Maybe that's how they ended up in front of the Joint Economic Committee today. Some economists have been complaining that Washington never "officially" consulted them before coming up with gigantic financial rescue plans.
Stiglitz and Johnson today criticized the power that banks still hold, criticizing the notion that they're too big to fail. They say a "cult of finance" has gotten us into the mess - whether you blame the banks, the regulators, deregulation, or anything else - and they want it to end.
Their solution: take down the big banks because they're too powerful and they tempt smaller institutions to be more like them. Marketwatch.com provides a summary of today's events.
Stiglitz and Johnson don't speak for all economists, but they've been getting a favorable response lately.