Grumpy economists can provide useful, alternative insights into the dubious world of money.  When all the cheerful economists have been claiming that the economy will be booming again in 18 months, and have been making that claim for the last 5 years, it’s easy and reasonable to become disillusioned with every darn thing they say.

Grumpy Economists

There are a number of grumpy economists who have accurately predicted the dubious financial follies of the last decade – however, they were universally branded as “doom-and-gloomers”, “chick littles”, and “quacks”.  Today, most of them are still relatively unknown.  Most mainstream media prefers to quote the usual suit wearing a smile who will assure you that the economy will be humming right along, 18 months from riiiight… now!

Well, we’ve all waited 18 months a few times over now, and those prognostications are simply not becoming reality.

Jim Willie Gives Insight into Scary Underbelly of World Economy

For some refreshing, if painfully refreshing, insights into the really scary stuff that lurks beneath the smiling headlines, check out Jim Willie CB. He writes long rambling essays that tell you about how financial markets work the way a car mechanic might tell you how your car works.  Really insightful stuff.

Richard Daughty is Grumpiest Economist of All

The grumpiest economist of all is Richard Daughty, also know as The Mogambo Guru.  His raving diatribes about the evils of currency devaluation practically spray spittle on the inside of your computer monitor.  Absolutely riveting stuff, rude, abrasive, vulgar, and so much more in the know than those cheesy talking heads on TV who tell us everything will be just dandy in 18 months.

John Williams Shadowstats Site Will Stop You in Your Tracks

All grumpy economists need access to some real, meaty statistics to back up thier dismissals of the “everything will be just great in 18 months” arguments.  And that’s where John Williams comes in.  His “shadowstats” site is a clearinghouse for real information, real data, released by real governments, that is presented in such a way as to drop your jaw, and leave you certain that those happy “18 month” wingnuts are just trying to keep their fancy jobs talking on the TV and won’t tell you thing one about what’s really going on under the hood.

There are a lot more grumpy economists out there, but these three make for a good place to start.  You may find it quite refreshing to read the musings of people who saw this whole mess coming – it lends some real credibility to their claims of where they think it is going.