My Economic Creds
post 130
I AM NOT AN ECONOMIST
Anything I say about the economy can be described as “thoroughly unscientific.” That term comes from Brian Lehrer’s “thoroughly unscientific economic indicators,” a recurring segment on his public radio program on WNYC in New York, in which ordinary people share observations about how well or poorly the economy is doing.
My economic observations originate not in the classroom, but in the real world and are rooted in a “large quilt” perspective. I do have a degree in Business Administration from Rutgers University and, therefore, took a bunch of economics classes. I also double-majored in Math.
I AM AN AMERICAN FOLK MUSICIAN
But my love and my forte is music. What does that have to do with economics other than the fact that we musicians haven’t had a rise since the 1970s?
I love many forms of music, but I am particularly connected with songs that reflect America – its history, culture, landscape, values and struggles.
If you get deep enough into this style of music – I call it “American Folk Music” – you get to meet all kinds of really cool people who are very knowledgeable about the American Ideal and doing important work to preserve it.
My love of American Folk Music led me to meet Pete Seeger and he, in turn, introduced me to dozens of other folks who are keeping the flame of America alive – Ken Burns, Tom Paxton, Barry Lynn of Americans United for Separation of Church and State, Mitch Podolak, Paul Sladkus of “Good News Broadcast,” and Lyndon Harris, one of America’s foremost teachers/speakers on the subject of forgiveness, to name just a few.
OF THE PEOPLE
When you connect and spend time with people like these - and thousands of other less famous folk who are doing work that is just as important - you can’t help but cringe at the foolish decisions and policies pursued by too many of our feckless political leaders - leaders who MAGAs have granted levels of power that are both unconstitutional and incredibly dangerous.
That’s why I can’t help but notice the harm to America and the American Ideal when I see, for instance, China growing more and more economically powerful every day, and MAGAs doing everything in their power to help it happen. I think I would be negligent if, having dedicated my career to learning and sharing my observations about the American Ideal, I don’t sound the alarm about economic threats to it simply because I don’t have a degree in economics.
The threats to human dignity and freedom are coming from many angles. The harm caused by bad economic decisions being made today is very real. As I see it, MAGAs support economically destructive policies either because they are willing to sacrifice their own welfare and that of their children, or they simply are not connecting the dots between actions and their consequences. I think if they connected the dots, they’d replace their MAGA hats with ones that read “8647!”
My economic observations come from hundreds of thousands of miles driven, over 3000 concerts performed, and the interactions I have with people of all stripes before, during, and after my shows as I travel around this vast continent Looking for America.
Keep the Flame Alive!
Spook, your credibility is as sound as any other and as a person affected by economic policy, immigration policy, tariffs, etc, speak up. I am troubled by a brief comment where you raise alarm over China’s increasing economic influence. Why?
As a side note, I am troubled by many American leaders of all political persuasions who blame Cuba’s economic crisis on Cuba. The U S embargo on Cuba for 60+ years is the culprit.