Who decides when an "Expert" is an "Expert"

From atop the Stoa this night, I ponder talent, experience, inherent ability, and how we all "know" someone is an expert.

When one goes into a Dentist's office or a Law office one sees a diploma, prominently displayed as proof that this person has gone through all the training necessary to BE what is written on that paper, to be recognized as a doctor or a lawyer. There are people who get those pieces of paper legitimately and others who don't, but I'll focus on those who earn it.

First, I'm going to think about those who are professionals. When you go to a dentist or a doctor, you place your health and your life into the hands of these people. However, like everyone I know, some got really good grades in school and some did rather mediocre. You would like to hope that you get the ace in every class for your care.

On one end of the spectrum you do have your Ace. The vast middle will be your range of "average". Then there are those that technically passed medical school and dental school and somehow passed their boards. These people ARE very smart, you can not get through those schools and not be smart. However, I like to think of these people as being "educated beyond their intelligence". In a narrower sense of the meaning of the phrase, others may use, "The Peter Principle". They are book smart and talk a good game, but for some reason, they just don't connect the dots the way other doctors or lawyers do. These are people that do not get pulled from the Yellow Pages before they hurt lots and lots of people. The trick, I think, is recognizing those people and exercising your rights as a patent and getting a different doctor. This goes for anyone with a medical degree from Medical Doctors to Psychiatrists. If you have your doubts, drop the class clown and look for the Ace.

I think about all the people in government who are "experts". Generally, those who work in government can not hack it in the real world. I'm not going to apologize to all government employees because of that last sentence. Live with it. Who made the people in CMS and the NRC the "experts"? The people in CMS are the ones who are running Medicare and Medicaid. They are on this QA/QC kick where they demand "results" that call for lower reimbursement. They generate rules and guidelines and then expect the medical industry to meet those rules or face reduced reimbursement. Who made them the experts? Why must hospitals listen to them? When was the last time they had to meet service expectations? When was the last time their work was scrutinized for quality outcomes? Love to see that myself.

Who are the economic "experts" that are CONSTANTLY caught off-guard when an indicator turns south? When my 13 year old daughter can listen to the news and tell me that she thinks now might be a good time to get out of the dollar, yet the "experts" are surprised and baffled that the dollar is continuing to fall makes me want to put my daughter in charge of the Federal Reserve System. She couldn't do a worse job, that is for sure.

Who are these employment "experts" that are CONSTANTLY surprised by higher rates of unemployment? Who are the ones that can't seem to figure out our population is growing and our employment levels are still dropping?

Why do they drink each others' kool-aid? Does the reality that the MSM want to push, along with the Administration bear any resemblance to the reality that exists? Practicing Perception Economics is something the Soviets did. Every 5 years the prior 5 year plan was declared a success and a new 5 year plan created to keep marching forward. Every year was better then the last...right up until it all fell in on them.

The experts I listen to talk of Hyperinflation. They talk of a devalued dollar. They talk of unemployment really running between 16 and 20% on average. Unemployment by ethnic or other values show even higher numbers than anything you would find in the MSM.

Lets all live in the land of what is and not what we want to believe. Face it Obama, Marxism does not work. It has never worked and never will. J. Maynard Keynes was a naive fool even if his work was not distorted to suit the needs of the Socialists in this country. On his deathbed he realized that Adams and Friedrich Hayek were likely correct. Think on that.

Live well.

--Zavost