Nick Gillespie on Paul Krugman and "Libertarian Populism"
Nobel-winning economist and New York Times columnist Paul Krugman recently inveighed against "libertarian populism" by attacking Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.), a politician who is neither libertarian nor populist. That's par for the course for Krugman, whom, Nick Gillespie notes, long ago ascended to that realm of top-tier punditry where you no longer even have to engage your self-chosen adversaries.
You can take or leave some or all…libertarian populism—what sort of crazy, pie-eyed dreamer not only thinks that "second homes shouldn't get a mortgage deduction" but that the deduction for first homes "should be capped at $500,000" and then reduced more in the future?!?!—but to confuse it with Paul Ryan's Path to Prosperity is a sign that Krugman needs to get out more often. Intellectual shut-ins are a dime a dozen these days, and they all stink just as bad as the next one.
Hide Comments (0)
Editor's Note: As of February 29, 2024, commenting privileges on reason.com posts are limited to Reason Plus subscribers. Past commenters are grandfathered in for a temporary period. Subscribe here to preserve your ability to comment. Your Reason Plus subscription also gives you an ad-free version of reason.com, along with full access to the digital edition and archives of Reason magazine. We request that comments be civil and on-topic. We do not moderate or assume any responsibility for comments, which are owned by the readers who post them. Comments do not represent the views of reason.com or Reason Foundation. We reserve the right to delete any comment and ban commenters for any reason at any time. Comments may only be edited within 5 minutes of posting. Report abuses.
Please
to post commentsMute this user?
Ban this user?
Un-ban this user?
Nuke this user?
Un-nuke this user?
Flag this comment?
Un-flag this comment?