We make all our choices based on the limited information we have at any one time, doing the best with what we have.
Rule 15: No single choice alone defines who you are.
Rule 16: Whenever possible, it is much more efficient to learn from others’ mistakes than to go through making your own.
Sina: Green eyes are that important to you?
Lisa: Yes.
Sina: What if I wore contacts?
Lisa: Nope. It’s not the same.
Sina: So you can’t be with me because I have brown eyes….
Lisa: Don’t be silly. If one of your parents had green eyes, and you didn’t, that’d be okay.
Sina: …
Sina: I really don’t think you’re appreciating how crazy this is.
Sina: I’m good to take the car skiing on Sunday.
Irena: Wow…you have the nicest dad in the world.
Sina: It’s really not a big deal.
Irena: If I asked my dad something like this, he would look at me as if I’m gone mad.
Sina: Well to be fair, people always think that no matter what you ask. *pause* But in all seriousness, I actually do have the nicest dad in the world.
Kids, you can cheat on a test, you can cheat at a game of cards, and you can cheat on your taxes, but don’t ever cheat on someone you love.
Cashier: That’s $1.94
Sina: Here you go. And can you tell me how much I have left on my gift card? I don’t even know what the original amount was.
Cashier: Sure just a sec……you ha—
Sina: WAIT don’t tell me!! Nevermind.
Cashier: You don’t want to know?
Sina: No I want it to be an adventure each time I use it.
Paul Krugman and I sound way too much alike.
Look, economic policy matters. It matters for real people who suffer real consequences when we get it wrong… [M]y duty, as I see it, is to make my case as best I honestly can — not put on a decorous show of civilized discussion that pretends that there aren’t hired guns posing as analysts, and spares the feelings of people who are not in danger of losing their jobs or their health care.
This is not a game.
Sina Motamedi, 15 December 2011:
And the reason I become so passionate when I talk about this topic is because this stuff matters. It’s not just economics. It’s not just unemployment. It’s not just struggling families. It’s not just quality of life. It really really matters.
Depressed economies create societies where extreme non-tolerance thrives, violence against minorities is accepted, freedom and liberty are eroded, and fascist parties take power. Usually I’m told that I’m being sensational, but we are already seeing this. Look here, here, here, and here. It’s truly scary.
Well, another year in review. Here we go.
This was the year I…
– started to furnish my apartment
– made some huge mistakes
– learned what real love is
– turned back into the man I used to be
– almost died and ended up with a cast on my hand
– tried to atone the past
– had a wonderful summer
– didn’t buy that many tshirts
– developed a slight caffeine addiction
– redefined friendship
– matured 10 years worth of life
– lost big time
– initiated an educated risk
– became a decent macroeconomist
I think that covers it.
I didn’t even know James Brown had a Christmas album. It’s fantastic. (Credit goes to my friend George.)
Now groove with me and also enjoy how my man’s legs move.
I try to convince my economist (and non-economist) friends all the time that the world’s current deep economic slump is a simple demand problem. We just don’t have enough demand. Or in other words, we just have way too much saving. You can talk about debt, you can talk about structural changes, you can talk about demographics, you can talk about all these things, and they may be valid, but these are all things that market economies can deal with as long as the macro picture is stable. What we desperately need right now is more spending and less saving.
I know, it sounds paradoxical, but it’s true. Trust me.
But the question is, why then don’t we just spend more and make all our problems go away? Good question. Let’s play a quick and dirty game that demonstrates why we’re stuck where we are.