Comments on: Affluenza

By: Sam

Sam — Sat, 28 Dec 2013 13:33:49 +0000

Toddy Cat says,”…There’s nothing wrong with the American working class that sane protectionist and immigration policies wouldn’t solve — and it will happen; count on it…”

Jon Corzine of MF Global stole $1.6 billion of his customers’ money, and no one did anything about it. On 9/11 building #7 fell for 108 feet at the acceleration rate of a dropped rock, completely impossible event for fires to accomplish, and no one did anything about it. In the banking collapse caused by the bankers they were paid $800 billion, and then the fed lent out, we know of, $16 Trillion for nothing, and no one did anything about it. I guess they will just do whatever they damn well please.

By: Alex J.

Alex J. — Thu, 26 Dec 2013 23:04:57 +0000

One might live like this for a while in order to raise capital to live better. Ergo, you don’t need much in the way of welfare.

By: Tatyana

Tatyana — Thu, 26 Dec 2013 15:51:31 +0000

Mr. Lewis engages in “what’s good for me is bad for thee” fallacy. I don’t think he would like to share his room with 3 other men and I wonder what his wife would say to proposition of her “easily” cooking food all day for all these various strangers. What he does not want to acknowledge is that immigrants only agree to live in these conditions temporarily, while they are saving enough money to leave those wonderful communal kitchens and start living their average American life — otherwise why would they come here?

Two Soviet writers, Ilya Ilf and Evgeny Petrov, traveling coast to coast in US in 1935, wrote in their book: “every last bum or hobo [like this one hitchhiker we gave a ride to Flagstaff] hopes in his soul to become a millionaire. American upbringing is a scary thing!”

By: David Foster

David Foster — Thu, 26 Dec 2013 03:50:22 +0000

People living at the edge of poverty are unlikely to have either the skills or the time to homeschool their kids, and are very unlikely to be able to afford tutors at a sufficient level to compensate for the failure of the public school where the kids are for many hours a day.

The point is that it is largely the failures and bad policies of the public sector that are responsible for the worst features of poverty and the suppression of social mobility.

By: Lurnr

Lurnr — Wed, 25 Dec 2013 23:01:43 +0000

David Foster: Option (c) would be to homeschool your kids, either yourself, or — like people like Newton’s parents did — hire tutors.

By: David Foster

David Foster — Wed, 25 Dec 2013 21:37:17 +0000

Yes, even if you are poor, things that are made in factories and can be transported in freight containers are remarkably affordable — TVs, microwaves, air conditioners, etc. Housing, less so, and education, much less than the “twelve years of free public schooling” line would suggest. If you want your kids to actually learn something and not be in physical danger at school, then you’d better either (a) be able to pay for private school, or (b) be able to afford to move to a neighborhood with “good” public schools, or (c) be very lucky in the public schools in your neighborhood.

By: Toddy Cat

Toddy Cat — Wed, 25 Dec 2013 19:31:07 +0000

There’s certainly an element of truth to this, but I also get a hint of Tyler Cowan-ism in all of this; that Americans should stop trying to attain a traditional middle-class lifestyle, and just shut up and learn to love Third-World style coolie status. Screw that. There’s nothing wrong with the American working class that sane protectionist and immigration policies wouldn’t solve — and it will happen; count on it. Americans living four to a room will suddenly discover that the manifold benefits of free trade and diversity have been somewhat oversold…

By the way, I wonder how many guys Nathan Lewis shares his bedroom with?

By: Ross

Ross — Wed, 25 Dec 2013 17:08:15 +0000

One Carrington-level solar flare, the resultant destruction of the electric grid and the ensuing human cannibalism should resolve these minor quibbles.

Merry Christmas.