Re: Minsky's politcal views

["Niggle, Christopher" <Christopher_Niggle@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

 For what it is worth, I once asked Minsky if he had been a party member -
it was during a conversation regarding his views on Marx's economics, which
he thought very insightful, and of other economists of roughly his
generation such as Larry Klein who had been (I think) communists - and he
said "no."

Chris

-----Original Message-----
From: pdavidso
To: pkt@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Sent: 7/10/2003 8:41 AM
Subject: Minsky's politcal views
Importance: Low

>===== Original Message From Barkley Rosser <rosserjb@xxxxxxx> =====
.
> BTW, speaking of Minsky, I recently heard an older
>somewhat conventional and conservative economist claim,
>after a few drinks, that Minsky was long a member of the
>CPUSA. This individual went on at some length regarding
>the alleged irony of a "card-carrying Communist" making
>lots of money advising major New York banks. Anybody
>sufficiently knowledgeable to either confirm or deny this
>particular rumor?

I am not sure of that -- but I believe that Hy gave one or more
biographical
sketches in which he discusses his political feelings in the 1930s -- I
think
one of these biographical sketches was published in a commemorative
volume for
Minsky's retirement from Washington University.

I think Randy Wray or Dimitri P. would know where these biographical
sketches
were published.

For those who did not live through the great depression -- it may be
hard to
understand how intriguing an alternative conomic system appeared to the
young
people growing up when their hard-working fathers were often unemployed
-- or
earning so little that they could not pay the rent. I suggest that those
who
did not live through those times go to your local video store and rent a
movie
called "King of the Hill" which is a true story of young person growing
up in
St Louis in the 1930s -- with its Hoovervilles. [By the way, King of the
Hill
has a movie actor in it who won the Academy Award this yearfor his
portrayal
in The Pianist.]

Paul

Paul Davidson
Editor, Journal of Post Keynesian Economics
University of Tennessee
SMC 503
Knoxville, Tennessee 37996-0550
office phone #;(865)974-4221; office fax# (865)974-1686 or (865)974-4601
home phone and fax # (865)692-0802
email pdavidson@xxxxxxx
http://econ.bus.utk.edu/davidsonextra/Davidson.html