BS: Obit: J K Galbraith (April 2006)

Subject: RE: BS: Obit: J K Galbraith (April 2006)
From: GUEST,Allen in Oz
Date: 03 May 06 - 02:46 AM

Galbraith wrote of private affluence and public poverty . He understood Americans and Australians very well indeed.

"In an evil society the only place for good men is in jail"

AD

Subject: RE: BS: Obit: J K Galbraith (April 2006)
From: mrdux
Date: 03 May 06 - 02:25 AM

metchosin mentioned the ant language story. here's a link to it, as told by galbraith biographer richard parker. the story is about a third of the way down the page.

http://www.abc.net.au/rn/talks/bbing/stories/s1539282.htm

michael

ps -- i'm sort of new around here, so i hope i got the blue-clicky-maker working properly.

Subject: RE: BS: Obit: J K Galbraith (April 2006)
From: GUEST,Joe_F
Date: 02 May 06 - 09:01 PM

There used to be three kinds of economists: crackpots, hired liars, and John Kenneth Galbraith. Now there are only two.

--- Joe Fineman    [e-mail]

||: The universe is a zillion jiffies old. :||

Subject: RE: BS: Obit: J K Galbraith (April 2006)
From: autolycus
Date: 02 May 06 - 06:35 PM

"The salary of the chief executive of the large corporationis not a market reward for achievement. It is frequently in the nature of a warm personal gesture by the individual to himself."

         Annals of an Abiding Liberal (1980)

Alas, a contemp. economist was interviewd on the Beeb and said no economist reads J.K. now. Alas.


   R.I.P.


   Ivor

Subject: RE: BS: Obit: J K Galbraith (April 2006)
From: alanabit
Date: 02 May 06 - 04:22 AM

Simply one of Canada's best ever exports to the world. He was a man, who effectively demolished any excuses for the inefficiency, cruelty and selfishness of unfair economic systems. Rest in peace.

Subject: RE: BS: Obit: J K Galbraith (April 2006)
From: mrdux
Date: 02 May 06 - 12:36 AM

a few more choice observations:

        "If all else fails, immortality can always be assured by spectacular error."

        "It is a well known and very important fact that America's founding fathers did not like taxation without representation. It is a lesser known and equally important fact that they did not much like taxation with representation."

        "People of privilege will always risk their complete destruction rather than surrender any material part of their advantage."

        "Politics is not the art of the possible. It consists of choosing between the disastrous and the unpalatable."

        "Economics is extremely useful as a form of employment for economists."

                                – John Kenneth Galbraith (1908-2006)

Subject: RE: BS: Obit: J K Galbraith (April 2006)
From: GUEST,Art Thieme
Date: 01 May 06 - 11:02 PM

A great man. His was a time and a philosophy that found an actual moral sin perpetrated by those that practiced usury. And now the laws against it have been removed from the books. Yet another sad and ironic aspect to life in this new century.

Art

Subject: RE: BS: Obit: J K Galbraith
From: gnu
Date: 01 May 06 - 10:34 AM

Excellent reading. RIP.

Subject: RE: BS: Obit: J K Galbraith
From: Metchosin
Date: 01 May 06 - 10:32 AM

Under Roosevelt, Galbraith was in charge of implementing price controls in the US during WWII, to better control greed and gouging.

If I recall correctly, when each corporate executive met with them, crying foul, they signalled each other by wiggling two fingers in reference to ants. Wish I could remember the precise story, it was a hoot. We still use the gesture in this house to indicate someone expounding bullshit.

Doesn't seem to be any such thing directed at Haliburton et al now. Too bad.

Subject: RE: BS: Obit: J K Galbraith
From: GUEST,Scooby Doo
Date: 01 May 06 - 09:55 AM

Thanks for that now i know who has passed on.May his soul rest in peace.
Scooby.

Subject: RE: BS: Obit: J K Galbraith
From: Metchosin
Date: 01 May 06 - 09:45 AM

One of the better thinkers that Canada has ever produced. Many years ago, I read and later watched the BBC production of the Age of Uncertainty. It certainly coloured my view of economics.

A few good Galbraith quotes:

        "Faced with the choice between changing one's mind and proving that there is no need to do so, almost everybody gets busy on the proof."

        "If you feed enough oats to the horse, some will pass through to feed the sparrows." - in relation to trickle-down economics.

        "Under capitalism, man exploits man. Under communism, it's just the opposite."

        "The only function of economic forecasting is to make astrology look respectable."

        "The modern conservative is engaged in one of man's oldest exercises in moral philosophy; that is, the search for a superior moral justification for selfishness."

Sad there doesn't seem to be to many of the likes of Galbraith around now, his ideas are still relevant and desparately needed. A good man and a brilliant mind. RIP.

Subject: RE: BS: Obit: J K Galbraith
From: Peace
Date: 01 May 06 - 09:31 AM

The world could use more like him. He was a man who cared about people. That isn't too common anymore amongst economists. He is something good that Canada gave to the world.

Major works of John Kenneth Galbraith

Modern Competition and Business Policy, 1938.
A Theory of Price Control, 1952.
American Capitalism: The concept of countervailing power, 1952.
The Great Crash, 1929, 1954.
The Affluent Society, 1958.
The Liberal Hour, 1960
The New Industrial State, 1967.
The Triumph, 1968.
Ambassador's Journal, 1969.
Economics, Peace and Laughter, 1972.
"Power and the Useful Economist", 1973, AER
Economics and the Public Purpose, 1973
Money, 1975.
The Age of Uncertainty, 1977.
Annals of an Abiding LIberal, 1979.
A Life in Our Times, 1981.
The Tenured Professor, 1990.
A Journey Through Economic Time, 1994.
The Good Society: the humane agenda, 1996.

Subject: RE: BS: Obit: J K Galbraith
From: GUEST,Crazyhorse
Date: 01 May 06 - 08:19 AM

I'm glad somebody took the trouble to start this. He was a beacon of light throughout the dark years of Thatcher.

RIP

Subject: BS: Obit: J K Galbraith
From: Hrothgar
Date: 01 May 06 - 05:12 AM

A great man, with a dry cynical sense of humour and a healthy approach to academic economics.

My favourites: "The Great Crash", and "Money: Whence it came, and where it went."