I call it: Economists Debate Waxman-Markey. Yuck. It begins like this:
Ah! Liberals versus conservatives, economists criticized for their politics … don’t you love the economic debate over … the cap-and-trade part of Waxman-Markey. Did you think I was going to say “economic stimulus” or “health care”?
Paul Krugman, in his September 24th column (“It’s easy being green”), rips those he disagrees with: “the campaign against saving the planet rests mainly on lies” and “partisan opposition to President Obama trumps any concerns about intellectual honesty.” In the article he is ripping Glenn Beck, but in his blog he points the finger at fellow (well-respected) economist Martin Feldstein.
In the middle I defend Feldstein after carefully reading his June 1 piece in the WaPo ("Cap and Trade: All Cost, No Benefit") and the Krugman interpretations (here and here). I also write a paragraph on my twin policy rant (cap-and-trade plus revenue recycling does not equal cap-and-trade). Then I end like this:
... certain economists should quit calling people liars in their public discourse. Not nice.
My climate policy views are closer to Krugman's than Feldstein's but, jeez, you can clarify someone's argument, point out its limitations and even discover errors without calling someone a "liar" and "intellectually dishonest".
Feel free to do your own bit of name calling (e.g., pinhead) in the comments section!
