Brad Miller NC-13 -- Grade School Economist Accusation Confirmed

polifrog


Polifrog has referred to Brad Miller as a grade school economist here, here, here, here, here, and most importantly here.

Today Polifrog's assessment of Brad Miller as a man who would be unable to pass Econ 101 (thus a grade school economist) has been confirmed.

In today's Wall Street Journal by Daniel Klein a survey by Zogby International was published. The survey's primary question was:

Who is better informed about the policy choices facing the country—liberals, conservatives or libertarians?

To get to the answer they asked 4835 American adults to what degree dothey agree with eight basic statements concerning economics.

1) Mandatory licensing of professional services increases the prices of those services (unenlightened answer: disagree).
2) Overall, the standard of living is higher today than it was 30 years ago (unenlightened answer: disagree).
3) Rent control leads to housing shortages (unenlightened answer: disagree).
4) A company with the largest market share is a monopoly (unenlightened answer: agree).
5) Third World workers working for American companies overseas are being exploited (unenlightened answer: agree).
6) Free trade leads to unemployment (unenlightened answer: agree).
7) Minimum wage laws raise unemployment (unenlightened answer: disagree).
[8) Restrictions on housing development make housing less affordable. (unenlightened answer: disagree)]

The results were unsurprising:

Here they are, best to worst, with an average number of incorrect responses from 0 to 8: Very conservative, 1.30; Libertarian, 1.38; Conservative, 1.67; Moderate, 3.67; Liberal, 4.69; Progressive/very liberal, 5.26.

Americans in the first three categories do reasonably well. But the left has trouble squaring economic thinking with their political psychology, morals and aesthetics.

How many of the eight questions above would receive an unenlightened response from Brad Miller without the application of contorted logic?

The answer is obvious.

Brad Miller's psychology of quick fixes blinds him from the reality that is the science of economics and limits him to grade school economic thinking. Brad Miller is an embarrassment.





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