• May 27, 2012

Economists All Fired Due To Economy

by Sara K. Smith  11:09 am February 11, 2009

Will draw Laffer curves for food (bananas)Just the other day we were wondering, “What areas of the job market flourish in depressions?” and the answers were, “Repossessions, Netflix, economic analysis, and state unemployment offices, of course,” but it turned out that unemployment offices are all closing. Still, it seemed plausible that economists might have a pretty good lock on a job for a while, as there is no shortage of economic information these days, and who is going to mull that shit over for the masses, bloggers? But no, economists can’t get jobs any more, either, because all of the universities that hire them are going broke. [Wall Street Journal]

{ 40 comments }

Norbert February 11, 2009 at 11:13 am

While I don’t like to make fun of people’s appearance, someone more cruel should make a joke about this monkey and Greenspan.

ManchuCandidate February 11, 2009 at 11:15 am

[re=240998]Norbert[/re]:
I didn’t realize that Greenspan was also a very ugly baby.

nmmagayar February 11, 2009 at 11:18 am

[re=240998]Norbert[/re]: this is what fucking Andrea Mitchell will do to you

ManchuCandidate February 11, 2009 at 11:18 am

Silly ekonamists. So much for studying graphs and mathematical models. That shit isn’t going to help in the new Hobo bean, cardboard box, tinfoil and hand job barter market.

Norbert February 11, 2009 at 11:19 am

[re=241000]ManchuCandidate[/re]: muchas gracias

Iggy Plop February 11, 2009 at 11:19 am

Well I’m not crying for the economics PhDs that can’t get faculty jobs – universities are putting a hiring freeze on for all faculty positions. Economics guys can go get jobs somewhere else and put that shit to use. What the hell am I going to do with my PhD in American Literature in a hobo economy? “Would you like that in sonnet form, sir? $10 for a sonnet, sir. $5 and you can hear my thoughts on Wallace Stevens and the loss of certainty.”

TGY February 11, 2009 at 11:20 am

GHOPAC would like to remind you that pimps are always recruiting. Trick prices may fall, however, sometimes to near microscopic levels (or possibly for free). It’s not like it’s easy.

WadISay February 11, 2009 at 11:20 am

[re=240998]Norbert[/re]: I was thinking Larry King. The suspenders, even.

BillyClubb February 11, 2009 at 11:20 am

Ah, the joke about Greenspan has already been done…

Theodorick Of York February 11, 2009 at 11:21 am

[re=240998]Norbert[/re]: [re=241000]ManchuCandidate[/re]:
I was thinkin’ George Burns.
G’nite Gracie.

Serolf Divad February 11, 2009 at 11:23 am

[re=240998]Norbert[/re]:

Totally unfair: this monkey would have never promoted variable rate AOR, pick and pay, teaser rate, subprime, balloon mortgages to waitresses and car washers.

Red Zeppelin February 11, 2009 at 11:24 am

Fuck, now I understand the internet and housing bubbles! The Federal Reserve was being run by a capuchin monkey. Now I get it!

ManchuCandidate February 11, 2009 at 11:24 am

[re=241006]Iggy Plop[/re]:
Be a traveling bard, singing tales of woe and mockery.

It’s a pretty sweet gig unless you end up working for a guy like Brave Brave Sir Robin and then the severance is a bitch. There was much rejoicing…

BillyClubb February 11, 2009 at 11:24 am

[re=241006]Iggy Plop[/re]: Yeah, but you knew that PhD in American Literature would be hard to use. What about all those guys with degrees in Engineering, Computer Science, Physics, etc., that have no job prospects.

Sadly, we have come to the time when college is a waste of time and money.

SayItWithWookies February 11, 2009 at 11:27 am

Y’all are completely off-base. That’s noted architect Philip Johnson.

magic titty February 11, 2009 at 11:28 am

[re=241008]WadISay[/re]: Ron Paul, for me. And George Burns. Also.

TGY February 11, 2009 at 11:29 am

[re=241011]Serolf Divad[/re]: Baboon mortgages, you say? I beg to diffah.

Miller February 11, 2009 at 11:31 am

Who needs economists? When geniuses like Ben Nelson can be setting our economic policy with a dartboard and a sense that “this number is big” do we really need an educated person with a degree to tell us how to run things? I think not.

http://thesebastards.blogspot.com/

Red Zeppelin February 11, 2009 at 11:31 am

[re=241020]SayItWithWookies[/re]: That’s only the glasses. I think the face is pure Greenspan.

Mr Blifil February 11, 2009 at 11:35 am

All’s I know is Dr. Doom better get his own reality show, or I’ll be pissed.

Sussemilch February 11, 2009 at 11:39 am

The headlines are saying “how will we know if the stimulus is working?” and Obama’s answer is “save or create 4 million jobs.” Well, quick math here: If you pay a “saved” worker 50k in salary and benefits out of an $838 billion package, you should be able to plain hire 4 million people to do nothing until the summer of 2013. Of course if you hand off the money to the financial system to maximize its utility… we should be broke again by March.

nmmagayar February 11, 2009 at 11:40 am

I love Maxine Waters, Also. Smack those bitches again

jagorev February 11, 2009 at 11:45 am

In a just world, all University of Chicago economists would have been burned at the stake by now, and the Glorious Paul Krugman would have been installed as our Demon King and President For Life.

But nooo, we have to respect freedom of speech and the worst that happens to them is that they get laid off.

Mustang February 11, 2009 at 11:49 am

OK yeah. Sure, there are lots of people LOOKING for jobs, but there are no actual JOBS. Thus, there is no need for a job SERVICE.

Anyway Are we going to address the fact that the high exalted Prince of Peace and Hope has turned on his libtards and gone all renditiony?

Geez, we’re like obseeive parents, examining and criticizing every move our kid makes. I say, elect the guy and give him some room. If he screws up — vote him out of office

Lascauxcaveman February 11, 2009 at 11:51 am

Oh – oh, do Volcker next. That’d be a silverback gorilla with an unlit cigar…

WhatTheHeck February 11, 2009 at 12:02 pm

Sara, you got the headline wrong.
It should read: “Economy fired due to Economists.”

As for areas of flourishing jobs, I would think the porn industry will do well, what with all the extra time people now have on their hands, so to speak.

Cape Clod February 11, 2009 at 12:05 pm

I don’t think I mind seeing a few Laissez-faire capitalists do a couple of shifts at the local Burger King.

sackmeister February 11, 2009 at 12:13 pm

Not to disrupt your annual punctuation returns (I know these are tough times!) but could you please go back and put a semicolon in “for the masses, bloggers”? Perhaps my English acumen is off vis-à-vis the fairer marks, but it would really help my family through this difficult period. (Ha!) Thank you!

donner_froh February 11, 2009 at 12:24 pm

The new, folksy, breezy style of the post-Murdoch Wall Street Journal news columns is striking:

“from anthropology to zoology, department budgets are getting cut”.

A to Z–what a brilliant trope.

qwerty42 February 11, 2009 at 12:27 pm

Who needs economists when we have Republicans? To understand the sophistication of their view of the economic problem, consider Sen. Thune’s (R-SD) elegant yet perfectly apt stacking theory. Which pretty much covers everything! So, once we enact permanent, irrevocable tax cuts for the very wealthy, we’ll all be on easy street. also end all that New Deal “social security” stuff and things will be even better.

Min February 11, 2009 at 12:45 pm

Who really needs higher education in a post-apocalyptic world? OTOH, those community courses in container gardening might really come in handy.

shortsshortsshorts February 11, 2009 at 12:48 pm

[re=241094]Min[/re]: I agree. From here on out only survival training shall be taught in grade school. If you want a higher education, you become a warrior.

kentucky February 11, 2009 at 12:53 pm

Oh… and bankruptcy attorneys will make out well during the next few years…

Hooray For Anything February 11, 2009 at 12:53 pm

The world needs more ditch diggers

qwerty42 February 11, 2009 at 1:11 pm

[re=241094]Min[/re]: it will be exciting. people can keep pigs and chickens in the house. it will be like the middle ages! all that RenFaire stuff will be so much more interesting when it is for real. Of course, it may be more like living in a Mad Max world, which might suggest knowledge of construction and use of a bow and arrow would be more useful.

BobLoblawLawBlog February 11, 2009 at 1:29 pm

Sweet fancy Jesus, if economists can’t score funded research right now, I’m going to quit waiting for my Physics grant to come through and try to get Julio’s job at McDonald’s.

HuddledMass February 11, 2009 at 1:52 pm

[re=241032]Mr Blifil[/re]: “All’s I know is Dr. Doom better get his own reality show…”

Do you, by any chance, reference economist Nouriel Roubini? Because that guy is da bomb (or however the youngs express approval nowadays.)

see http://www.rgemonitor.com/blog/roubini/ for Dr. Doom’s latest, titled “It Is Time to Nationalize Insolvent Banking Systems,” for a fun read.

takes12no1 February 11, 2009 at 3:00 pm

[re=241136]qwerty42[/re]: actually we are on the verge of a Dystopian world…think “Bladerunner” vs. ” Mad Max”. Won’t be long before Pakistan and India start trading nukes and we enter post-apocalyptic….and you are right container gardening will be useful in both. I’m thinking of heading to my sister’s place in the country where she grows all her own food, raises chickens for meat and eggs, bees for honey, is thinking of getting a goat and just bought a shotgun.

Maus February 11, 2009 at 3:17 pm

Who hires economists anymore? Thinktanks are all about creating the reality they want to sell, the media would rather hire undereducated pundits to opine, and the public doesn’t want to hear a bunch of negative nancies in between the reality teevees.

Grimnir February 11, 2009 at 11:33 pm

[re=241006]Iggy Plop[/re]: As an economist I think that this is just an example of the bubble in American Literature PHDs self correcting. Sadly, you can’t default on your years of wasted education as easily as you can on a McMansion. Luckily there is a bright side. You are qualified to proofread yard sale fliers. I see a great future ahead of you in Hobo Community Organizing.

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