Do you have a dumb question that you're kind of embarrassed to ask in the main thread? Is there something you're just not sure about?
This is your opportunity to ask questions. No question too simple or too silly.
Culture war topics are accepted, and proposals for a better intro post are appreciated.
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Notes -
If you believe Caplan, and I do, teachers are useless. If you believe Hanson, and I do, doctors are useless. Psychologists, advertisers, lawyers, useless useless useless, mostly zero-sum. Even the manufacture of widgets, how many do people need really.
As you note, bankers (the few honest ones) do provide some liquidity and price signals, and the market deems those important. It’s hard to justify the massive premium they get for that, but I think it's fair to say that historically those who tried to ‘curb banker’s speculation, usury etc’ have ended up harming the economy more than a naive anti-banker view would suggest. (And by that I don’t mean we should bailout failed banks. Let darwinism sort them out)
Day traders are players, it's not like you'd be "stealing" from an uninvolved party. So if I wasn't seeing clear harm, I would take the money, but I find all jobs almost equally unsatisfying, so you may come to a different conclusion.
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