Today has seen another milestone over here at Diary of a Republican Hater as Scott Sumner's mentor, George Selgin left me a comment on my post yesterday about what a libertarian paradise would look like.
http://diaryofarepublicanhater.blogspot.com/2011/12/what-is-libertarian-paradise.html?showComment=1322835507055#c8723737076522045629
Curiously I also made the cut over at the Voluntarist Daily-as they are featuring my post there.
http://paper.li/alexmerced/1315970087
Do they think I am a libertarian? Oh well, they spelled my name right, as if that's hard to do-Mike Sax. Selgin wrote this comment to the post:
"As you've characterized me in previous post as being "from" the Cato Institute, and here as running "in similar circles to [Hans-Hermann] Hoppe," I feel compelled to chime-in to tell you to take more care with that broad brush of yours, and to consider the possibility that my views are simply...my views."
That's his first paragraph but there's more. Still what stands out is that he is complaining about me characterizing him as being "from" the Cato Institute in a previous post. I totally missed that until now: he has read me before. He is a repeat customer. You hear that Scott Sumner? You may claim to have better things to do than read Diary of a Republican Hater but this is not true of your mentor! Let us return to Selgin's comments:
"True, I am a Senior Fellow at Cato; but that honorary designation carries neither a salary nor any obligations to shape my arguments to conform to Cato's official line, whatever that might be. (If you want to claim that I'm bought and paid for I guess you should claim that my views are really those of the University of Georgia, which does pay me a salary!)"
"As for traveling in Hoppe's circle, as someone who has perhaps written more critically on his and his pals' views on money, and especially on fractional reserve banking (which they attack and I defend), than anyone else on the planet, I suppose I might be accused of "traveling" with them, but only in the same way that a pack of hounds "travels" with a fox!"
"Indeed, I don't even call myself an Austrian economist, having rejected the label long ago, largely in order that I should not be lumped together with HHH and his sorts. Nor do I consider myself a libertarian, for that matter: I prefer my opinions a la carte."
"Lastly, Rothbard always opposed free banking; so here as well you misconstrue the relation between his ideas and mine. "
Overall I think he has a fair gripe. I did perhaps draw too broad a brush in speaking of him "running in the same circles" as Hoppe. I wasn't trying to be unfair to him but rather was just remarking on the uncanniness of coming across Hoppe in the Naked Capitalism piece after reading about Hoppe the same morning for the first time in a discussion with Selgin. So I answered him thus.
"Let me say this overall George. I by no means mean to misconstrue your views. You were not really the focal point of the piece-again as Yves Smith did that piece about Hoppe I reflected on the fact that I had just heard of Hoppe that very morning-in connection with you. I agree that I don't know that you and Hoppe share similar views on the sorts of things I commented about above. You have indicated that you don't and I respect that."
As to the Cato Institute, for my part-and some liberals disagree with me-I don't necessarily have a problem with someone working for the Cato Institute. If someone puts forward an argument I trust my own critical faculties enough to judge it on its merits without having to reject it out of hand because this person may have been affiliated with Cato in any capacity at all in any point in his or her life. I have actually read some work out of Cato that's at least interesting. Selgin says he is not paid by them and this point is well taken.
I actually find Selgin's ideas-mostly in the form Sumner's gives them-as interesting and maybe even offering us the best road right now out of the financial mess we're in-though unemployment is now down to 8.6% today! Imagine how cruel it would be for the GOP if the economy comes back despite how much they have tried to tank it?
I feel like we here at Diary of a Republican Hater, however deserve to reflect just a little on the milestone of having such a distinguished reader/commentator as George Selgin and look back on other milestones at the fledgling news outfit.
There's the time Nick Rowe answered my post
. http://diaryofarepublicanhater.blogspot.com/2011/11/on-scott-sumners-intellectual.html
http://diaryofarepublicanhater.blogspot.com/2011/11/nick-rowe-answers-my-post.html
This lead Brad Delong to place the above link on his TwitterStorm. What impressed him was my ability to get the words "Nick Rowe" and "Snookie" into the same conversation. Brad if I asked you to do it again would you hold my special pleading against me?
http://diaryofarepublicanhater.blogspot.com/2011/11/now-i-make-brad-delongs-twitterfeed.html
Mr. Krugman it's your turn-I know you've read me-or at have at least glanced. Please put in an appearance and at least acknowledge your awareness of my existence. You don't want to be like the hero's idol in the movie who disappoints by not acknowledging his fan!
Let me finish by reproducing my comments to Sumner today: " So that’s Nick Rowe, Brad Delong, Jared Bernstein, and now your mentor himself. Scott I would hate for you to lose relevance by not hanging out where all the cool economists are nowadays!"
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