Masterandcomman

It depends on your reason for climbing. If you are competitive and in it for bragging rights, then it makes sense to compare yourself to other climbers, including those from the past. But if you are challenging yourself, then such comparisons are unproductive at best, and could push you into making decisions out of ego.

Politicians also watch their peers interact with lobbyists, and influence peddling is popular D.C. gossip. It's not like they are watching competitors and allies meet with lobbyists and thinking "good and clean."

Assuming that the Fed doesn't adopt NGDP level targeting, do you think that negative rates can have a strong effect if rates are low enough? How much of hurdle are cash, and zero rate alternatives like paying taxes earlier?