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["Lisa K.V. Perry" <lisakvperry AT gmail.com>]

On Fri, Jun 20, 2008 at 2:11 PM, Don Bowen <don.bowen AT earthlink.net> wrote:

> >Who is your favorite economist?
>
> Difficult question.  For many it is whoever has out the most recent book.


I replied to Gene's question under the other thread.

Allen Greenspan is a current favorite but he should be better known as the
> serial bubbler.  He aided and abetted the easing of credit rules, changing
> Social Security rules, and significant expansion of credit, all that feed
> to
> both the current credit crunch and the ever growing federal deficient.  His
> book was an attempt to paint his record a better color than it deserves.


I haven't yet read his book (it's in the stack), but based on the above, I
don't have much respect for him. He had more power than God and helped cause
our current problems with Fed policies or things he said or alluded to
saying (in those interesting over-analyzed speeches he made).

>
> Kevin Phillips is not an economist but write on the economy.


Just picked up his '04 book, *American Dynasty*, subtitled "Aristocracy,
Fortune, and the Politics of Deceit in the House of Bush" at a used
bookstore for $2.

Paul Krugman, Nouriel Roubini


Had them on my list as well.

Bill Mollison is a good read.  His concerns rotate around Peak Oil and
> Climate change.


I didn't think of him.

>
> Brad Setser at http://www.blogs.cfr.org/setser was a member of the Fed's
> Board of Directors.  His views are more conservative than Bernake


I almost mentioned him but put down Brad DeLong, the other Brad.

I also gave a nod to Dr. Kurt Richebacher, are you familiar with him? He
passed last August but was the real deal, an old school Austrian economist.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kurt_Richeb%C3%A4cher

I recommend:
*The Great Crash 1929* by John Kenneth Galbraith (an oldie but goody)

*Financial Reckoning Day* (2003) by William Bonner with Addison Wiggin
*
Empire of Debt* (2006) by Bonner and Wiggin

Lisa



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