It's the Economy (and There's Nothing Stupid About It)

Why do we have the most dynamic economy in the developed world?

Over at Sippican Cottage, part of the answer can be found in this post.

At The Global Perspective, Daniel Harrison has a series of posts that celebrate the economy and take the fools who talk it down to task. First, Greed is Good, then a lengthy post explaining the core strength of the current market run-up, finally, a post showing how ridiculous Daniel Gross is being in Slate.

Larry Kudlow has a couple of choice quotes in support of free trade.

Over at Join Arnold, the Gov. Schwarzenegger campaign's website here's there quick reference guide to the improving California economy.

Things could be better, but the way to greater prosperity isn't greater government control and isolation. Cutting bureaucracy and encouraging global trade will continue to fuel both prosperity, and an increasing quality in the goods available.

Imagine how crappy cars would be if our markets had been "protected" from non GM/Ford/DaimlerChrysler vehicles for the past 30 years (as many wanted to do in the late 70s)? I shudder at the thought of that world.

The globalization of production, and the increasingly direct communication between suppliers and demanders has improved the quality of life for everyone.

Our economy is far from perfect, but it's still the least protected, most global market in the developed world.

Some would claim that our prosperity and dynamism are unrelated to the relative lack of protectionism and isolation (compared to Europe or Japan anyway), but those folks are fools.

UPDATE

Somehow I missed this bit in Lileks' Bleat from today, entirely not unrelated in my opinion.

I made dinner – cornbread-encrusted catfish with cilantro-lime cocktail sauce, garlic-and-olive oil fries, a mixed green salad. Sounds nice, no? All pre-made. The catfish was pre-encrusted and frozen; the sauce came out of a bottle, the fries came with a frozen sauce packet, and the salad was mixed in the bag, presumably not with pig-distributed e.coli. Growing up in North Dakota, fish night meant fishsticks, with fish that had been caught during the Korean conflict and tartar sauce that looked like regurgitated Elmer’s Glue. One of these days I should sit down and tote up all the ways the smaller things are better. It would take me an entire day.