Sunday, July 03, 2005
Missing words: It was so plainly obvious. From Tom Friedman's July 1 column, Follow the Leapin' Leprechaun: (emp add) There is a huge debate roiling in Europe today over which economic model to follow: the Franco-German shorter-workweek-six-weeks'-vacation-never-fire-anyone-but-high-unemployment social model or the less protected but more innovative, high-employment Anglo-Saxon model preferred by Britain, Ireland and Eastern Europe. Why does Friedman only mention high-employment for the Anglo-Saxon model ("innovative" is debatable). Parity would have dictated the following opening sentence: There is a huge debate roiling in Europe today over which economic model to follow: the Franco-German shorter-workweek-six-weeks'-vacation-never-fire-anyone-but-high-unemployment social model or the less protected but more innovative, high-employment longer-workweek-two-weeks'-vacation-insecure-tenure-but-low-unemployment Anglo-Saxon model preferred by Britain, Ireland and Eastern Europe.
posted by Quiddity at 7/03/2005 07:56:00 AM
7 comments
It's such a shame that your political opponents haven't hired you as a speechwriter. You're so good at putting words into their mouths.
Don't forget that US low unemployment rate is helped by a shamefully high incarceration rate and not counting people who have given up looking for work.
Perhaps because it's not as bad as you make out - over here (in the UK) we haven't plumbed the depths of US-style employment policy. Our holiday allowances and employment terms are still way better.
You're so good at putting words into their mouths. You are so good at hyperbole. Q's comments were right on, I thought. In any case, they are Q's opinion, and not represented as anything but. And, you're not a very good troll, either.
And don't forget such issues as interest rates and fiscal policies. With near-zero real interest rates and US-level fiscal deficits anybody can have low unemployment.
Check this out to get some european take on TF's "dodgy generalizations constructed around trite metaphors"
http://crookedtimber.org/2005/07/01/the-way-of-the-leprechaun/
What is it about the summer that makes journalists so intellectually lazy? If the quality of my work went in the tank (like theirs does) for 3 month out of the year, I'd be looking for a new job every 12 months!
Or is this Friedman et al's way of getting Euro vacations while working in the USA?
Pssst, Mr. Friedman (soto voice). The countries you deride are starting to kick our ass in science!
http://www.iht.com/bin/print_ipub.php?file=/articles/2005/06/21/news/edwatson.php
And, if the European economy is such crap, why is the Euro stronger than the Dollar?
|
