Question for Krugman
by Don Boudreaux on December 10, 2009
in Myths and Fallacies, Other People's Money, Politics
Here’s a letter that I sent yesterday to Judy Woodruff at PBS:
Ms. Judy Woodruff
PBS Newshour
Dear Ms. Woodruff:
I enjoyed your interview yesterday with Bruce Bartlett and Paul Krugman. But I wonder if you’re as baffled by Prof. Krugman as I am.
On one hand, Krugman’s voice is America’s most prestigious, loud, and insistent one for concentrating greater power in Washington. On the other hand, he is forever complaining that Uncle Sam is a tool of destructive special-interest groups or is under the influence of stupid ideas (or both). Of course, his distrust of Republicans is as well-known as it is justified. But from your interview we learn that Krugman believes also that today’s overwhelmingly Democratic Congress is, in his words, “extremely dysfunctional.”
I’d like to ask Prof. Krugman why he’s so keen to entrust vastly more resources and power to an agency that, even when controlled by the political party that shares his values and worldview, is “extremely dysfunctional.” Why is he optimistic that an entity that can, and does, so easily malfunction will nevertheless – when vested with greater power – work selflessly and smartly to improve the lives of ordinary Americans?
Sincerely,
Donald J. Boudreaux
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