Dear Log,
«In retirement Galbraith has continued in articles, speeches, and books to argue for strong government, progressive taxes and public spending. He is not a "Third Way" man. He ridiculed the Reaganite trickle-down theory of wealth distribution, preferring the earthier phrase "the horse-and-sparrow theory" - "If you feed the horse enough oats, some will pass through to the road for the sparrows." He welcomes the progress by which most Americans can enjoy decent lives but points out that this "culture of contentment" replaces the old dialectic of capital versus labour with a new one - now it is the rich and comfortable versus the concerned and the poor, and since many of the poor do not vote, democracy becomes "a democracy of the fortunate".»I have to admit that my attitude toward economics is something like Chomsky's attitude toward linguistics was, when he was trying to decide whether to do that, mathematics, or poli sci: I should go do that [economics for me, linguistics for him], because that way I don't actually have to do real work.-- "The Guardian Profile: John Kenneth Galbraith, Last of the old-style liberals"
Maybe when I'm 50 I'll go into economics, and write snippy things like Galbraith. Yow! Do I have tenure yet???
