If you had to explain America's economic success with one word, that word would be "education".... Until now, the results of educational neglect have been gradual - a slow-motion erosion of America's relative position. But things are about to get much worse, as the economic crisis ... deals a severe blow to education across the board.... We need to wake up and realize that one of the keys to our nation's historic success is now a wasting asset. Education made America great; neglect of education can reverse the process.
Paul KrugmanYes, over the centuries economic progress has reduced some gross disparities - modern Americans are relatively unlikely to simply starve to death (though it can happen), so in that sense the gap between rich and poor has narrowed. But the question isn't whether society is, in some sense, more equal than it was in 1900. It's whether it is radically more unequal than it was in 1970. And of course it is.
Paul KrugmanThe fact is that the two years or so after 9/11 were a terrible time in America โ a time of political exploitation and intimidation, culminating in the deliberate misleading of the nation into the invasion of Iraq. Itโs probably worth pointing out that Iโm not saying anything now that I wasnโt saying in real time back then, when Bush had a sky-high approval rating and any criticism was denounced as treason. And thereโs nothing Iโve done in my life of which Iโm more proud.
Paul Krugman