Business: Yes, We Have No Bananas

Maverick Economist Alfred Kahn has a penchant for candor that is both refreshing and dangerous in Washington. When he said that there is the possibility of a "deep, deep depression" if inflation continues to soar, the President was furious. Kahn responded by purging the word depression from his vocabulary and instead using "banana." So he now says: "We're in danger of having the worst banana in 45 years."

Kahn never lets an opportunity for a quip pass him by. Commenting on the success of his profession, he gibes: "The Pope is telling economist...