July 16, 2004
NOONE MISSES THE '70S:
How Much Worse Off Are We? (Arnold Kling, 07/15/2004, Tech Central Station)
This essay consists mostly of a deluge of statistics. But before I get to that, let me just ask you to consider what you can see with your own eyes. Is your family worse off than it was in the 1970's? Are many of the families that you know worse off? Do the people that you see in shopping malls, on vacation, on the highway, or in restaurants look like they are worse off than they were thirty years ago?In the 1970's, ordinary working people drove Vegas and Pintos. They did not eat out much. They rarely traveled by airplane. Many of their jobs were dangerous. Do you really think that there are many working Americans today who would trade places with their 1970's counterparts?
The statistics are well worth reading, but the answer to Mr. Kling's question is so obvious as to demonstrate the deep silliness of much of Democratic (and democratic) politics.
MORE:
-PROCEEDINGS: Toward a Postmodern Egalitarian Agenda (Robert W. Fogel, August 23, 2002, COMMONWEALTH NORTH FORUM)
-SPEECH: Can We Afford Longevity?: Our Future as the New Leisure Class (Research by Robert Fogel, Fall 1998, Capital Ideas)
-ESSAY: Economists Have Problems Measuring Intangibles (Bruce Bartlett, April 7, 1999, NCPA)
And Jimmy Carter will speak prominently at the DNC Convention.... reminding us all of those good ol' disco daze.
Are they nuts?
Posted by: Andrew X at July 16, 2004 2:33 PMAs much as Carter repels Red state folks, he is the spiritual father of John Kerry, John Edwards, et. al. Bill Clinton was smart enough to despise Carter, although he did not do so publicly.