“Man's mind is a poor recorder, forgetful and vague.”
– sylvia plath





Setting the Rules:
in conversation with
Dean Baker

There is no such thing as just “the market.” You have to set the rules. Sometimes that might be fairly simple; often it’s very complicated. The idea that there is one group of people out there that wants an absolute free market—whatever that could possibly mean—versus another group that wants regulation is silly. The real debate is about how to structure markets. In other words, what are we trying to do? What are the goals?

But we have a framing that says one side is for regulation and the other side is for deregulation. And yet, rarely does the side that says it’s for deregulation actually want deregulation.

 

 


springsummer2011

From The Straddler Archives
fall2010

Advancing Oligarchy: a conversation with James Kwak
"The key attribute of any successful ideology is that people don’t recognize it is an ideology." 		fall2010

Yojimbo and Administration
"Perhaps a different sort of administration, along the lines envisioned by Yojimbo, is better suited to the necessities of our age than is the old-fashioned practice of simply maintaining or optimizing the already existing."		 fall2009
Creating Moses:
a conversation with Yoav Gal
"It’s a little grandiose to pick Moses. The leader. But there are aspects that I think are universal. The women, for example. All of those women characters had a role in protecting him, and building him up. It didn’t seem accidental. "		 springsummer2009
Rane Arroyo's Fake Owl
"Hoot! Hoot! But no one
is afraid or fleeing. Why haven’t I written more love letters?"