Show Followup (After Class Reading) - 12/30/10

Here are a couple of items we discussed on WMOX today regarding the Haley buzz for 2012. They are:

• The Weekly Standard cover story, The Boy from Yazoo City. This is the one that touched off the national controversy regarding desegregation in the 1960s.
• The Politico story on the friendship between two strong GOP governors and potential Presidential contenders.

- The Professor

The End of Doom and Gloom?

As the year winds down, it is common to make predictions about the future. While the conventional wisdom suggests that the outlook is dour one should remember that the conventional wisdom is often wrong. As general statement, things are generally never as good or bad as the conventional wisdom suggests.

Recently, there have been a number of analysis and opinion pieces that suggests the tide is turning. This week, the Jackson, MS paper, the Clarion Ledger published my piece “Don't Listen to All of the Prophets of Gloom and Doom.” Today, Victor Davis Hanson reminds us that American exceptionalism is still alive and the country historically has periods of self doubt in his article,"End Of American Era? Don't Count On It." If you are fan of economic statistics this series of charts from the Calculated Risk blog, "A Few for Graphs for 2010" suggests the curves are bending for the better. Finally, the New York Times discussed doom and gloom in this article, "Economic Optimism? Yes, I’ll Take That Bet."

Time will tell if the optimists are right or the conventional wisdom are right about the future. I tend to believe that the contrarian view will prevail. It will be interesting to see what turns out next year

Happy New Year!!!

- The Professor

WMOX Agenda - Thursday December 30, 2010

I have returned from the frozen tundra of North Carolina and I will be coming over from the 'burbs of Brandon in the am barring the unforeseen to join the Morning Show crew. As usual we have a full agenda which no doubt will change by the morning or during the show. Here are some of the things on the agenda for the morning:

• Republicans take control of the House. What will the election results say for 2012 and beyond? How does the Tea Party factor both in victories and governing?
• Was Obama a winner or looser in the lame duck session?
• Did Barbour's gaffe damage his 2012 prospects?
• While the earmark ban sounds like it could be garage band made of members of Congress, it is the opening salvo in struggle for fiscal discipline. How big is earmark spending, who gets them and for what purpose? This is one index that Mississippi leads the pack.
• The deficit commission's report. What are some of the options and do will have the will to address the issue?
• A federal judge declares Obamacare unconstitutional. How does that impact the ruling impact its implementation and economics?
• The Great Muddle through continues. Latest thoughts on the economic recovery including the truck index, the unemployment rate, 3rd quarter GDP and other key measures.
  The grand comprise on the Bush tax cuts (no tax increases). What is the good, the bad and ugly from both a political and economic perspective.
• Liberals lack understanding of basic economics according to a recent study. Surprise?!
  What is behind the explosion of interest in Hayek's Road to Serfdom and similar works.
• Book picks: Liaquant Abamed's The Lords of Fiance, Micheal Lewis' The Big Short: Inside the Doomsday Machine, Karl Rove's Courage and Consequences, Niall Ferguson's The Ascent of Money and Warren Kozak biography of General LeMay, LeMay.
• Holiday movie pick, The King's Speech.
• Most importantly, the boys of the winter have returned. Can the Heels knock those evil devils (Duke) off their perch of defending national champions?
• What ever listeners which to talk about.

WMOX now has streaming video and audio so tune in online if outside the airwaves of Meridian. I have a link on my website if you want to log on and join the discussion. We start at 6:15 am cdt and run till just before 10 am cdt. We also have some show archives there.

Looking forward to talking to the folks in Meridian

Advice Not Heeded?

In a article, The Great Slump of 1930, written in 1930 as the Great Depression was getting started John Maynard Keynes wrote: “But to-day we have involved ourselves in a colossal muddle, having blundered in the control of a delicate machine, the working of which we do not understand.” Since Keynes is seen as the father of modern macro and its belief in smoothing out the business cycles it is ironic that his disciples do not appear to heed this advice.

- The Professor

Quote - Margaret Thatcher

"If you are guided by opinion polls, you are not practicing leadership -- you are practicing followship." - Margaret Thatcher

WMOX Agenda - Wednesday December 8, 2010

I will be coming over from the 'burbs of Brandon in the am barring the unforseen to join the Morning Show crew. As usual we have a full agenda which no doubt will change by the morning or during the show. Here are some of the things on the agenda for the morning:

• Republicans take control of the House. What will the election results say for 2012 and beyond? How does the Tea Party factor both in victories and governing?
• While the earmark band sounds like it could be garage band made of members of Congress, it is the opening salvo in struggle for fiscal discipline. How big is earmark spending, who gets them and for what purpose? This is one index that Mississippi leads the pack.
• The deficit commissions report is due soon. What are some of the options and do will have the will to address the issue?
• The Great Muddle through continues. Latest thoughts on the economic recovery including the truck index, the unemployment rate, 3rd quarter GDP and other key measures.
• The grand comprise on the Bush tax cuts (no tax increases). What is the good, the bad and ugly from both a political and economic perspective.
• Liberals lack understanding of basic economics according to a recent study. Surprise?!
• What is behind the explosion of interest in Hayek's Road to Serfdom and similar works.
• Book picks: Micheal Lewis' The Big Short: Inside the Doomsday Machine, Max Hastings' Armageddon: The Battle for Germany 1944-1945, Karl Rove's Courage and Consequences, Niall Ferguson's The Ascent of Money and Warren Kozak biography of General LeMay, LeMay.
• Most importantly, the boys of the winter have returned. Can the Heels knock those evil devils (Duke) off their perch of defending national champions?
• What ever listeners which to talk about.

WMOX now has streaming video and audio so tune in online if outside the airwaves of Meridian. I have link on my website if you want to log on and join the discussion. We start at 6:15 am cdt and run till just before 10 am cdt. We also have some show archives there.

Looking forward to talking to the folks in Meridian

- The Professor