Can't argue with that.

The Italian job

Well, we have to endure such appalling mistakes

Inflation treadmill

What bothers me is we are undertaking these blunders under a PhD economist

Perfect piece!

on how creating more legislation to enhance government efficiency will fail here

When economics deems public services to be inefficient, legislative measures to redress such inefficiencies become redundant. Yet, what does not seem to decrease is public support for such wasteful legislative actions. The futile chase for an “effective” Lokpal to curb corruption is another example. In that case, too, the votaries of a “strong” Bill ignored these realities. The reason could be both the economic irrelevance and economic ignorance of voters in the political market.

In the democratic political market, the value of an individual’s vote amongst a million others is essentially infinitesimal. What this entails is voters possessing very little incentive to get educated on public policy to shape government action in a positive manner. But some argue that political competition would steer economies towards sounder public policy.

I love the sentence about voters not having the incetive to get educated on public policy - that is so true!

I am not surprised

A Bill that won’t work

The last line of the piece says it all - a law created to win votes.

Harsha gets it right

in his piece here

Age tends to dull ambition. A weary body rebels against being driven again. "The Eye of the Tiger" sounds good in the movies. But if he can summon the desire, there might still be some magic left. I'd love it to be so.

Could not have said it any better. One can hope!

The hypocrisy of the article is quite funny

David Brooks on "Brutality Escapades"

The article is on how the mighty in your surroundings get to set the norm which are what most people abhor but still follow. Now all this is fine, My problem with his piece is this.

Americans and Europeans tend to think it is self-defeating to engage in cyberattacks on private companies in a foreign country. You may learn something, but you destroy the trust that lubricates free exchange. Pretty soon your trade dries up because nobody wants to do business with a pirate. Investors go off in search of more transparent partners.

But China’s cybermercantilists regard deceit as a natural tool of warfare. Cyberattacks make perfect sense. Your competitors have worked hard to acquire intellectual property. Your system is more closed so innovation is not your competitive advantage. It is quicker and cheaper to steal. They will hate you for it, but who cares? They were going to hate you anyway. C’est la guerre.

 

Now this is ridiculous - US was the first country that adopted any form of defeating your enemy - remmeber the CIA and its intervention mechanisms. Now that Chinese have figured out way authors like Brooks start critiscizing them as if the US and the west ahs always been a Saint. Remember English ruling all over the wolrd and plundering money David?

anyway.. 

 

A rebuttal on aakar patel's piece

Damned lies and statistics

How Mr. Patel became a journalist is beyond me. To claim Indians are as safe as Americans in terms of terrorist violence is just laughable.

Anyway...