In defense of John Gruber

[Peter1469]

This thread is not about Gruber so much as it is about government regulation (http://www.forbes.com/sites/johngoodman/2014/12/09/in-defense-of-jon-gruber/), which is practically all created in ways that lie to Americans and perhaps "stupid" Americans don't realize it.

An interested read for those who are interested.


So what has Jon Gruber done to deserve all this opprobrium (http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/opprobrium)? [My link]


Videos have surfaced in which Gruber says that the “stupidity of the American voter (http://stream.nts.wustl.edu/R131004001/)” and a “lack of transparency (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m54CqiMGe-k)” helped the Obamacare health reform law pass in 2010.



But what’s wrong with that? Virtually every intervention in the economy is based on a deception. As I noted in a previous Forbes post (http://www.forbes.com/sites/johngoodman/2014/11/12/reason-for-big-government-the-firm/), almost all government regulation of the economy is imposed by way of regulation of business. There are very few regulations that are imposed directly on individuals. Why is that? Because people are not aware of the fact that regulation of businesses is actually regulation of the consumers who buy their products and the workers who produce them.

[midcan5]

"But what’s wrong with that? Virtually every intervention in the economy is based on a deception. As I noted in a previous Forbes post, almost all government regulation of the economy is imposed by way of regulation of business. There are very few regulations that are imposed directly on individuals. Why is that? Because people are not aware of the fact that regulation of businesses is actually regulation of the consumers who buy their products and the workers who produce them." from OP

Does that make any sense to anyone at all? Or is it so obvious that stating it is unnecessary? I'll go with the latter. So what, says the average Joe, as he wondered at the regulation about traffic lights and should he really stop. So darn, says the corporate CEO who claims his medicine doesn't need regulation, only a few have died. I'll leave it there as it is beyond me how really really stupid our economic pundits are. Ideology makes fools of too many.

As for Gruber I need to read more to see if he is as much a buffoon as he is made out to be.

[Peter1469]

Midcan, have you ever offered anything that makes sense?

Read the article. If you have real questions about just ask. We don't need the typical drive by non-response.


Does that make any sense to anyone at all? Or is it so obvious that stating it is unnecessary? I'll go with the latter. So what, says the average Joe, as he wondered at the regulation about traffic lights and should he really stop. So darn, says the corporate CEO who claims his medicine doesn't need regulation, only a few have died. I'll leave it there as it is beyond me how really really stupid our economic pundits are. Ideology makes fools of too many.

As for Gruber I need to read more to see if he is as much a buffoon as he is made out to be.

[Peter1469]

More:


When I was a student, what drew me to economics was the joy of discovering the deceptions. Economics was a wonderful tool for separating the claims of politicians and government officials from the underlying reality. I discovered that agricultural price supports (said to help poor farmers) actually harmed consumers, created large surpluses and conferred most of their benefits on the largest farms. Rent control laws not only create housing storages, I discovered that the average tenant had more income than the average landlord. Minimum wage laws may put more money in the pockets of suburban teenagers, but they close off entry-level job opportunities for minority youth – with devastating long-term social consequences.