Well, Of Course, I'M Different....
13 May 2007
The Editor, New York Times
229 West 43rd St.
New York, NY 10036
To the Editor:
Convinced that the economy is a shambles for all but the rich, Bob Herbert writes that "one of the biggest problems is the simple fact that so many jobs pay so little that even fulltime, year-round employment is not enough to raise a family out of poverty. One-fifth of the working men in America and 29 percent of working women are in such jobs" ("The Millions Left Out," May 12).
Mr. Herbert mistakenly implies that workers who hold such jobs today hold them for their entire careers. But as workers acquire skills they typically get raises or move to jobs with better pay. Other - mostly entry-level - workers then fill for a while the low-skill jobs these workers abandon. I'll bet that Mr. Herbert's gig as a New York Times columnist pays him much more handsomely than did his first full-time job. Why does he suppose that he's unusual?
Sincerely,
Donald J. Boudreaux
Chairman, Department of Economics
George Mason University
The Editor, New York Times
229 West 43rd St.
New York, NY 10036
To the Editor:
Convinced that the economy is a shambles for all but the rich, Bob Herbert writes that "one of the biggest problems is the simple fact that so many jobs pay so little that even fulltime, year-round employment is not enough to raise a family out of poverty. One-fifth of the working men in America and 29 percent of working women are in such jobs" ("The Millions Left Out," May 12).
Mr. Herbert mistakenly implies that workers who hold such jobs today hold them for their entire careers. But as workers acquire skills they typically get raises or move to jobs with better pay. Other - mostly entry-level - workers then fill for a while the low-skill jobs these workers abandon. I'll bet that Mr. Herbert's gig as a New York Times columnist pays him much more handsomely than did his first full-time job. Why does he suppose that he's unusual?
Sincerely,
Donald J. Boudreaux
Chairman, Department of Economics
George Mason University
Posted by Don Boudreaux on
Tuesday January 8, 2008 at 10:56am