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Comment by jshen | Hacker News Reader

I don't believe it's entirely the result of bad policies, but you also left if vague. Which bad policies are entirely causing this in your opinion?

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For starters we have cancelling and ripping up clean energy projects, introducing serious uncertainty about tarrifs, increasing unease for any immigrant (and even non-white citizens).

Those are bad things. It doesn't mean there aren't other contributors to our economic challenges.

So where’s your list of these “other contributors“? People answered your question, and your response was “wrong, try again.”

Debt cycles would be one example that's not a policy decision. https://youtu.be/SoKr0QVCLPA?si=kKcXNetb-kAPr1S8

Edit: having said that, "these economic problems are ENTIRELY the result of bad policies". That's a very bold claim, which warrants some strong evidence. No one has provided any strong evidence that it's ENTIRELY from bad policies.

Re: your EDIT - fair enough, thanks for the additional information.

Courtesy of AI

Avg monthly "clean energy" jobs so far: - 2023: ~3.38M - 2024: ~3.45M - 2025: ~3.42M

Any impact to the economy due to "green job project cancellations" wouldn't have surfaced yet.

Uncertainty about tariffs: it was already on the books to earn $2.3T (conventional) / $1.5T (dynamic) over the next 10yrs, and inflation is far more under control than it was last year despite the tariffs. Of course legal challenges have disrupted it now. This is also completely ignoring the massive investment foreign countries/companies are making on US Soil to employ US employees.

Firing thousands of skilled and qualified federal employees, gutting research grants and funding, spitting in our allies faces.

Those are bad things. It doesn't mean there aren't other contributors to our economic challenges.

At this point I think the ball is in _your_ court to start suggesting reasonable cofactors.

Debt cycles would be one. https://youtu.be/SoKr0QVCLPA?si=kKcXNetb-kAPr1S8

That is a bad thing. It doesn't mean there aren't other contributors to our economic challenges.

Glad you agree with me! The person I originally replied to said, "these economic problems are ENTIRELY the result of bad policies"

I don't the current economy is "entirely" the result of bad policy, but I do think it is the primary contributor. I read/listen to a lot of economic commentators as an interest of mine, and there is pretty broad agreement that tariffs are the main cause of inflation failing to tick down to target this year. There also seems to be consensus that the manufacturing sector has been harmed by tariffs and immigration policy rather than helped.

In my opinion, the AI hype cycle has temporarily buoyed the economy from more serious pain. If significant economic gains aren't realized from it soon I think we'll begin to see that pull back.

I do, however, think a return to ZIRP by the Fed would result in a significant economic boost. Psychologically, everyone remembers how advantageous low interest rates are and I think it could result in real investor/borrower optimism, temporarily, if we go back to that. Unfortunately, that would likely mainly stimulate the demand side of the economy, and not as much supply. I don't have high hopes for how that would affect inflation.

Yes, no major disagreement here. You can also point to the Us debt/deficit as another major storm cloud on the horizon. Trump is the worst offender on that, but far from the only one.

He’s not going to if he’s already done this “actually you’re wrong but I won’t tell you why” comment in defense of this admin multiple times.

God at least back in the day partisan hacks tried to hide it a little bit

I'm as anti-trump as anyone. He's doing tremendous harm to our economy and our society. Your anger is making you see things that aren't there. All I did was question the assumption that our economic problems are ENTIRELY the result of bad policy. Some how you jumped to some very wrong conclusions based on that tiny shred of information which wasn't even about Trump.

Nah man, I have eyes.

You coyly suggested that there were other contributors at play to multiple people who suggested what bad policies are causing the economic issues and then didn’t provide them until called out.

You’re running partisan defense when you act that way

I questioned the use of ENTIRELY in this sentence, "these economic problems are ENTIRELY the result of bad policies", that is not partisan.

You aren't trying to have a conversation. Have a good day, I have better things to do.

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