The Culture of Contentment

[McKenzie]

I had to read economics ("the dismal science" LOL!) texts at school. Most of them were dreary tomes. However, I became very interested in J K Galbraith's books to the point where I bought "The Culture of Contentment" long after I left school. I've heard him described as the last of the "elbow patch professors". I like those sort of people.
I Googled a review or two because I recalled that JKG was saying things in 1992 that resonate today.

<snip>

This book was written in 1992, but it seems eerily prescient. The intervening Clinton adminstration largely stayed the decline that Galbraith describes, but the Bush 43 administration has returned to tax cuts, large deficits, and military theatre as a distraction from other matters. Galbraith thinks that no amount of argument will make any difference; only military disaster, severe economic pain, or an uprising of the disenfranchised would alter things. The pressure of contented voters means that government will bend over backwards to keep things going as long as possible. Galbraith doesn't hold any optimism that matters will improve, a depressing thought but also probably the correct one.

<snip>

http://www.amk.ca/books/h/Culture_of_Contentment

[Carl Brennan]

1. uhg, duh, ghu, uhg, ....Hug!

Yea, cool, be a fuckhead. Hey, this is the cultural of who defines it.

OOOOOOS,.........No other fuckhead will be critical.

I was gonna say somemore but I'll just let it sit for the new crop of dissedents.

[legalcoffee]

2. Signing up for the book club

[orpupilofnature57]

3. Should be called"narcissistic fibrosis" or how shrub got me to

not want to know anything about anything.

[WCGreen]

4. That is just so clever. I love it.......

[progressiveright]

5. true true

'The pressure of contented voters means that government will bend over backwards to keep things going as long as possible.'

that's what they are doing right now. just keep borrowing, play their conservative games, until everything collapses. i'm actually kind of proud of our country, that we can sustain these idiotic economic policies of conservatives for such a long time.