RE: McQuaig

[Greg Peisert <gpeisert@jamesgregory.com>]

Thank you Lynn, for your response. I may take a look at McQuaig's book on 
the Myth of Powerlessness in a Global Economy. I am always interested to 
see how those who come from countries where the economy is more centrally 
controlled, and therefore floundering with respect to the U.S., attempt to 
justify their continuing in their failed policies. For example, McQuaig 
apparently disputes the notion that "governments cannot increase their 
expenditures on programs to eliminate poverty and unemployment." Here we go 
again. Back to the "New Deal."
  I don't know how well the reviewer understands the issues that McQuaig 
addresses, but statements like "Canada's finance department and its central 
bank hold views that go further than even the U.S. Federal Reserve, which 
has permitted a small amount of inflation in the American economy to 
maintain a low unemployment rate." reveal an incredible naivete. The reason 
for the low U.S. unemployment rate is not because the Fed has "permitted a 
small amount of inflation." Not even (indeed, ESPECIALLY not) Alan 
Greenspan would make that ridiculous claim!
  At any rate, I'll try to get to it. Take care.

Best,

  --Greg




On Friday, February 12, 1999 3:57 PM, Lynn Hauka 
[SMTP:lynn@evening-star.com] wrote:
> Well, Laura, you said it way better than I could so I'll just quietly go
> erase the original email I was working on ;-)
>
> Greg, in the interest of opening one's mind, perhaps you would bend so 
far
> as to read one or two works by a Canadian author Linda McQuaig. The two
> books that come to my mind are The Cult of Impotence: Selling the Myth of
> Powerlessness in the Global Economy (published in 98) and The Wealthy
> Banker's Wife. She's written others but I've not read them. You can find
> more information at
>
> http://www.oneworld.org/ips2/apr98/04_25_006.html
> http://www.ionline.net/~activist/Columns/950531.html
>
> And in my open attempt to not merely present one side of my argument, I 
give
> you the opinions of Conrad Black, a man whom I suspect would become your 
own
> High Priest, or at least someone to natter with at cocktail time ;-)
>
> http://www.blackenvy.com/pages/src_K41.htm
>
> People matter, Greg. All people. The economy used to serve society. Now 
we,
> as a society, somehow have become the servants, and the almighty buck is 
our
> master. What madness, to have an economy that depends utterly on 
continuous
> growth instead of some kind of sustainability.
>
> Lynn
>
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: noprivacy@essential.org [mailto:noprivacy@essential.org]On Behalf
> > Of Laura Walker
> > Sent: Friday, February 12, 1999 1:11 PM
> > To: Multiple recipients of list NOPRIVACY
> > Subject: Re: WARNING: LONG, On Topic in the "Strategic" Sense
> >
> >
> > Aum to the High Priest Peisert...
> >
> > The only difference between the rhetoric you espouse (and print
> > pages of for
> > the rest of us to swallow) is the party line you have chosen.  You are 
no
> > different from any Democrat, Republican or any other politically
> > affiliated
> > individual, nor do your ideas smack of anything that even resembles NEW
> > solutions to our problems.  These are hackneyed, overused, simplistic
> > "intellectual" rhetoricisms that do nothing to solve the problems. 
 Your
> > "ideas" are just as grounded in tired phrases and worn-out mantras as 
many
> > of our current political leaders' are.