Comments on: FDL Book Salon Welcomes Jeff Madrick, The Case for Big Government

By: readerOfTeaLeaves

readerOfTeaLeaves — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 04:14:10 +0000

Great thread; I’ll look for the book.

By: ThingsComeUndone

ThingsComeUndone — Sun, 12 Apr 2009 23:14:25 +0000

Yes it will we have leverage the banks we both know will need more money.
Now we just need some Democrats to get some Stones and make a trade for more Stimulus money in exchange for more bank money.
How do we pay for it End the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan now! Ask the voters do they want more taxes, or no banks the guys fronting the tea baggers will call off their dogs.
Ask the voters do they want more Stimulus jobs or more war?
Ask the voters do they want to cut Social Security, or do the want National Healthcare.
Maybe we need a 5 million man march on these subjects next summer unemployed people, college kids, every African American Obama can get the African American churches to bus in that and we do not let the GOP leave town we keep Congress in session!

By: ThingsComeUndone

ThingsComeUndone — Sun, 12 Apr 2009 23:05:38 +0000

Thanks I look forward to reading your arguments for a bigger Stimulus package:)

By: Hugh

Hugh — Sun, 12 Apr 2009 23:01:27 +0000

he’s not finished. and there are many moderate Democrats and Republicans to deal with…

He is finished. He just doesn’t know it yet. Neither he nor we have endless time and resources to dink around with this. The housing bubble blew up on August 9, 2007. Lehman collapsed over the weekend of September 15, 2008. Obama is screwing up his chance to address things effectively now. When the stimulus peters out at the end of 2010, it is unlikely that an effective second effort will even be possible.

By: Jeff Madrick

Jeff Madrick — Sun, 12 Apr 2009 23:00:16 +0000

thanks. good night all… jeff

By: ThingsComeUndone

ThingsComeUndone — Sun, 12 Apr 2009 22:58:44 +0000

So then less spending on war more on infrastructure, schools etc but overall little increase in spending?
A shift in the tax burden from the Middle Class to the Rich?
I think you disarm the Tea Baggers Big Government talking points I like it!

By: Jeff Madrick

Jeff Madrick — Sun, 12 Apr 2009 22:58:01 +0000

thanks to all at fdl and to richard, dilkgient beyond duty, thanks as well… jeff

By: BevW

BevW — Sun, 12 Apr 2009 22:55:37 +0000

As we come to the end of this Book Salon,

Jeff, Thank you for stopping by the Lake and spending the afternoon
with us discussing your new book.

Richard, Thank you very much for Hosting this great Book Salon.

Everyone, if you haven’t bought Jeff’s new book, here is a link.

Thanks all.

By: ThingsComeUndone

ThingsComeUndone — Sun, 12 Apr 2009 22:55:11 +0000

Because we like these Folk:)

By: Richard Parker

Richard Parker — Sun, 12 Apr 2009 22:55:04 +0000

As we near the end of this session, I want to drive home the following point: the “debate” between “big” and “small” government advocates is nonsensical on its face.

The US government has always been large and powerful, in the first 130 years because it was the nation’s largest landholder and set development policies through it. Second, from the Civil War onward, government’s regulatory powers expanded exponentially as capitalism expanded. Third, from the New Deal on, public sector revenue and spending have been nearly a THIRD of GDP–and that share has fluctuated only slightly whether “small” or “big” govt advocates have been in power. That size has anchored the economy through business cycles (its Keynesian function) and provided public goods and supplementary income to the great majority (the Roosevelt function).

We’ve just come through a period when “small” government has been an utterly inaccurate a description of the actual dominant agenda.

Jeff’s book is enormously important to driving the myths away, and clearing the public square for serious debate about the real choices ahead of us.