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July 05, 2005

Economic Survey Results

i did my own Consumer Confidence Survey last month, and then promptly forgot about it. i asked you to describe the American economy in one word. Sixteen people participated. Here's the results.

Stupendus
Fine
Jake
robust
healthy
Healthy
Better than Europe's
in transition
Good
growing steadily
boring
duct-taped
Fine
strong
OK
pretty fucked
That's a wide range of answers. i count ten positive responses, four neutral, and two negative.

That means that readers of annika's journal are mostly optimistic about the economy.

i should note that the Conference Board's most recent Consumer Confidence Survey of 5000 U.S. households showed a rise in the index last month. In fact the index is at a three year high.

i know next to nothing about economics. i took one class in it and got a B. But i do know my visitors, and the Conference Board Survey simply proves once again that i have the smartest visitors in the blogosphere.

Posted by annika, Jul. 5, 2005 | TrackBack (0)
Rubric: annikapunditry



Comments

Economics is pretty simple Annika. Just remember. 1)Private property creates. 2)Public property costs.
3)High marginal taxes destroy. 4)Trade is good. 5)Intellectual property is important. 6)A small amount of socialism is necessary (like an innoculation, so you dont get the full blown thing).
7) if you tax or regulate something you get less of it 8) if you subsidise something you get more of it.
Thats about it, all you really need to know.
/damm, I am a great teacher.

Posted by: Kyle on Jul. 6, 2005

We owe our wisdom to you, Annika. Everything that is worth knowing we learned from reading your blog (and Kyle's comments).

Posted by: Jake on Jul. 6, 2005

yer damn right.

Posted by: annika on Jul. 6, 2005

To get a slight elaboration on Kyle's comments, I'd always recommend Henry Haizlitt's Economics in One Lesson. I'm not an economist by any stretch of the imagination and I hate math, but that's exactly the sort of readership it's written for.

Posted by: Dave J on Jul. 6, 2005

As Dave J suggested, Henry Hazlitt published a brief, good book on basic econ. Many of Thomas Sowell's columns (found at Townhall.com) and books deal with economics. Sowell even has a book entitled "Basic Economics" although I have not read it.

Also check out:

F. A. Hayek, The Road to Serfdom

Hernando de Soto, The Mystery of Capital

Milton Friedman, Capitalism and Freedom

Posted by: Mark on Jul. 6, 2005

Some people can't follow directions. It was supposed to be one-word answers.

Posted by: ginger on Jul. 6, 2005