2 ms·

Yeah I hate it when the math is too difficult to not screw people over.

• wutbrodo 6y ago
  This is an excellent demonstration of one of the reasons the politics of economic policy is so difficult: so many people think that financial crises are caused and averted by magic, and "math" is simply some detached-from-reality thought exercise. It's the modern version of an ancient villager sacrificing goats to ensure a good harvest and sneering at good irrigation practices or crop rotation. Paying attention to the economic effects of a policy as it ripples through the financial system isn't taking a position on who should be protected or prioritized between (eg) capital and labor. Economic outcomes for labor are downstream of the financial system too, which is why the effects of the 2008 GFC didn't play out as simply "the richest people get slightly poorer". Someone 100% interested in outcomes for the poor and middle-class (employment, income, etc) still needs to understand the "math" of how proposed policy will play out in the real world. You may think you're on the side of the rights of labor/the masses against the rich, but you're actually just standing up for ignorance and blind superstition over reality, an approach which hurts rich and poor alike. (Unless, of course, your only goal is to get high on your own misinformed outrage, in which case, congrats)
  • thinkingkong 6y ago
    Other than misinterpreting an (obviously?) sarcastic comment I'm not sure what point you're trying to make. By all means let's not duck into any blind alleys. But decisions need to be made in a relatively short timeframe, and a lot of investigation itself is typically waved off as "can't replicate, wont fix", simply because it's perceived as difficult.