Thursday, January 29, 2009

With all due respect, Mr. President...

Published 01-28-09 in the New York Times and Washington Post:



Notwithstanding reports that all economists are now Keynesians and that we all support a big increase in the burden of government, we the undersigned do not believe that more government spending is a way to improve economic performance. More government spending by Hoover and Roosevelt did not pull the United States economy out of the Great Depression in the 1930s. More government spending did not solve Japan's "lost decade" in the 1990s. As such, it is a triumph of hope over experience to believe that more government spending will help the U.S. today. To improve the economy, policymakers should focus on reforms that remove impediments to work, saving, investment and production. Lower tax rates and a reduction in the burden of government are the best ways of using fiscal policy to boost growth.


See the signatures here.
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2 comments:

Kendall J said...

I saw this recently too. I think there is a growing level of opposition to Keynsianist policiees. Let's see if it can gain enough momentum to stop these shenanigans.

Great item!

Michael Labeit said...

Ah yes, the appeal to the majority.