Economists Can Be Bad for Your Health: And Other Essays on the Dismal Science

Brockway, a combative, sometimes curmudgeonly, always challenging commentator on the current economic scene, demystifies jargon, obfuscation and the sacred verities of liberals and conservatives in this compilation of his witty, conversational columns from the New Leader. He blasts President Clinton's aborted health care plan as too costly, too complex and favoring a handful of giant insurance companies. He labels as ``dangerous'' and ``stupid'' the federal budget-balancing program of the Concord Coalition led by former Senators Paul Tsongas and Warren Rudman, arguing that it would lead to massive layoffs, shifts of federal burdens onto states and a regressive sales tax. Contrary to conventional doctrine, Brockway contends that full employment does not necessarily lead to high inflation. The national obsession with labor productivity, in his view, is a scam to distract attention from a massive shift in the distribution of wealth toward the privileged few. (Sept.)