David Brooks: The Future's So Bright, You Gotta Wear Shades

By Lee Russ

Sunday, February 05, 2006 at 08:22 AM

America's favorite cheerleader for the rich and truth-challenged, our Mister David Brooks hath spoken again, and the NY Times still gives him the platform to do so:

"America's problem over the next 50 years will not be wrestling with decline.  It will be helping the frustrated individuals and nations left so far behind."
David Brooks, "The Nation of the Future" 2-2-06 NY Times.

It isn't like the contrary info is hard to find.

In fact, you can get a lot of it from stories on Watching the Watchers.

What kind of games are played to get some of the good economic numbers? Check out How the U.S. measures employment & unemployment and Consulting firm claims unhappy workers likely overpaid.

How great are the numbers themselves?  Check out Wage & price info for year-end 2005, Savings rate "less than nothing", and 2006: The Year Of More Bankruptcies.  For an update on the bankruptcy stats, check out David Brooks Offers Free Advice to Democrats; Worth Every Penny.

In sum: Told Ya So: Supply-Side Ain't Working!!!, but, hey, you can always get into "Biggie sizing" the downsizing, or laying off a country's worth of people.

The only way Brooks' quote about the bright future can avoid being labeled insanity in my mind is if the "frustrated individuals" being left so far behind includes the 30% to 60% of Americans who seem likely to drop right out of the bright economy over the next 50 years.