Comments on: Blog Spotlight: The Mess That Greenspan Made

By: Dr. Kenneth Noisewater

Dr. Kenneth Noisewater — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 15:16:00 +0000

I’d definitely recommend Mr Bednar’s own blog as well: http://njrereport.com
(as well as the national best-of-bubble-breed http://thehousingbubbleblog.com , but you knew that already I’m sure

By: hpov2000

hpov2000 — Sun, 11 Mar 2007 19:05:45 +0000

Now that gas prices is above $3, it time to bring this topic back. Check out the 6 month
chart of gasoline prices here in California at

http://www.californiagasprices.com/retail_price_chart.aspx

Low prices almost exactly during Nov 2006. As the church lady used to say on SNL “Very convenient”

By: Barry Ritholtz

Barry Ritholtz — Sat, 07 Oct 2006 11:25:56 +0000

The terms for the Blog Spotlight are simple: I select the blog and blogger whose work I like, and they submit a piece; I neither select that piece nor edit it. I do not want to assume the role of an editor. The blogger is trying to capture some eyeballs, and its up to them to submit what they think is their best work. In addition to liking Tim's blog, I give him credit for selecting a topic we initially looked at fairly incredulously. Not only did he address the subject in a well prepared and thoughtful manner, but did so in a way that also attracted the MSM -- Slate's Dan Gross discusses the subject here: The Oil Conspiracy

By: Zephyr

Zephyr — Thu, 05 Oct 2006 01:56:44 +0000

I like Tim’s blog. I think it is interesting.

However, one should be cautious when reading a software engineer’s analysis of financial markets and the economy. There is no substitute for training and experience.

By: Eric

Eric — Thu, 05 Oct 2006 01:54:46 +0000

The assassination of Julius Caesar, the Panama Canal Scandal, the Teapot Dome Scandal, Abscam…there’s a famous video of U.S. Rep. Richard Kelly stuffing his pockets with cash during the 1980 Abscam sting operation. “Does it show?” he asks.

By the way, I apologize for that comment about anon’s intelligence–it was terribly rude and a lapse of judgement on my part. The point of all this has little to do with intelligence and much more to do with good or bad habits of thought, which we learn from and pass on to others around us.

By: hank

hank — Wed, 04 Oct 2006 21:39:24 +0000

Wikipedia has a whole list of them:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conspiracy_theory#Real_conspiracies

but once they’re proven true, they’re not generally referred to as conspiracy theories anymore, hence the impression that no conspiracy theories are true

By: donna

donna — Wed, 04 Oct 2006 21:34:12 +0000

During a meeting in the Oval Office, according to Woodward, Bush personally thanked Bandar because the Saudis had flooded the world oil market and kept prices down in the run-up to the 2004 general election.

By: Q-Ball

Q-Ball — Wed, 04 Oct 2006 20:05:16 +0000

“Why not give the question due consideration? After all, conspiracies have happened before.”

Name some.

By: Eric

Eric — Wed, 04 Oct 2006 19:41:37 +0000

Why not give the question due consideration? After all, conspiracies have happened before. If there isn’t one here, then we can hope to dismiss the idea after considering the evidence. If there is one, we could fail to see it by dismissing the idea beforehand.

Barry’s writing has been a constant flow of fresh air in a world full of dogmatic thinking, prejudiced leaps of logic and hypnotic media repetition. In my view, his approach is the right one regardless of success with any particular issue. That’s why I keep reading.

By the way, this

i got as far as the subtitle: “How 18 Years of Easy Money Have Changed the World.” it was all i had to read to identify crackpotism at its worst

is a fairly appalling example of jumping to conclusions. If this reader had bothered to read even a single entry of Tim’s blog, he might have seen why Barry chose to spotlight it first! Or perhaps I credit Mr. Anon with too much intelligence.

By: Humbug

Humbug — Wed, 04 Oct 2006 17:47:12 +0000

To the poster that said:

“Someone needs to take their Haldol. This administration as hosed everything they touch. Katrina, Iraq, Afghanistan, pre911 intelligence, Social Security reform and on and on and on. To say they are smart enough to do anything right is quite a stretch.”

It does seem that way at first blush. Ignore for a moment what BushAdmin has screwed up (near-everything) and look at what they have been successful with. You’ll find that they’ve are not fools. They have simply focused their efforts into areas that enhance the well-being of a relatively small group:

- Energy companies have made millions and enjoyed relaxed restrictions
- Haliburton, et.al. have literally been raking in billions
- Tax cuts for the wealthy
- Their almost single-minded devotion to aggregating power.
-etc.

Sure, they lost Social Security, but BushAdmin has been *very* sucessful for certain businesses and demographics. They have excelled in areas in which they devote their efforts.