Quote Originally Posted by tedteague View Post
Just wanted to propose a question . . .
In the wake of the big economic recession, almost everyone has become an economist overnight and I can't go anywhere without hearing about why the stimulus bill isn't working or when employment will pick back up again. Normally, I love it when people talk to me about these things, but the truth is, I can't take it anymore. I'm currently an economic grad student, and if things go according to plan, I'll be getting my Ph.D in about 2 more years, and from that point of view, all these people who just read internet blogs are CLUELESS. Then it struck me, if most people don't really understand the economy (it took me 4 years of undergrad and will take at least 5 more years), then theres a pretty solid chance nobody in DC does either.
So, the question is . . . should we leave the economy to the economists (trust me, I'm painfully aware that little group of pretentious a-holes can't agree on anything), or do we let everyone have a say, regardless of qualifications?
I guess you answered your own question when you said economics wasn't about controlling the economy.

The best argument against democracy is a five minute conversation with the average voter, but that doesn't mean something else is better. Replacing the right to free speech by a right to free speech when talking about something about which you are qualified to speech sounds pretty terrible. You might be able to have a conversation about economics, but god forbid you want to comment on the quality of a movie without your PhD in an appropriate arts field.