the schiff riff
I consider myself a reasonably intelligent person. Usually, I’m quite happy to plow into any hard subject and, with the full freedom of ignorance, give an opinion. Physics, fractals, whatever, I’ll give it a go when it hits my curiousity. But not economics. My eyes glaze over and all arguments sound equally reasonable or unreasonable, as the wind blows. I can’t be bothered to even balance my checkbook. When it gets more complicated than “only spend what you’ve actually earned”, I just have to trust.
It doesn’t keep me from trainspotting the trainwrecks, however, and my ignorance of the mechanics allows me a certain level of aesthetic enjoyment. The following, which I ran across on Sullivan’s blog the other day, is practically musical in its construction: call and response, tension and release, each variation wilder than the previous, anticipation that is satisfied by familiarity and outrageousness.
If anyone deserves to say “I told you so”, it’s this guy. It makes me feel better about not bothering to listen to money pundits over the years, though the fact that Schiff is the only one who doesn’t sound snide and self-satisfied should have probably been a major tip off.
categories: thought
tags: economics, Peter Schiff
posted by boolz at 08:00 pm
You know what is really scary? Some people still don’t believe what this guy is saying…even with it happening right before their eyes.
Thanks for this find! Sometimes, Chicken Little turns out to be right, especially on Fox News.
This was really fascinating….and since when did Ben Stein become a money expert? I think I missed something along the way. Last I knew people were trying to “win his money” away from him on game shows.
Actually, Ben Stein is quite a brilliant man…
From WikiPedia:
Benjamin Jeremy Stein (born November 25, 1944) is an American television personality, economic and political commentator, writer, and attorney. He gained early success as a speechwriter for American presidents Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford. Later he entered the entertainment field and became an Emmy Award-winning actor, comedian, and game show host. He is famous for his monotonous yet humorous voice in acting.
Stein has frequently written commentaries on economic, political, and social issues, along with financial advice to individual investors. He is the son of noted economist and writer Herbert Stein[1] who worked at the White House under President Nixon. His sister, Rachel, is also a writer.
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Here is the direct link, if you want to read the rest about Ben: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ben_Stein