I'm not sure that I agree with Paul. David is a very articulate spokesman of the conservative perspective and he makes his case without engaging in irrational rants. In doing so, he performs a valuable service in helping us to sharpen our own presentation.
Generally, these threads go for a while and then become repetitive after both sides either go on autopilot or some of us get nasty. I don't think we've got yet. The metaphor of the family is very important. George Lakoff considers it central to the current political dialog. It is also used cynically. Remember how the Republicans used to call for balanced budgets: if families can balance their budget, why can't the government? [neglecting the fact that many families have considerable debt, especially mortgages]. I haven't heard that rhetoric lately. Paul wrote: I think it is kind of a lost cause trying to debate with David over this issue because he simply is wrong about the meaning and role of the family in economic history. Michael Perelman Economics Department California State University michael at ecst.csuchico.edu Chico, CA 95929 530-898-5321 fax 530-898-5901
