Guarantee a minimum level of health care . In 1978, californians voted for proposition 13 even though it was likely to result in cutbacks of Government Services. Had the government gone too far . Not everyone agrees on governments proper role. Some feel government has gotten out of hand. Others feel were not doing enough. Public goods and responsibility how far should we go . Well examine that question with the help of economic analyst richard gill on this edition of economics usa. Im david schoumacher. We can all enjoy the benefits of Public Services such as museums, schools, and highways, but they have to be paid for. They are, usually in the form of taxes. Why must the government provide these services . Why cant we rely instead on the free market . Its a controversial question, as we see in the case of private utilities versus the tva. The great mississippi flood of 1927 left 800,000 homeless. Swelling waters overran levees throughout the Tennessee River and into the mississippi, t
But one common resolve the government must never permit another Great Depression. Can we control our economy . Thats the story well investigate with the help of economic analyst richard gill on this edition of economics usa. Im david schoumacher. The 20 years after world war ii brought selfconfidence to american political economics. The lessons of depression and war convinced economists and politicians alike that the government could promote prosperity by manipulating taxes and spending. These continuing adjustments are called fiscal policy. For the two decades after world war ii each new administration asked itself how fiscal policy could be used to control the economy. Our story begins in 1944. Americans had vivid memories of the Great Depression. They remembered 1 4 of the work force without jobs factories closed families hungry. And they remembered an inspirational leader who showed them that the government cared. It was the war not the new deal that ended the depression. By 1944,
Exploded into the states thirdlargest newspaper. How did the company make this Phenomenal Growth possible . No business can guarantee it will make a profit, but there are strategies that can increase chances for success. The firm how can it keep costs down . With richard gill, well investigate that problem on this edition of economics usa. Im david schoumacher. Pepsi cola hits the spot 12 full ounces thats a lot. Id like to buy the world a coke and keep it company thats the real thing. We made our choice make it a pepsi. Soft drink companies spend millions advertising to make billions in sales. Its a 23 billionayear industry. With that many sales, every decision is crucial. Youre the pepsi generation. The words im about to say will change the course of history coca cola has a new taste. Its the best ever. In 1985, the Coca Cola Company announced to the world it was changing the coke formula. To millions of customers, the new taste was an outrage. The rest is history. Five years earlier
Did the union kill the Herald Tribune . For 40 years, united auto worker president s walter reuther, leonard woodcock, and Douglas Fraser won higher pay for their members. Why in 1979 would fraser agree to take less . Employers and labor unions, like buyers and sellers, try to make the best deal for themselves. Labor and management how do they come to terms . With economic analyst richard gill, well examine that question on this edition of economics usa. Im david schoumacher. Fewer than 1 3 of American Workers are covered by union contract. But organized labors strength at the economys pressure points the big smokestack industries, the arteries of transportation and communication make them a force to be reckoned with. For more than 75 years, labor unions have been a fact of American Economic le. How d they get power . We are childn of immignts. The largest number came here around the turn of the century. Millions, most of them jewish or italian, unskilled and uneducated, settled in new
Reducing poverty what have we done . With the help of economic analyst richard gill well investigate that question on this edition of economics u a. Im david schoumacher. There have always been people left out of the American Dream the young, the old the ill, the untrained. And those whove just lost out in a competitive economy which has losers as well as winners. Today we take it for granted that the government has a role to play in reducing poverty and we argue only about how and how much. But before food stamps and Public Housing before government aid to the elderly what happened when the elderly faced the Great Depression . I see 1 3 of a nation illhoused, illclad illnourished. Schoumacher the Great Depression cut too wide and too deep for businessasusual. The depression demanded new answers to poverty. No group suffered more than the elderly. Savings accounts were wiped out, pensions were rare family resources, gone. The needs of the elderly have always carried a special urgency.