Well, here's some good news
Mar. 18th, 2008 08:14 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
conuly
People are more willing to embrace trains nowadays than before - like, really. Those statistics are very surprising.
Probably more because of money than the environment, but same difference. And (re)building rail lines - that's economy stimulating, isn't it?
My knowledge of history has weird gaps in it (well, I did grow up in the US, y'know), but I have this vague idea that The Cure for the Great Depression was a heck of a lot of public works projects. And, uh, a war. But seriously, that's why nobody ever goes "Gee, FDR - there was a crappy president if I ever saw one!", isn't it?
Of course, if that view I have is correct, we're probably totally screwed, I know.
Probably more because of money than the environment, but same difference. And (re)building rail lines - that's economy stimulating, isn't it?
My knowledge of history has weird gaps in it (well, I did grow up in the US, y'know), but I have this vague idea that The Cure for the Great Depression was a heck of a lot of public works projects. And, uh, a war. But seriously, that's why nobody ever goes "Gee, FDR - there was a crappy president if I ever saw one!", isn't it?
Of course, if that view I have is correct, we're probably totally screwed, I know.
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no subject
Date: 2008-03-19 02:15 pm (UTC)They didn't seem to have confusion about why the problem is taking place, unlike the experts in the article you linked to in another post… The consensus seemed to be that the real problem is actually a lack of rational, calm thought: traders became irrationally afraid banks would become insoluble, so they're doing things to protect themselves that unfortunately are making the banks unstable. There's no nice, rational, economic explanation because this time it's all about messy human emotions.
no subject
Date: 2008-03-19 10:52 pm (UTC)Well, yeah, but I don't recall it either :) Thanks for the link, though - I'll love to see it, when I have a spare second. Right now I'm dead tired.
The consensus seemed to be that the real problem is actually a lack of rational, calm thought: traders became irrationally afraid banks would become insoluble, so they're doing things to protect themselves that unfortunately are making the banks unstable.
Oh. Like if you're worried there'll be a run on the banks, so you go to take out all your money, and the people who see you do the same thing, and then - hey, the bank's out of cash!, that sort of thing? But, uh, bigger?
no subject
Date: 2008-03-19 02:15 pm (UTC)They didn't seem to have confusion about why the problem is taking place, unlike the experts in the article you linked to in another post… The consensus seemed to be that the real problem is actually a lack of rational, calm thought: traders became irrationally afraid banks would become insoluble, so they're doing things to protect themselves that unfortunately are making the banks unstable. There's no nice, rational, economic explanation because this time it's all about messy human emotions.
no subject
Date: 2008-03-19 10:52 pm (UTC)Well, yeah, but I don't recall it either :) Thanks for the link, though - I'll love to see it, when I have a spare second. Right now I'm dead tired.
The consensus seemed to be that the real problem is actually a lack of rational, calm thought: traders became irrationally afraid banks would become insoluble, so they're doing things to protect themselves that unfortunately are making the banks unstable.
Oh. Like if you're worried there'll be a run on the banks, so you go to take out all your money, and the people who see you do the same thing, and then - hey, the bank's out of cash!, that sort of thing? But, uh, bigger?