Krugman: Polls show that Greek voters want to stay on the euro. But what does this tell us?

[Erich Bloodaxe BSN]

1. I've always found the notion of 'strong' or 'weak' currencies intriguing.

I know the arguments in favour of keeping it weak - that when the dollar is weak, foreign tourism money flows in, exports go up, etc.

But I'd still rather the dollar be strong, too. So my family can better afford to travel, so we can buy (quality, expensive) foreign products that aren't available from US manufacturers. I don't really give a rat's about 'national pride'. I'd also like manufacturers to be focusing on the domestic market, rather than foreign markets, because that seems to tie in with better wages, so that people are buying your products. If you're focusing on exporting, you don't care whether people here have the money to buy your products, so there's even less pressure to pay better wages. And we can import more resources more cheaply when the dollar is strong, with which to actually do that manufacturing.