Index for 2002


61: Misinformation, by Jack Powelson

"How can so much misinformation be believed by so many people? Get ready to have your beliefs shaken..." [28-Dec-02]

60: Three Stories and a Conclusion, by Jack Powelson

"The conclusion comes from a quotation from Thomas Haskell, economic historian who wrote in 1985: 'In the long history of human morality there is no landmark more significant than the appearance of the man who can be trusted to keep his promises...' " [14-Dec-02]

59: Is Reform Profitable? by Jack Powelson

"How are 'bads' (pollution, unsafe working conditions, unfair treatment of labor, etc.) converted into 'goods'? One way is to pass laws disallowing the 'bads.' Whoever commits them is punished. Another way is for 'goods' to become profitable..." [28-Nov-02]

58: Friends in Business, by Jack Powelson

" 'Good evening, endangered species,' I began my talk at the October dinner of Philadelphia Friends in Business..." [4-Nov-02]

57: Political or Economic Democracy? by Jack Powelson

"Does economic or political democracy come first, historically? Does one lead to the other? Or, do they arrive simultaneously? Actually, these are 'chicken-and-egg' questions..." [25-Oct-02]

56: The War in Iraq: A Threat to Democracy, by Jack Powelson

"One hundred years from now historians will still be questioning how we got into the war with Iraq. They will debate how a country so far on its way to democracy — yet also far from arriving there — reversed course and gave to a single man the power we had taken away from the king..." [18-Oct-02]

55: Listening to Vietnam, by Jack Powelson

"All that we fought for, all that we killed and maimed millions for, came to pass after we had lost the war. Vietnam is no longer beholden to the Soviet Union — indeed, the USSR doesn't exist — and it is socialist in name only, capitalist in fact..." [11-Oct-02]

54: Good Fences Make Good Neighbors, by Jack Powelson

"Fences (real or imagined) tell the world whose apples grow on whose trees, who mows whose lawns, and who has a right to invite friends to a garden party..." [12-Sep-02]

53: Who Will Pay for Water for the World's Poor? by Jack Powelson

"Thirty years ago, at a "starvation camp" in Northern Bolivia, Robin and I watched three persons eke out their week's supply of water from a deep, muddy hole..." [6-Sep-02]

52: A Nation of Extremes, by Jack Powelson

"We are a nation of extremes. Ask economists about the business cycle, and they will reply with the usual theories: underconsumption, overinvestment, and the like. But they can all be subsumed under the rubric 'a tendency to extremes' ... [17-Aug-02]

51: The Great Ship, by Jack Powelson

"Once upon a time a great ship plied the oceans. Resplendent in their glittering uniforms, the officers occupied the top deck. They ate gourmet foods and drank expensive wines in their luxurious dining room, served by a waitstaff dressed in livery..." [2-Aug-02]

50: Why did the Soviet Union Collapse? by Russell Nelson

"Any mathematician could have told us why — or should have been able to predict the collapse as far back as the 1930s..." [19-Jul-02]

49: Conference on Globalization

(Announcement of a conference — 12 July 2002)

48: Accountability, Part 2, by Jack Powelson

"In the recent splurge of corporation scandals, our first thought is to strengthen the power of government to control them. This is vertical accountability. But I prefer sidewise accountability where, with a few exceptions such as children accountable to parents, there is no social hierarchy..." [8-Jul-02]

47: Accountability, Part 1, by Jack Powelson

"From Enron, we have learned that corporations have no brains and no souls. Only the people within them have brains and souls. Without brains, corporations cannot think of their bottom lines. Only people can..." [26-Jun-02]

46: Slavery and the Mystery of Capital, by Jack Powelson

"The greatest imperialists of twenty centuries were Rome, Russia, Spain, Portugal, Ottoman Turkey, Mongolia, the Incas, the Aztecs, and the Islamic countries. None of these experienced an industrial revolution. Britain and France were also imperialists and slave holders, but to a much lesser degree. Rather, their wealth correlates more closely with inventiveness, innovation, and trade..." [30-May-02]

45: Economics Distorted, by Jack Powelson

"The economic system becomes distorted when gimmicks are used to alter not only profits but the income from land and labor as well..." [14-May-02]

44: Profits, by Jack Powelson

"Are profits the life blood of the economy, or do they reflect greed? My answer: Both of these..." [3-May-02]

43: The Commanding Heights, by Jack Powelson

"When Lenin introduced the New Economic Policy in the Soviet Union in 1921, he declared that the 'commanding heights' (large-scale industry, foreign trade, banking, and transport) would be managed by the state..." [24-Apr-02]

42: The Living Wage, by Jack Powelson

"The Living Wage Campaign aims to require cities and universities to pay their employees a 'living wage' and to buy their supplies only from producers who pay similarly. The campaign started in Baltimore in 1995..." [11-Apr-02]

41: Palestine and Israel, by Jack Powelson

"Ariel Sharon has just declared that Israel is at war after the suicide bombing of March 31, just as George Bush declared the United States at war after September 11. Neither needed the approval of the legislature..." [3-Apr-02]

40: Quaker Attitudes towards Business, by Jack Powelson

"Unprogrammed liberal Friends today seem publicly almost uniformly negative about most business activity. I have been to talks at the Pendle Hill Conference Center where speakers casually state that capitalism is the cause of all the injustice and inequality in our world..." [28-Mar-02]

39: What is Economics? by Jack Powelson

"I have always been part of the family I will call 'progressives,' because I love them and feel at home with them. Progressives are people who care about the environment, who want to improve conditions of the poor, and who want a more just world. My problem is, that most of the progressives that I know and love have never studied economics..." [22-Mar-02]

38: Shall the Rich Take Jobs from the Poor? by Jack Powelson

"Jasmine rice is one of the most sought after strains of rice in the world and is grown by over five million families in Thailand, many of whom are in debt and very poor..." [13-Mar-02]

37: NAFTA and Ideological Literature, by Jack Powelson

"Last month Bill Moyers appeared on television to condemn multinational corporations (MNCs) and NAFTA (the North American Free Trade Agreement)..." [4-Mar-02]

36: What is a Classic Liberal? Part 2, by Jack Powelson

"In the classic liberal society, power is distributed among "low-level" people and groups. It is not concentrated in king, shogun, emperor, or democratic government..." [12-Feb-02]

35: What is a Classic Liberal? Part 1, by Jack Powelson

"In a classic liberal society, those harmed by Enron would take Enron to court. Such a society would require a new national outlook, in which individuals and groups take care of themselves instead of entrusting their 'protection' to government. It would beef up labor unions..." [31-Jan-02]

34: Enron and Corporate Culture, by Jack Powelson

"Economists have long known that corporations do not necessarily seek the greatest profit. Instead, each officer within the company wishes to acquire the greatest power and wealth that he or she can..." [25-Jan-02]

33: Exclusion of the Poor, by Jack Powelson

"Poverty is not only low income and no assets. It is a condition of exclusion from the institutions and organizations of modern life..." [15-Jan-02]

32: Skeptical of the Skeptical Environmentalist, by Jack Powelson

"Was I 'taken in' by Lomborg when I wrote 29? Possibly, and I will eat humble pie if I deserve it. Before doing so, however, a few points disturb me..." [2-Jan-02]

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