john maddente | midwestern clarity

T his week at a conference, I listened to featured speaker, Austan Goolsbee , who is President of the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago, a noted Economist and frequent contributor to the financial press.  He's also likeable.  Official Portrait One day I'll post on entertaining economists because there are several on both sides of the aisle and Dr. Goolsbee, an Obama cabinet appointee and acolyte, will definately be part of that post. An amusing story Mr. Goolsbee told about a pleasant sense of wonder he experienced while attending a meeting in the Oval Office with President Obama and  Larry Summers  (the pleasant part ended abruptly) made the audience roar.   Afterward, during the Q and A period, I anxiously awaited my turn with the microphone.  When prompted, I found the "on" switch with only minor assistance.  My question to Mr. Goolsbee, which I'll paraphrase, was... We hear much debate from economists and financial journalists about the likelih...