Alterman's favorite blog is MaxSpeak, which he calls "smart lefty politics" (nice oxymoron). But what does Max have to say that's so smart?
There's an awful lot there not to like, so I'll just mention the example of the gushing praise for the anti-globalization pinheads Max: "Free trade assigns rights to investors at the expense of everyone else." Actually, Max, free trade benefits consumers more than anybody else, so its a good thing. The only sustainable economic arrangements are the ones that recognize the primacy of the consumer, even when that's uncomfortable for investors and producers. Failing to understand the role of consumers in economics is like failing to understand the role of gravity in structural engineering. Try again, Max.
Posted by Stefan Sharkansky at June 04, 2002 01:24 PMSez Shark: "Actually, Max, free trade benefits consumers more than anybody else, so its a good thing."
Actually, Shark, if you read some of these agreements you will find they are devoted to upholding rights to ownership of a particular kind of property (the private kind) on behalf of a particular group (the wealthy).
But even if you were right, you'd still be wrong. What benefits consumers is not necessarily the most desirable state of affairs, since one's ability to consume can be hampered by a lack of income. More desirable for most people is what would benefit wage earners. If you think delivering pizzas is better for wage earners than working on an auto assembly line, than alas we are fated to forever disagree.
The problem is your enthusiasm for breathless, unsubstantiated assertions is not inhibited by an evident lack of credentials. In other words, your bark is worse than your bite -- a fatal flaw in a shark, I would say.
cheers,
max