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Arnold Kling - wrong on recession?

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TenTonHorse Posted: Wed, Jun 9 2010 9:48 AM
I don't like the idea of using a single quote to undermine the credibility of an individual, but I found this from an essay entitled "The Sect of Austrian Economics", written by Arnold Kling in 2003. "Today, the Austrians believe that monetary policy has been too expansionary and that another crash is imminent. Instead, I believe that monetary policy could have been more expansionary, and a vibrant economic recovery is under way. Time will tell." Doesn't this severly undermine the Neo-Classical views that Kling and his compatriot Caplan adhere to, or does anyone know if Kling both predicted the crisis and provided an explanation after this was written in 2003? Link to article: http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1021589/posts
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Bogart replied on Wed, Jun 9 2010 12:32 PM

Right away he is wrong about Austrian Economics.  Austrian Economics only predicts that a crash will happen, it can not predict the exact timing of events other than to say sooner or later.  Imminent is far to explicit of a time frame. 

 

As for opionions on monetary policy, Austrians are against monetary policy.  So they will have nothing to say about it that is good.

 

As for a recovery being under way, one isn't.  All the little fudged and re-refudged numbers from the Government and Fed are simply propped up by devalued money and worse government give aways designed to stimulate demand which only end up in allowing too many suppliers to stay in business thus preventing the full correction from happening.  As long as this is the case, recovery will not be possible.

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Thanks for your wise words. It does seem that most people outside the Austrian school are totally ignorant of the actual theory. Except for knowing about the a priori methodology and the anti-credit expansionist view, they know really little of the actual substance. Kling's view though that credit could have been more expansionary really astonished me.

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I always get a kick seeing this kind of thing.

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It's easy to refute an argument if you first misrepresent it. William Keizer

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Kling, like Caplan, is a good mainstream economist; which means he is only usually wrong instead of always wrong.

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