Never trust an economist with your job. Learn about economics yourself. And make up your own mind about what might protect your job - and what might destroy it.

Competition-ruthless, unforgiving, to-the-death competition-is a crucial feature of capitalism.

Everyone has an interest in the economy: in how it functions, how well it functions, and in whose interests it functions.

Economic systems come, and economic systems go. No economic system lasts forever. Capitalism is not likely to last forever, either.

Employers crave the power to fire workers whose performance is judged inferior-not just to get rid of those particular workers, but more importantly to motivate and discipline the rest of the workforce.

If you want poor people to work you restore their incentive by giving them less, such as by cutting social services. If you want rich people to work you restore their incentive by giving them more, such as by cutting taxes.

Growth can also involve producing services instead of goods. In particular, a major expansion of public and caring services (like child care, education, elder care, and other life-affirming programs) would generate huge increases in GDP and incomes, with virtually no impact on the environment.