Tariffs are a tool to protect domestic industries - ostensibly to benefit American workers. History shows us though, that when wrongfully enacted, tariffs can hurt the very people we want to help.
Our North American obsession with "The Economy" at the expense of all else is something that is so distasteful about our current version of capitalism (among other things). Measuring and focusing on profits and GDP as the standard of wealth and success leaves such a huge gap in our human potential.
I see it on a personal level as well as national, people who consider themselves unsuccessful because they don't have the status quo financially, meanwhile they have an amazing marriage and family relationships, health, and a meaningful life.
I wish some other form of measuring success besides finances would really take off in our culture. Nationally there are even other proposed options to the GDP:
Thank you for sharing the index, @Adrienne J - I wasn’t familiar with it and I think it is a marvelous idea. There were some hopes that DEI would be a new way of measuring — but that became quickly weaponized and shot down.
Great article! I've been thinking about Trump's reference to McKinley and proposed tarriffs all week. Leonora's observations of working conditions then continue to make the case for protection of workers, not for the protection of profits.
Our North American obsession with "The Economy" at the expense of all else is something that is so distasteful about our current version of capitalism (among other things). Measuring and focusing on profits and GDP as the standard of wealth and success leaves such a huge gap in our human potential.
I see it on a personal level as well as national, people who consider themselves unsuccessful because they don't have the status quo financially, meanwhile they have an amazing marriage and family relationships, health, and a meaningful life.
I wish some other form of measuring success besides finances would really take off in our culture. Nationally there are even other proposed options to the GDP:
https://www.stlouisfed.org/open-vault/2023/apr/three-other-ways-to-measure-economic-health-beyond-gdp
Thank you for sharing the index, @Adrienne J - I wasn’t familiar with it and I think it is a marvelous idea. There were some hopes that DEI would be a new way of measuring — but that became quickly weaponized and shot down.
Great article! I've been thinking about Trump's reference to McKinley and proposed tarriffs all week. Leonora's observations of working conditions then continue to make the case for protection of workers, not for the protection of profits.
We can learn so much if we don’t turn a blind eye to history.