[Temporize: To act evasively in order to gain time, avoid argument, or postpone a decision.]
I read something yesterday that made me want to put my fist through a wall. But just in time, I remembered the advice my dad gave me when I was a kid: Whenever you feel like that, count to ten very slowly. That was good advice that still serves me well. Since yesterday, I’ve been counting to ten a lot—specifically, every time I think about that article I read.
In case you missed it, here it is:
GAO chief warns economic disaster looms
I knew that meeting in Austin was coming; I wish I could have attended, as I mentioned in a previous post. I’ve heard the gloom-and-doom message for darn near thirty years now, so I knew what the subject would be, and which numbers would be paraded out to support the message. What I underestimated, unfortunately, was the gullibility of the press. Minutes after the article went up on the internet, my email box started overflowing with messages saying: “Hey Steve, look what the bean counters are saying”; “Doom Speak”; “Here they go again”; and “Shouldn’t this guy know better?”
In short: Yes, they should all know better—and, yes, that includes the Comptroller General of the United States of America.
The gloves are coming off. In a few days, look (here) for a rebuttal to their road-show doom message. I’m consulting with several individuals I know around the country, people who understand in detail how our monetary system works, and who ten years ago started helping me understand it. I hope to include a lot of their input in the article; after all, the doomsday-antidote message I’ve been writing about is not just me talking.
We simply cannot let the fear peddlers go unchallenged as they spread their doomsday message around the country—with so-called economics correspondents sitting wide-eyed and agape in the audience, swallowing every word hook, line, and sinker, like so many groupies at a rock concert...
Sorry, I’m going to stop here and count to ten, slowly. I’m temporizing while I plan the rebuttal.
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UPDATE: Here's the rebuttal.
