irwin stelzer. [applause] >> thank you. it is nice to be introduced by somebody who is young enough to still be surprised at not being listened to. but approach this assignment with considerable trepidation for a couple of reasons. the distinguished scholars who preceded me or students of the philosophies that animated some of the great economists. that is not what i am. i am merely a practicing economist whose theoretical tools have been dulled and bent out of shape with collision with the real world. i will try to avoid the saw terrific effect of lecture at this hour -- soporific effect of lecture at this hour hoping that outrage will keep you awake. the collisions i have had with reality make the far less certain than many of the experts who have come before you or whose materials you read. so that those of you who have come to certainty can leave early, i was never certain that it was right. i am not certain that those who are following the master's voice by borrowing and spending have it right now. i am deeply suspicio