Also this afternoon, fielding questions from the audience after her speech, Romer defended the administration's ambitious decision to undertake healthcare reform at the same time as they wrestle with the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression.
"A bit of me says maybe the middle of a crisis is the right time as we're all focused on the economy, we know the problems that we face," she said. "Maybe this is the time we can all pull together and actually get it done."
But one thing Romer would not do today is be drawn out on any flaws in the stimulus plan...
"You want me to tell you what's wrong with the fiscal stimulus package?" she responded incredulously to a questioner. "SO not going to do that!"
Which is fine. But what really gets me is that Romer, an authority on the Depression, has written extensively on the six lessons distilled from the era. Gave a speech on the subject last Monday, in fact.
Wouldn't it be nice if the Obama Administration didn't disregard every single lesson? Guess they're just smarter than the rest of us.
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