a major Shibboleth. Supposedly tories immigration policy is driven by idea it will increase economic growth.
As a decades-long member of a public sector trade union I echo this! I was an official for many years and latterly Branch Secretary, and veered very slowly but steadily from regarding this as a "lesser evil" option to utter disgust and contempt for the union. This solidified when unions here in the UK wholeheartedly jumped in with both feet in the race to shun and cancel as many 'covidiots' as they could. Health And Safety being a more reliable lever than wage bargaining.
Prof Deaton, judging from the extracts, is saying very similar things to the authors of White Rural Rage. I'm only two or three chapters in, and quite possibly going to abandon the book, but it is a masterclass in low-rent propaganda. The better title might be Deplorables 2.0
I have a notion that this is what he means by "rising populism", which the authors of WRR prefer to call "threats to democracy". A key allegation that they make is that rural white America is unfairly influential compared to level-headed city folks. They continually refer to this key demographic group while ignoring completely a much more obvious one. I gather both are wearers of small hats so that might be a key reason why.
As for the Economics quants -vs- quals battle: lost a long time ago... but maybe that tide is turning.
It’s funny how social academics work from nebulous constants with their theories (after all they have to begin with axioms) while the power elite deal with reality.
One would think it’s almost as if they were the power elite’s tools or lackeys…..
It’s odd how critical race theory never talks about a particular race while economists never talk about cui bono.
Seems to me that Deaton is having a "spiritual awakening" at 78. Modifying his thinking to take in variables previously unheard of by mainstream 'science' economists e.g. Power (as in influence / political) corruption impact, et al.
I agree with your assessment of Unions too and feel Deaton's examples may be a bit dated. True they played a key role at one time but I recently read somewhere where Union enrollment was at historical lows while also reading California minimum wage increases to $20/hr. Seems as if this is incongruous.
Perhaps economics remains an "imperfect" science.
When my agency was still Defense Mapping Agency, some employees wanted to unionize. I'm harking back to approximately 1991. I don't remember if it was with NFFE or AFGE.
A lot of us didn't want the union. We were told, "If you don't want the union, please don't vote." I voted against it. It narrowly failed.
They tried again. I guess the anti types realized they'd better not sit this one out because the second vote overwhelmingly went against unionization.
"Without exception government unions have led to union capture of government and the rise of a privileged class whose interests are at odds with those of the people who fund government".
Absolutely. The class struggle between public sector privileged (and their courtiers) and private sector deplorables has (under the radar) become the dominant class struggle of our times. Identity politics is a technology by which political parties representing public sector (Democrats in US, Liberals in Canada) add votes to achieve an electoral plurality.