Reminder: 170 Economists Endorse Bernie Sanders’ Plan To Reform Wall St. And Rein In Greed

[think]

170 Economists Endorse Bernie Sanders’ Plan To Reform Wall St. And Rein In Greed

By Jason Easley on Thu, Jan 14th, 2016 at 2:23 pm

170 of the nation’s top economists have released a letter endorsing Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders’s plan to reform Wall Street.

A letter signed by 170 economists including former Labor Secretary Robert Reich, University of Texas Professor James K. Galbraith, Dean Baker, co-director of the Center for Economic and Policy Research in Washington, DC., Brad Miller, former U.S. Congressman from North Carolina, and William K. Black, University of Missouri-Kansas City endorsed the Sanders plan to reform Wall Street.

The economists wrote:

In our view, Sanders’ plan for comprehensive financial reform is critical for avoiding another ‘too-big-to-fail’ financial crisis. The Senator is correct that the biggest banks must be broken up and that a new 21st Century Glass-Steagall Act, separating investment from commercial banking, must be enacted.

Wall Street’s largest banks are now far bigger than they were before the crisis, and they still have every incentive to take excessive risks. No major Wall Street executive has been indicted for the fraudulent behavior that led up to the 2008 crash, and fines imposed on the banks have been only a fraction of the banks’ potential gains. In addition, the banks and their lobbyists have succeeded in watering down the Dodd-Frank reform legislation, and the financial institutions that pose the greatest risk to our economy have still not devised sufficient “living wills” for winding down their operations in the event of another crisis...

http://www.politicususa.com/2016/01/14/170-economists-bernie-sanders-plan-reform-wall-st-rein-greed.html

ECONOMISTS AN FINANCIAL EXPERTS IN FAVOR OF SEN. SANDERS’ WALL ST. REFORMS

~Snip~

Signers (Institutional listing for identification purposes only):

1. Robert Reich, University of California Berkeley
2. Robert Hockett, Cornell University
3. James K. Galbraith, University of Texas
4. Dean Baker, Center for Economic and Policy Research
5. Christine Desan, Harvard Law School
6. Jeff Connaughton, Former Chief of Staff, Senator Ted Kaufman
7. William Darity Jr., Duke University
8. Eileen Appelbaum, Center for Economic and Policy Research
9. Brad Miller, Former U.S. Congressman and Senior Fellow, Roosevelt
Institute
10. William K. Black, University of Missouri-Kansas City
11. Lawrence Rufrano, Research, Federal Reserve Board, 2005-2015
12. Darrick Hamilton, New School for Social Research
13. Peter Eaton, University of Missouri-Kansas City
14. Eric Hake, Catawba College
15. Geoff Schneider, Bucknell University
16. Dell Champlin, Oregon State University
17. Antoine Godin, Kingston University, London, UK
18. John P. Watkins, Westminster College
19. Mayo C. Toruño, California State University, San Bernardino
20. Charles K. Wilber, Fellow, Joan B. Kroc Institute for International Peace
Studies, University of Notre Dame
21. Fadhel Kaboub, Denison University
22. Flavia Dantas, Cortland State University
23. Mitchell Green, Binzgar Institute
24. Bruce Collier, Education Management Information Systems
25. Winston H. Griffith, Bucknell University
26. Zdravka Todorova, Wright State University
27. David Barkin, Universidad Autonoma Metropolitana-Xochimilco
28. Rick Wicks, Göteborg, Sverige (Sweden) & Anchorage, Alaska
29. Philip Arestis, University of Cambridge
30. Amitava Krishna Dutt, University of Notre Dame
31. John F. Henry, Levy Economics Institute
32. James G. Devine, Loyola Marymount University
33. John Davis, Marquette University
34. Gary Mongiovi, St. John’s University
35. Eric Tymoigne, Lewis & Clark College
36. Trevor Roycroft, Ohio University
37. James Sturgeon, University of Missouri-Kansas City
38. Spencer J. Pack, Connecticut College
39. Thomas Kemp, University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire
40. Ronnie Phillips, Colorado State University
41. John Dennis Chasse, SUNY at Brockport
42. Pavlina R. Tcherneva, Bard College
43. Silvio Guaita, Institution, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ)
44. Glen Atkinson, University of Nevada, Reno
45. William Van Lear, Belmont Abbey College
46. James M. Cypher, Universidad Autónoma de Zacatecas
47. Philip Pilkington, Political Economy Research Group, Kingston University
48. Eric Hoyt, PhD candidate, UMass-Amherst
49. Jon D. Wisman, American University
50. James K. Boyce, University of Massachusetts Amherst
51. Hendrik Van den Berg, Professor Emeritus, Universities of Nebraska
52. Thomas E. Lambert, Northern Kentucky University
53. Michael Nuwer, SUNY Potsdam
54. Nikka Lemons, The University of Texas-Arlington
55. Scott T. Fullwiler, Wartburg College
56. Charles M A. Clark, St. John's University
57. John T. Harvey, Texas Christian University
58. Daphne Greenwood, University of Colorado-Colorado Springs
59. Gerald Epstein, University of Massachusetts Amherst
60. Mohammad Moeini-Feizabadi, PhD candidate, University of Massachusetts
61. Rebecca Todd Peters, Elon University
62. Andres F. Cantillo, University of Missouri-Kansas City
63. Michael Meeropol, Professor Emeritus of Economics, Western New England
University
64. Robert H. Scott III, Monmouth University
65. Timothy A Wunder, Department of Economics University of TexasArlington
66. Mariano Torras, Adelphi University
67. Gennaro Zezza, Levy Economics Institute
68. Wolfram Elsner, University of Bremen
69. Larry Allen, Lamar University
70. John Miller, Wheaton College
71. Chris Tilly, UCLA
72. Sean Flaherty, Franklin and Marshall College
73. Clifford Poirot, Shawnee State University
74. Anita Dancs, Western New England University
75. Calvin Mudzingiri, University of the Free State
76. Roger Even Bove, West Chester University
77. Andrea Armeni, Transform Finance
78. Anwar Shaikh, New School for Social Research
79. Steven Pressman, Colorado State University
80. Frank Pasquale, University of Maryland, Carey School of Law
81. John Weeks, SOAS, University of London
82. Matías Vernengo, Bucknell University
83. Thomas Masterson, Levy Economics Institute
84. Antonio Callari, Franklin and Marshall College
85. Avraham Baranes, Rollins College
86. Janet Spitz, the College of Saint Rose
87. Nancy Folbre, University of Massachusetts Amherst
88. Jennifer Taub, Vermont Law School
89. Irene van Staveren, Erasmus University
90. Yavuz Yaşar, University of Denver
91. Scott McConnell, Eastern Oregon University
92. Don Goldstein, Allegheny College
93. J. Pérez Oya, Retired UN secretariat (Spain)
94. Elaine McCrate, University of Vermont
95. Thomas E. Weisskopf, University of Michigan
96. Jeffrey Zink, Morningside College
97. Scott Jeffrey, Monmouth University
98. Lourdes Benería, Cornell University
99. Frank Thompson, University of Michigan
100. Baban Hasnat, The College at Brockport, State University of New York
101. Ilene Grabel, University of Denver
102. Tara Natarajan, Saint Michael's College
103. Leanne Ussher, Queens College, City University of New York
104. Kathleen McAfee, San Francisco State University
105. Victoria Chick, University College London
106. Steve Keen, Kingston University
107. Heidi Mandanis Schooner, The Catholic University of America
108. Louis-Philippe Rochon, Laurentian University
109. Jamee K. Moudud, Professor of Economics, Sarah Lawrence College
110. Timothy A. Canova, Shepard Broad College of Law, Nova Southeastern
University
111. Karol Gil Vasquez, Nichols College
112. Mark Haggerty, University of Maine
113. Luis Brunstein University of California, Riverside
114. Cathleen Whiting, Willamette University
115. William Waller, Hobart and William Smith Colleges
116. Kade Finnoff, University of Massachuettes-Boston
117. Maarten de Kadt, Independent Economist
118. Timothy Koechlin, Vassar College
119. Ceren Soylu, University of Massachusetts-Amherst
120. Dorene Isenberg, University of Redlands
121. Barbara Hopkins, Wright State University
122. Matthew Rice, University of Missouri-Kansas City
123. David Gold, The New School for Social Research
124. Cyrus Bina, University of Minnesota
125. Mark Paul, University of Massachusetts-Amherst
126. Xuan Pham, Rockhurst University
127. Erik Dean, Portland Community College
128. Arthur E. Wilmarth, Jr., George Washington University Law School
129. Rohan Grey, President, Modern Money Network
130. Tamar Diana Wilson, University of Missouri—St. Louis
131. Radhika Balakrishanan, Rutgers University
132. Alla Semenova, SUNY Potsdam
133. Yeva Nersisyan, Franklin and Marshall College
134. Linwood Tauheed, University of Missouri-Kansas City
135. Michael Perelman, California State University, Chico
136. Janet T. Knoedler, Bucknell University
137. David Laibman, Brooklyn College and Graduate School, City University of
New York
138. Ann Pettifor, Director, Policy Research in Macroeconomics, London
139. Steve Schifferes, City University London
140. Al Campbell, University of Utah
141. Faith Stevelman, New York Law School
142. Kathleen C. Engel, Suffolk University Law School
143. Jack Wendland, University of Missouri-Kansas City
144. Ruxandra Pavelchievici, University of Nice Sophia Antipolis
145. Zoe Sherman, Merrimack College
146. Donald St. Clair, CFP, Financial Planning Assoc. of Northern California
147. Carolyn McClanahan, CFP, Life Planning Partners, Inc.
148. Thomas Ferguson, Senior Fellow, Roosevelt Institute
149. Saule T. Omarova, Cornell University
150. Josh Ryan-Collins, City University, London
151. June Zaccone, Hofstra University
152. Alex Binder, Franklin & Marshall College
153. Albena Azmanova, University of Kent, Brussels School of International
Studies
154. Hans G. Ehrbar, University of Utah
155. Devin T. Rafferty, St. Peter’s University
156. Reynold F. Nesiba, Augustana University
157. David Zalewski, Providence College
158. Claudia Chaufan, University of California-San Francisco
159. L. Randall Wray, Levy Economics Institute and Bard College
160. Richard B. Wagner, JD, CFP, WorthLiving LLC
161. Joseph Persky, University of Illinois-Chicago
162. Julie Matthaei, Wellesley College
163. Peter Spiegler, University of Massachuetts-Amherst
164. James Ronald Stanfield, Colorado State University
165. William D. Pitney, CFP, Director of Advocacy, FPA of Silicon Valley
166. Ora R. Citron, CFP, Oak Tree Wealth Management
167. Susan Webber, Former Associate at Goldman, Sachs & Co.
168. Richard D. Wolff, Democracy at Work and New School for Social Research
169. Mu-JeongKho, University College London
170. Kevin Furey, Chemeketa Community College

https://berniesanders.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/Wall-St-Letter-1.pdf

[Human101948]

1. Unicorns...Pie in the sky!...Rainbows!...Unrealistic!...Smoke and Mirrors!

Are there any I've forgotten?

[think]

4. "Free stuff" is still a popular right wing meme floating around here....

[Human101948]

7. yes! I forgot the most important one!

Thanks a million! (Absolutely free!)

[Hortensis]

57. Keep the plan, but elect the competent candidate.

Hillary in fact is ready to break up the big banks. A genuine contribution Bernie has made to the Democratic party is he has shown that America has the will to break up the big banks, and that will empowers whichever Democrat we elect. So vote for the competent one to make it happen.

Note that recommending we break up the banks -- and who does not want that? -- is not at all the same as recommending we elect Bernie Sanders president. There are many reasons why virtually none of his colleagues in Congress endorse Sanders. He's not the man.

[Human101948]

67. It's not because they love Hillary...they may like her...

and they probably like Bernie. But, they know where the big bucks come from and it isn't the people who have funded the Bernie campaign (myself included.)

By the way, I think you will be sorely disappointed wheh Hillary says it's just too difficult to do anything about the banks and Wall Street because, you know, those Republicans are just too mean.

[Hortensis]

73. Lol. Btw, the Clintons have about $45 mil, accumulated

virtually entirely after Bill's presidency, and every penny intensively scrutinized, legal and accounted for. Profits on all their book sales are legitimate of course.

But, how about we all get together - turn the billionaires and megamillionaires upside down and shake them down good and permanently? So that they won't be offering people anywhere from $75k to a quarter million for a single speaking engagement just for being top-drawer names? Trophy speakers paid for with the big guys' pocket change?

We really can do it. We've done it before, and Obama has already made a start.

[Human101948]

74. I think it is not honest to count only the moola that went directly into their accounts...

The various Clinton Foundations will keep their family living like kings for decades to come. Not sure if it's verifiable but the claim i heard is that the Clinton Foundation gives about 10% of its take to charity. The rest goes to "overhead."

They had some podunk accountant in Arkansas doing the books and recently had to bring in Price Waterhouse Coopers to redo all the tax returns for the past five years. Quite a few irregularities.

[Hortensis]

76. Again, intensively scrutinized. Their enemies, assisted

by people with your attitudes could make you convinced you were a crook and so immoral you couldn't look at yourself in the mirror. Of course, it only works on receptive minds. Money was never what motivated either of the Clintons.

Hillary is a classic do-gooder. A lifelong policy nerd. What does it say about all those people who have paid such intense attention to her all these years and don't know that simple reality? Nothing good, believe me. I'm sure they have good points, but they are not on display in this forum.

[Donald Ian Rankin]

77. You're confusing two things.

The stuff that the phrases you list are often, accurately in my view, attached to is Sanders' costing of his taxation and spending plans.

This letter is about his plans for financial regulation which are, unlike his economic forecasts, not obviously absurd.

[DanTex]

2. How many of these people are actually "economists."

Robert Reich is a lawyer, so that's one down.

[think]

5. Reich was a former professor of social and economic policy at the Heller School for Social Policy

Reich is currently Chancellor's Professor of Public Policy at the Goldman School of Public Policy at the University of California, Berkeley. He was formerly a professor at Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government[2] and professor of social and economic policy at the Heller School for Social Policy and Management of Brandeis University. He has also been a contributing editor of The New Republic, The American Prospect (also chairman and founding editor), Harvard Business Review, The Atlantic, The New York Times, and The Wall Street Journal.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Reich

[DanTex]

9. In other words, not an economist.

[think]

12. What is an Economist. DEFINITION:

What is an 'Economist'

An economist is an expert who studies the relationship between a society's resources and its production or output. The societies studied may range from the smallest of local communities to an entire nation or even the global economy.

The expert opinions and research findings of an economist are used to help shape a wide variety of policies, including interest rates, tax laws, employment programs, international trade agreements and corporate strategies.

http://www.investopedia.com/terms/e/economist.asp

[DanTex]

13. Professional economists have PhDs in economics.

[think]

15. I just gave you the definition of economist . You going to argue with that or just play word games?

[DanTex]

16. By your definition, any jackass can call themselves an "economist."

[think]

17. Post your definition of economist and base it on facts and sources. You started out calling Reich

a lawyer. So far you've been far from the truth in this regards.

[DanTex]

19. I did. Professional economists have PhDs in economics. Reich as a J.D.

[think]

24. You can't find a definition except your own claim. You claimed Reich was a lawyer which is a LIE.

Good grief. Get your facts straight.

Turco, Al. "Democrat Robert Reich says he’s prepared to make a difference in Mass.", Stoneham Independent, March 20, 2002. Accessed April 21, 2008. "Reich started out as a graduate of John Jay High School, a regional public high school in small-town Cross River, New York. Reich then earned a bachelor’s degree from Dartmouth College in 1968 and won a Rhodes Scholarship to study at Oxford where he received degrees in philosophy, politics and economics."

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Reich

[DanTex]

27. It's the definition that professional economists use. It's not complicated. Professional physicist

have PhDs in physics. Professional biologists have PhDs in biology. Doctors have M.D.s. And professional economists have PhDs in economics.

If anyone who "studies society and its resources" qualifies as an economist, then Donald Trump is an economist.

[think]

30. Reich has a degree in economics and is Rhodes Scholar. I gave you the definition of an economist

from a reputable source. You are just playing word games.

Robert Reich has a degree in economics. Get over yourself...

[DanTex]

31. It's not a PhD. A PhD is what makes a person a professional economist.

You're the one playing word games, like I said, by your definition, Trump is an economist, and so is Paul Ryan.

[think]

38. Show me a source for definition Dan. Seriously. And do you still claim Reich is a lawyer?

[DanTex]

43. Reich has a J.D., which makes him a lawyer. A PhD is the professional degree for economists.

Like I said, once you start watering it down, you end up with people like Paul Ryan being considered economists. Do you think Paul Ryan is an economist?

[dragonfly301]

34. Bill Clinton had Reich head his economic transition team

back in 1992 - must be a passable economist by Clinton standards.

[DanTex]

37. That doesn't make him a professional economist.

[dragonfly301]

44. Yea it kind of does

he was paid to give his expertise on economic matters - doesn't get more professional than that.

[DanTex]

45. Nope. Professional economists have PhDs.

[dragonfly301]

48. It's silly season filled with silly posters

you win - Robert Reich knows nothing about economics and I can't believe Bill Clinton picked him to head his economic transition team. Silly, silly people. I'm off to do something constructive - phonebanking for Bernie.

[DanTex]

50. I can see why Bernie fans want to water down the definition of economist. Maybe I would too

if I were trying to defend proposals that plainly don't add up.

[revbones]

28. Apparently you are constrained to the field in which your specific degree is in

regardless of the field in which you work or have other experience.

I wonder if under the "definitions" of some, whether one PhD would negate the previous one for multiple doctorate holders. I wonder if those that only have a masters or bachelor's would be shocked to learn that their chosen career path is now negated by DanTex's definition. All those engineers that aren't engineers! Wow! No wonder our infrastructure is crumbling!

[DanTex]

39. Hey, if you want to call Paul Ryan, an "economist", be my guest.

[revbones]

46. I mostly just don't reply to you, but I wanted to mention that I think you replied to the wrong

comment. Wilt the Stilt mentioned Paul Ryan.

[DanTex]

49. No, I was replying to you. If you want to water down the definition of economist to the point

where people who can't do arithmetic and thus believe Bernie's numbers qualify as "economists", then you're gonna have to include Paul Ryan as well.

[think]

51. You called Robert Reich a lawyer. Talk about being out in the complete blue yonder....

[DanTex]

53. He has a law degree.

[revbones]

55. Sigh

I never specifically avoided including him, but rather stated that I think the field in which one works provides some legitimacy. Think has provided credentials showing Reich both worked in the specific field in question AND has degrees in the field.

Did I miss a comment that specifically said Paul Ryan wasn't an economist? I went back and looked and only saw yours and Wilt's saying he was.

Your definition was the only one that specifically and only included degrees - so as usual you're really arguing against yourself.

[DanTex]

56. You can consider Paul Ryan an economist if you want. I don't. Because to me economists

are experts who, you know, have actually studied economics at the highest level. And the thing is, if you water down the definition, you end up including Paul Ryans and Larry Kudlows, and even people like Lou Dobbs.

The thing is, the more expertise a person has, the less likely they are to believe in Bernie's fantasy numbers.

[revbones]

58. As usual, you are arguing against yourself

Your premise was that Paul Ryan is an economist because he has a degree in economics.

Again, I never mentioned Paul Ryan except in response to you. Nor did I substantiate your claim of the degree being the sole credential of an economist. My point was completely different. It really is like you don't even read what you are responding to, and that would seem to indicate some personal deficiency and justify my normal preference for just avoiding responding to you - since it just goes down a rabbit hole of you planting flags of victory when there is none to be had.

I would suggest you re-read the thread and get your argument straight.

[DanTex]

60. Nope. I'm arguing against the attempt by you and others to water down the definition of

economists in order to claim that "economists" buy Bernie's numbers. I mentioned Paul Ryan and Larry Kudlow and Lou Dobbs, because if we adopt your definition, that anyone who thinks about the economy is an "economist", then you have to include those people as well as Robert Reich.

[revbones]

61. Again, you should re-read the thread before embarrassing yourself further

But then, that seems to be a common hobby.

"Think" provided credentials for Reich that both included his work in the field as well as his degrees. "Think" is correct by both the actual definition and your own bogus one of only degree holders being economists. You however, are incorrect.

You are the one in this thread that created both the bogus definition of what an economist is, and then created bogus examples of people you think are economists by your own bogus definition.

It really is quite funny. Well, funny and sad...

[DanTex]

62. I've read it. You keep dodging the arguments.

Reich's credentials do not include a PhD. If you water down the definition, you get people like Paul Ryan and Larry Kudlow, who "study" economics and thank and write about economics, but aren't actually economists.

Having a PhD isn't a "bogus" definition, it's the standard academic definition of what a professional economist is. Just like doctors are people with M.D.s. You can include late night-infomercial salesmen hawking diet books as "doctors" if you want. Not me.

[revbones]

65. ROFL There's the standard DanTex "You keep dodging"

Thought something was amiss there. Glad I don't have "dodge" as a drinking game word with your posts on DU. My liver would revolt.

I'm not dodging anything. You really are just adorable in your willful avoidance of re-reading this thread.

So your point is that a person can only hold the working title of someone in the field if they have a PhD? So, by that logic those people with 4 year degrees or master's, etc... are not permitted to use the professional working title of their field? A lot of engineers would find that rather shocking.

If someone has a PhD in economics, but then works as an engineer most would call them an engineer. If they made their living as a mystery writer, most would say they are a mystery writer (possibly saying they also had a degree in economics). No your deliberate redefinition of "economist" in some attempt to restrict it to prove someone else wrong is comical.

No, having a PhD is not "bogus" but you have not provided any legitimacy to your point that it is the only relevant criteria. You are the one stating that Reich is not an economist because he supposedly doesn't have a PhD. You avoiding responding to where Think provided the definition for an economist.

Just because you feel that you can redefine words such as "economist", doesn't mean that others will honor or respect your newly created defintions.

It's hillarious that you make a point and then argue against it. It speaks volumes...

[DanTex]

66. The simple fact is that professional economists have PhDs.

There are plenty of people who write in grandiose terms about economic topics but don't have the same level of expertise as professional research economists. These are people like Robert Reich and Larry Kudlow. They are not professional economists.

And, yes, a PhD is very different from a masters, because to get a PhD you have to write a dissertation, which is an original research contribution to the field you are studying. A masters is just a few more courses after a Bachelor's degree. A PhD is the induction into being an expert in a field, at the research level.

Oh, and to your silly analogy: if someone has a PhD and economics and then writes novels, they are both a novelist and an economist. Just like someone who has an MD and writes novels is both a doctor and a novelist.

[revbones]

68. Doubling down?

Awesome.

Just because someone has a degree in a field, does not mean that they practice that field. If you are unable to see that, then you may have other issues. Generally speaking, when people call themselves something in that manner, it's related to the field they practice or work in, not necessarily the one they may be educated in. I think if you ask a PhD holder that writes mystery novels for a living they will call themselves a writer and at best say "I'm a novelist, and I also have a degree in economics", but then the point you don't really get is that it is subjective and people can call themselves whatever, regardless of societal norms and that's the loophole you hope to exploit in order to claim a victory over randos on a message board. This my friend, does not speak highly of other goings-on that you might have in your life.


Regardless though, the fallacy of you trying to narrowly redefine the term "economist" to allow you to discredit someone, or plant that victory flag in this thread speaks volumes about you yourself. If you are unable to see that, well then...

[DanTex]

69. Standing pat, because I'm right and you're wrong.

And your personal attacks notwithstanding, professional economists have PhDs, just like doctors have MDs. It's the standard academic definition. Trying to lower the standards of expertise for people who can't see through Bernie's fantasy numbers is silly. The lowering intellectual level is a theme among Bernie supporters. Remember the poll trutherism and all the conspiracy theories?

Fortunately, the Democratic electorate hasn't fallen for it.

[revbones]

72. Yes.

You certainly believe you're right. And you may believe that rabbit holes like this are productive and useful for some reason - which is why I had been trying to avoid responding to some of your comments.

Again, you are just promoting a subjective definition as fact. That you do not realize this, and are doubling down on it and spending so much time promoting it because everyone else must be wrong on something subjective is both funny and sad. Even though you won't admit to such, my hope is that deep down you realize this and just cannot admit it, because otherwise it would mean you truly believe your subjective opinion to be fact.

Feel free to continue down this rabbit hole all you want. You know you're just using cheap tricks to try to plant that flag of victory. If it makes you feel better, then have at it. It's plainly obvious to anyone that took time to read your posts in this thread that you are wrong and just can't admit it. My assumption after seeing many of your posts here is that this is a very common occurrence.

Some go into each comment or post here thinking "If only everyone saw things from my point of view they'd understand that they're wrong about everything I say they are..." Usually, when you rely on utopian "If only other people people..." patterns of thought the problem may not be with "other people".

What's your end-game here? What would allow you to plant a victory flag? If I agree that your subjective definition is true in a limited regard, but that the broader more accepted definition is even more true thus proving 'Think' more correct? That's really all you're going to get. Is that reward enough for your effort?

[think]

63. NPR & CBS News call Robert Reich an economist. Are they lying?

Reich Blames Economy's Woes On Income Disparity

September 29, 201012:45 PM ET
Heard on Fresh Air

Economist Robert Reich isn't surprised at the anemic economic recovery from the meltdown in 2008. His new book, Aftershock: The Next Economy and America's Future, argues that the economy isn't going to get moving again until we address a fundamental problem: the growing concentration of wealth and income among the richest Americans...

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=130189031

CBS News calls Rober Reich an economist:

Robert Reich, a political economist who served as secretary of labor in Bill Clinton's administration, endorsed Bernie Sanders for president on Friday.

In a statement, Reich commended Sanders' call for a "political revolution" to "get the nation back from the moneyed interests that now control so much of our economy and democracy."

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/robert-reich-endorses-bernie-sanders/

[DanTex]

64. Great that you have such confidence in the MSM, but their standards aren't the same as the standards

of the economics profession.

[wilt the stilt]

21. Paul Ryan is an economist

He studied economics at U of Miami ohio.

[wilt the stilt]

3. Robert Reich is not an economist

he studied economics. that is like saying Paul Ryan is an economist because he was an economics major at U of Miami ohio.

[think]

6. He was a professor of Economic policy.

Reich is currently Chancellor's Professor of Public Policy at the Goldman School of Public Policy at the University of California, Berkeley. He was formerly a professor at Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government[2] and professor of social and economic policy at the Heller School for Social Policy and Management of Brandeis University. He has also been a contributing editor of The New Republic, The American Prospect (also chairman and founding editor), Harvard Business Review, The Atlantic, The New York Times, and The Wall Street Journal.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Reich

[wilt the stilt]

10. He is still not an economist. n/t

[think]

22. By the very definition of the word Robert Reich is an economist. Quit lying.

[wilt the stilt]

35. like dantex said

shitty definition. they usually have PHD's in economics. Show me where he is respected as an economist by a group of peers.

[revbones]

52. This is just a rabbit hole

that goes deeper and deeper with some individuals refusing to see truth and facts no matter how many are presented. Think is obviously correct and even provided both a formal definition and credentials.

Just because you choose not to see facts and try to create your own definition does not make your opinion a fact or true.

[noiretextatique]

70. I admire your tenacity

In the face of such persistent and dishonest obdurance

[HumanityExperiment]

8. HRC is not a liberal / progressive

HRC studied liberal / progressive policies and ideology but doesn't adhere to them since that's like saying she does just because she wears the 'blue' Democratic jersey

[astrophuss42]

11. This.

[Octafish]

78. Voted for war in Iraq.

Voted to get the Banksters off the hook.

[BernieforPres2016]

14. There would be multiples of 170 economists recommending this

were it not for Wall Street endowed chairs and consulting contracts for professors and banksters on University Board of Trustees.

[marions ghost]

47. yep

some would be too compromised.

[marions ghost]

18. Thank you

A good rebuttal to all those who say Bernie's economic plan is unworkable.

[pdsimdars]

41. But you have to admit, Hillary's plan is much more direct and simple . . "You guys cut it out."

And I mean it!

[Jefferson23]

20. Excellent reminder..thank you! K&R

[SamKnause]

23. K&R

[Kang Colby]

25. False. This is a lie.

The ONLY Bernie policy they acknowledge support for is passage of a 21st century Glass-Steagal. I also agree with that.

https://berniesanders.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/Wall-St-Letter-1.pdf

No one with any shred of academic credibility in economics has endorsed the broad range of Bernie's delusional policies.

#berniemath

[pdsimdars]

40. You would be incorrect sir.

[Kang Colby]

59. Not at all.

#berniemath...need I say more?

[ladjf]

26. This is a very impressive list of economists that endorse Bernies

Wall Street reform plan. I don't believe that there is an equally qualified list that objects to Bernie's plan. Who are we on DU to simply declare that Bernie's ideas won't work when highly regarded economists think that Bernie is correct?

[dlwickham]

29. I'm sure people could find an equal number to oppose his plans

[think]

32. These economists took the time to write a letter of approval. Where are the economists you speak of?

[pdsimdars]

36. Yea, where's the link????

I remember Krugman used to be their water carrier until he finally had to admit that it was all nonsense on his part.

[noiretextatique]

71. Why don't you post it?

I'd love to see it.

[pdsimdars]

33. And can someone reminds us of Hillary's plan?

Oh yes, she told them to "cut it out."

Well, there you have it. She's got to be the one serious candidate.

[Faux pas]

42. Kickin' for reference

[amborin]

54. K&R

[Uncle Joe]

75. Kicked and recommended.

Thanks for the thread, think.

[Octafish]

79. William K. Black as Attorney General and every Bankster is behind bars.

"And so the saying in the savings and loan industry is true again: Holder was chasing mice while lions roam the campsite."

After Eric Holder Resigns, A Look at His Record on Bank Prosecutions

Former financial regulator Bill Black says Holder's legacy on "too big to fail" is "too big to jail"

The Real News - October 3, 14, 2014

EXCERPT...

PERIES: So what raced through your mind as you heard the news this morning about Eric Holder's resignation?

BLACK: Well, I'll focus on the areas I know about. And in your introduction, the war on whistleblowers will be the most relevant part, along, of course, with the complete strategic failure, the greatest strategic failure in the history of the Department of Justice, which I once worked at, against elite white-collar crime epidemics.
And so Eric Holder has surprised me. I always predicted that he would at least find one token case to prosecute some bank senior executive for crimes that led to the creation of the financial crisis and the global Great Recession.

PERIES: Why did it surprise you, Bill?

BLACK: Well, he's actually going to leave without even a token conviction, or even a token effort at convicting. So, in baseball terms, he struck out every time, batting 0.000, but he actually never took a swing. So he was called out on strikes looking, as we would say in baseball. And I couldn't believe that he would leave without at least having one attempted prosecution against these folks. So he hasn't done the most--he never did the most elementary things required to succeed. He never reestablished the criminal referral process, which is from the banking regulatory agencies, who are the only ones who are going to do widescale criminal referrals against bank CEOs, because, of course, banks won't make criminal referrals against their own CEOs. Holder could have reestablished that criminal referral process in a single email on the first day in office to his counterparts in the banking regulatory agencies, and he's going to leave never having attempted to do so.

On top of that, if you're not going to have criminal referrals from the agencies, the only other conceivable way that you're going to learn about elite criminal misconduct of this kind is through whistleblowers. And as you mentioned, this administration, and Eric Holder in particular, are known for the viciousness of their war against whistleblowers. What the public doesn't know--and it doesn't know because of Eric Holder--is that in the three biggest cases involving banks--again, none of them, not a single prosecution of the elite bankers that drove this crisis--all three of those cases, against Citicorp, against JPMorgan, and against Bank of America, were made possible by whistleblowers. Eric Holder was the czar at the Department of Justice press conferences in each of these three cases, and he and the Justice Department officials, the senior Justice Department officials, at those press conferences, never mentioned the role of the whistleblowers--never praised the whistleblowers and never used those press conferences as a forum for asking whistleblowers to come forward. And so your viewers should take a look at the Frontline special on this, where the Frontline producers made clear that as soon as word got out that they were investigating the area, dozens of whistleblowers came forward, and each of them had the same story: the Department of Justice had never contacted them.

So, instead of going after the big guys--by the way, they didn't go after the small CEOs either. I keep talking about elite CEOs, for obvious reasons: they cause far greater damage. But there are all these CEOs of the not very big mortgage banks who are not prestigious, who are not politically powerful, and Eric Holder refused to prosecute them as well. What did he do instead? Well, he prosecuted several hundred mice. And so the saying in the savings and loan industry is true again: Holder was chasing mice while lions roam the campsite.

And most disgraceful of all, the official position of the Justice Department and the FBI, as I've written and quoted from their annual reports on mortgage fraud, is that mortgage fraud is largely supposedly an ethnic crime, with particular disfavored ethnic groups, like Russian Americans. This is (A) not true and (B) an obscenity, for the Department of Justice in particular, which is, after all, charged with preventing this kind of discrimination. Not only is the Justice Department and the FBI spreading this absolute lie about ethnic guilt, but they're following through, and they are disproportionately prosecuting folks of disfavored minorities. And that is a particular evil and disgusting thing that will be on the tombstone of Eric Holder when historians write about him.

CONTINUED...

http://therealnews.com/t2/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=31&Itemid=74&jumival=12433

I believe many who wonder: "Who is an economist?" may never find a clue as to why We the People deserve austerity. Thankfully a few DUers have noticed that austerity is not what we deserve.