Wonkette
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]
While I don’t like to make fun of people’s appearance, someone more cruel should make a joke about this monkey and Greenspan.
Norbert:
I didn’t realize that Greenspan was also a very ugly baby.
Norbert: this is what fucking Andrea Mitchell will do to you
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.
ManchuCandidate: muchas gracias
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.”
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.
Norbert: I was thinking Larry King. The suspenders, even.
Ah, the joke about Greenspan has already been done…
Norbert: ManchuCandidate:
I was thinkin’ George Burns.
G’nite Gracie.
Norbert:
Totally unfair: this monkey would have never promoted variable rate AOR, pick and pay, teaser rate, subprime, balloon mortgages to waitresses and car washers.
Fuck, now I understand the internet and housing bubbles! The Federal Reserve was being run by a capuchin monkey. Now I get it!
Iggy Plop:
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…
Iggy Plop: 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.
Y’all are completely off-base. That’s noted architect Philip Johnson.
WadISay: Ron Paul, for me. And George Burns. Also.
Serolf Divad: Baboon mortgages, you say? I beg to diffah.
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/
SayItWithWookies: That’s only the glasses. I think the face is pure Greenspan.
All’s I know is Dr. Doom better get his own reality show, or I’ll be pissed.
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.
I love Maxine Waters, Also. Smack those bitches again
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.
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
Oh - oh, do Volcker next. That’d be a silverback gorilla with an unlit cigar…
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.
I don’t think I mind seeing a few Laissez-faire capitalists do a couple of shifts at the local Burger King.
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!
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.
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.
Who really needs higher education in a post-apocalyptic world? OTOH, those community courses in container gardening might really come in handy.
Min: 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.
Oh… and bankruptcy attorneys will make out well during the next few years…
The world needs more ditch diggers
Min: 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.
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.
Mr Blifil: “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.
qwerty42: 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.
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.
Iggy Plop: 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.