In a message dated 97-07-24 02:01:53 EDT, you write: << 1. Marx tended to minimize concerns for the immediate adverse impact of capitalism on women and children because he focused on what he believed to be the inherent impact of capitalism dynamics in the long run on their situatio >> Bob, Read the stuff on the working day - hardly a concern with LR dynamics! Also, my sister was a math major at Queens College in the early 1970's. On the first day of a Differential Calculus class, the prof turned to my sister (and the 3 other female students) and said, "what are you doing here? your never going to need this stuff while your raising your kids!!" More to the point: The use of econometrics in is to emphasize central tendencies and often long run tendencies. This "makes sense" if one can ignore the immediate situation or the deviations from the central tendencies. I work for an insurance company and do econometric forecasting/research. I don't consider myself an "econometrician" but I know how to use the tools. The strenghts of econometrics are also its weaknesses (which neither radicals nor NCs nor others who use the stuff pay attention to): its a flexible set of tools that are capable of giving "soft" and "hard" results. For example, when I want to establish "credibility" in a rate trend, I can use a host of techniques. The point is that math, stats, and other quant techniques are systems of knowledge that are made to be manipulated (but also need to be understood). Unfortunately, I'm not paid to be concerned with "long run central tendencies," rather I need to get a short run projection for a defined objective. Finally, I object to the characterization of my wife as the "Willie Mays" of hospital accounting: Mays had to endure overt racisim from a crowd of people that was in his face everyday. My wife's situation - while difficult - was no where near as traumatic (even though in the beginning of her career she regularly worked 80 hour weeks) Jason
