justarunner

Dr. Krugman,

First off, thank you so much for doing this AMA. I'll get right to my questions.

• Why do you advocate such aggressive policies by the fed to increase inflation? You even went so far as to say Ben Bernanke not doing so is being "reckless." Was it not very low interest rates by the fed that started this recession? Low rates -> Expansion of credit -> People think there is new real money -> It's really just inflation -> People start investing (in things like the housing market, tech bubble...etc, these should be called malinvestments at this point) -> and then the boom leads to its own bust?

• When you debated Congressman Ron Paul, you stated that cutting spending would actually make things worse for the deficit? How is that possible? Edited* Thanks ashoat!

• What did you think of Epstein's book, Econospinning? It essentially became a diatribe against you. Did you have a response to that? Or did you just brush it off?

• Lastly, why are you so partisan in your articles? I know many famous economists have accused you of that. Do you think you could reach a broader audience if you weren't so divisive?

Lastly, I think it's important to say that whether people agree or disagree with you, you've done some great work in the field of Economics. I always enjoy reading your articles even when I disagree.

Thanks again!

Edit: Dr. Krugman, didn't think this comment would take off like it did. What do you think of the Keynes VS Hayek rap battles?

I feel terrible about this, but that was the hardest I've laughed in a while. Right to the core. I hope you've recovered though.

I was just watching that 800 with a friend last weekend. We were talking about how you would tell your grand kids someday that you ran in the Olympics and took fifth in a heat that would've medaled in any other heat. I mean you had a WR and a WJR in that final and you and Solomon both set PRs. It was arguably one of the best 800's of all time. And your come from behind finish is always fun to watch.

Also, check out /r/advancedrunning some time. We've a fantastic community and a few pros who loiter around there and some others who have dropped by like D. Torrance, Kyle Merber, Rob Watson, etc.

Hey Mary,

Just wanted to say you’re an amazingly gifted runner and it is incredible to watch you run. I particularly loved your performance at the Pre Classic when you went sub 2 in the 800m. Just surreal watching you do that. Also, I took a small blow to my ego when a junior in high school beat my 5000M PR by 3 seconds and I did that as a senior in college! If you’d ever like to, feel free to swing by /r/advancedrunning it’s a subreddit I created just over two years ago. We’d love to have your insights/comments, David Torrence posts in there from time to time too! So you wouldn’t be the only pro!

Best of luck this spring and continue to inspire runners worldwide!

And I guess since I have the chance I’ll ask a question, what’s your favorite race you like to watch? Any race, any distance, doesn’t matter. Mine are Billy Mays in the 10k in Tokyo and Galen/Mo in the 10k in London.

P.s. In your interview post Pre Classic you mentioned being taken back by being around Galen and Mo and other talented pros, remember, you’re Mary Cain, that’s just as awesome!

Edit: What on earth is with the downvotes in this AMA?

Hey Andre, my SO got me hooked on your show Departures. She finished all 3 seasons and I'm currently on Chile part 2. Absolutely love it and how you all are growing through the episodes.

At the beginning of the series it seemed like two dudes traveling with a cameraman doing mostly regular stuff. But as the series progresses you all got into much more remote spots and way off the beaten path adventures like the riverboat in Brazil or the Reindeer family in Mongolia (my two favorite thus far). How did you all set those adventures up and how did you all make the connections that enabled those opportunities?

Looking forward to watching season 3 and then moving onto Descending!

Also, if you would tell Justin that his Spitalfield shirt in season 2 sent me down a road of bands I haven't listened to in a decade! Used to love Spitalfield in the early 2000s!

Cheers!