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Friday, Jul 29, 2005
Ricky Doesn't Understand Ecomonics Either
I caught a bit of Senator Manondog (R-Pennirginia) on the Laura Ingraham show last night. He blamed government taxation for the fact that women are in the workplace rather than in the home as they were in the fifties. Just off the top of my head I can think of a few other reasons why there are so many two-income households.
- In the 1950's, the US was the world's dominant industrial power. We'd have to bomb Europe, Japan and China to get back to that economic Shangri-La. Since we're not ready to do that (just yet), we'll have to deal with the fact that living well is harder these days.
- Outsourcing and the loss of stable, good paying union jobs makes it harder for some people to reach the middle class. One simply could not support a family of four on a minimum-wage "service" job in many parts of the country.
- People's expectations for material goods have shifted radically. Houses are bigger. Cars are more sophisticated. People need a separate TV for each family member. Etc., etc. All this material crap requires more income.
- Women folk have choices. They don't have to be barefoot and pregnant. They can be HR managers, investment bankers, accountants, engineers, etc.
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