Paul Samuelson (1915-2009).

When I was in college, the leading textbook used for Economics 101 was written by Paul A. Samuelson. The MIT professor's book championed Neo-Keynesian economics and became the best-selling introductory economics textbook of all time. The author's other achievements included winning the Nobel Prize in Economics (first American to do so), serving as an advisor to US presidents JFK and LBJ, and teaching students who went on to win Nobel prizes themselves, such as Paul Krugman and Joseph Stiglitz.

One of Samuelson's comments always stuck in my mind. He said anyone who believed that the low wages paid to an Indian worker had no relevance to the earnings of an American worker believed in the tooth fairy. He made this comment years ago, at a time when things were booming in the United States and outsourcing wasn't as serious a concern as it is today. I never imagined the impact his far-seeing remark would have on contemporary American life.

What he said lies at the heart of America's economic problems today. Unfortunately, the wage differential between workers in the developed world and those in emerging powers, like China and India, is so large that advanced Western nations are reeling from the consequences. In our current election debate, it must be admitted that neither party has a solution to this problem. Romney correctly points to the continuing millions of unemployed American workers. In response, Obama says that Romney has failed to reveal his "special sauce" to cure the problem. On other occasions, the president has labelled his opponent's proposals to reduce unemployment and restore economic vitality "Republican snake oil". Being a Democrat, I find Obama's phrasing funny. Nevertheless, the sad truth is neither man has a solution to offer. I've seen the results of this problem myself for years in upstate New York, once an industrial powerhouse for the entire world and now mostly a rusting shambles.

Here are a couple of other trenchant comments by the master economist:
-- "If we made an income pyramid out of a child's blocks, with each layer portraying $1000 of income, the peak would be far higher than the Eiffel Tower, but almost all of us would be within a yard of the ground."
-- "The problem is no longer that with every pair of hands that comes into the world there comes a hungry stomach. Rather it is that attached to those hands are sharp elbows."

Further Adventures With Medea

Despite over 20 years' experience with dogs, I'm still getting used to my latest animal friend, the little black cat named Medea owned by my neighbor. After discovering her true home was right next door, I resolved never to feed her so her loyalty would not be in doubt. Notwithstanding strict adherence to this policy, which is not easy given the close linkage in my ethnic background between food and love, I have managed total compliance. Contrary to my expectations, Medea still returns every day and continues to spend most of her time in our backyard, with occasional visits inside.

Whenever I open our backdoor, Medea appears at the threshold within a couple of minutes. The back door is made of wood that expands in hot weather, so Medea can hear the door jerk open; she doesn't need to keep an eye on the entrance. She languidly arises from under the same bush on the left side of the yard, which provides dappled sunlight and some comfy grass and leaves on the ground, and strolls over for some extended petting and rubbing. The sound cats make when they are contented, like a low rumble from a well-tuned car engine, is audible non-stop.

On occasion, Medea decides to step inside. She's not looking around for food, since there isn't any. Instead, what Medea seeks is a moment when I'm not looking so she can quickly and silently rush up the stairs and explore the rest of the house. She has done this maneuver almost every time I drop surveillance to have a cup of coffee and read the newspaper at the kitchen table. What is so compelling a draw for her I just don't understand. I've heard the expression-- "Curiosity killed the cat"-- so I guess this is her nature. When I head her off in the hallway or rush upstairs to scoop her up and return her to the kitchen, she seems highly offended. Each time her house tour is aborted, she will stand momentarily in the kitchen, straighten her back and then walk slowly with offended dignity straight out the door without even a backward glance.

The other characteristic I've noticed, besides her quick movements and intelligence, is a constant awareness of security. When I carried her into the room next to the kitchen and put her down next to me on the couch, she watched me close the door to the room and immediately bolted to the screened window to identify a potential escape route. By comparison, our dogs would have been thrilled to be invited onto the couch for some quality time together.

Ave Atque Vale, Republicans

In Latin, it means hail and farewell! (From Catullus' Funeral Oration). The Republican Convention has now ended after three days of proceedings. Speaking objectively, I can't fathom what would have been accomplished with the originally-scheduled fourth day of any value besides Donald Trump's cancelled speech. I don't mean to mock, it's just that, if you are interested and follow current events regularly, the entire Convention left a lot to be desired.

As a Democrat, this outcome is a good thing, as it increases the chances for an Obama victory in November. However, I really want to make a broader point here. It's true I'm a liberal Democrat, but my interests as an American transcend my loyalty to any political party. On this basis, the Republican Convention was a sad disappointment. I would much prefer two outstanding candidates, who have real plans and contrasting visions, so that a real choice is presented to the electorate. Under those circumstances, I might actually prefer a Republican candidate and vote accordingly. In this case, however, there is not only no viable alternative, but instead a feeling from the Republicans of hypocrisy, untruths, and phony solutions. I think they have been totally captured by big donors, big business, and special interests, and have ceased responding to the legitimate needs of the majority of our citizens.

The only thing you can count on from Republicans these days are programs that foster the needs and interests of big business and the religious right. Seen from that perspective, their programs are coherent and make perfect sense. My outrage stems from their phony assertions that they're doing it to benefit the majority of Americans and get the country moving again. More importantly, their non-sensical programs are a recipe for disaster; it is so obvious that I continue to be amazed that most people don't see it and that the polls to date predict a close election.

Democracy is based on the proposition that more than 50% of the people are right more than 50% of the time. I hope the upcoming Democratic Convention will demonstrate a sharp contrast to what we have just witnessed, and that a solid majority of the American people will come to their senses in time. I had the same feeling of "dishonesty" about the McCain-Palin ticket in the last election, and a gut feeling they would ultimately lose. For the sake of our great country, I can only hope that my instincts are right once again about Romney-Ryan.

Cat Mystery Solved

I am DELIGHTED to report that the cat mystery going on in our backyard has been solved! The small and lovable black cat with yellow eyes that has been living in our backyard actually belongs to our next door neighbor. She has been away visiting her son in Los Angeles, and hired someone to take care of her three dogs in her absence. The black cat preferred our company to the temporary live-in sitter, so moved over the tall wooden fence separating our properties to stay with us.

I finally got this story by calling my neighbor on the phone. After a few questions about her feline pets, it quickly became clear that Medea was staying nearly full time in our yard and returning for meals. I first considered this possibility when I overheard my neighbor addressing no one visible with great excitement in her backyard a couple of nights ago, about being so glad to see her again.

Medea's story is that she was a stray when my neighbor originally found her, and the cat retains her interest in roaming and staying outside as much as possible, except in winter. My neighbor provides food, medical care, and love. I assured her that Medea, as well as her big gray cat who also occasionally visits us, were welcome any time.

I was greatly relieved by this turn of events. I had been looking ahead to the cold weather coming up, and the prospect of adopting the cat against our will because we couldn't imagine letting the cat freeze to death outside. Instead, we can be close relatives without any responsibilities. If this is some version of what it's like to be a grandparent, I'll going to have a happy time someday.

I have been somewhat surprised by my positive reaction to having a cat as a potential pet. Heretofore, my wife and I were strictly dog people who would never consider a cat as a pet. But my experience with Medea has changed my attitude. I still prefer dogs, but I begin to see the appeal of cats as a runner-up. They are intelligent, quiet, very graceful, and affectionate.

I now keep our kitchen door open more often, looking in the backyard for Medea to return for a visit. I am relieved to know she has a very good home next door, and am careful not to feed her so her loyalties stay next door where they belong.

Ann, Chris, and The Donald

I watched the Republican Convention in Tampa last night for one key hour in prime time, starting at 10pm EST (7pm on the West Coast). Since the proceedings were cancelled on Monday due to Hurricane Isaac, it was do or die on Day 2. For that reason, the most interesting people were selected to speak: Ann Romney and Gov. Chris Christie of New Jersey. The Donald (Donald Trump, in case you're one of the two people who don't know who I'm referring to) was dropped from Monday's roster and not rescheduled.)

There's been a sea change in American politics since the Baby Boomers were born. I can't conceive of Mamie Eisenhower or Pat Nixon leading off a Republican Convention in those days. They say Mrs. Romney was chosen specifically to humanize Mitt and to attract women voters. Up to a point, she succeeded. It was interesting to hear about their life together, but too sugar-coated to be truly revealing or memorable. Just an ordinary couple in love with five sons, working hard to succeed despite her serious illnesses. She spoke as a woman and mother, but failed to say a single word about the anti-abortion issue which has so many women upset. Likewise, she foresaw increased educational opportunities for kids, but failed to mention Republican plans to slash funding for education.

Next came Chris Christie, a bombastic and dramatic counterpoint to the prior speaker. If nothing else, the Governor of New Jersey is impassioned. He provides great theatre and is fun to listen to in a Rudy Giuliani kind of way. He steamrolls the audience with his brash assertions and New Jersey cockiness. I think this is the kind of performance that is appropriate for a keynote speaker, designed to fire up the Convention and inspire voters to the cause. His problem, however, was the absence of essential truths. He faulted the President for not instituting needed changes, but failed to acknowledge that Obama was stymied by Christie's Republican colleagues in Congress, who voted against every program the President proposed. It also sounded a lot like a rehearsal for his own envisioned acceptance speech for president in 2016. Hopefully, the obesity issue will be behind him by then; as you know, that look went out with President Taft.

Too bad the Donald was cancelled. He would have had a great one-liner: "Mr. President, you're fired!".

Homeless and Hopeless

Today in Manhattan, while waiting for an uptown Madison Avenue bus to arrive, I was approached by a man who started describing his problems to me. He never introduced himself, just started talking, so I never even got his name. The man was clearly not crazy, like some of the people who may suddenly start talking to you in New York. In fact, he was quite specific about his problems and the difficulties he was having in resolving them.

The crux of his problem was that he was homeless, living in shelters, and had no hope of finding employment to get himself out of the mess he had fallen into. What made his task especially impossible to overcome, he explained, was that he had recently been released from prison. He didn't say what his offense was, and I didn't ask. At this point, like any seasoned New Yorker, I was looking to make sure he wasn't carrying a knife or other weapon to potentially attack me. As a lifelong New Yorker, such wariness is inbred in our DNA.

But he didn't appear armed or dangerous or at all crazy; in fact, he sounded quite sane and articulate, telling me he was 60 years old and seemed hopelessly trapped by his circumstances. He was carrying a number of documents with him, which showed his status, his dealings with Legal Aid and, most striking to me, his prison release papers which warned potential employers in bold letters at the bottom to consider this man's record carefully before hiring him. We agreed that in today's economy, that comment was the kiss of death, even with someone who might have been willing to take a chance on him.

He looked thin but healthy. I wanted to ask about his eating habits, but obviously this was not an appropriate time. There was little I could do but listen and express my sympathy. When my bus arrived, I wished him good luck and left.

All day now, I have been thinking about him. Sooner or later, he will literally be "forced" to commit a crime to stay afloat. Already, he showed me his toothpaste and toothbrush, which he admitted to stealing. This is why the recidivism rate is so high.

It's not society's fault he committed a crime resulting in incarceration, but think of this. It costs New York about $50,000 per year to maintain each prisoner in jail. It would be a lot cheaper and productive to employ these people in some way instead of locking them up and throwing the key away, which accomplishes nothing of value to him or society.

Gated Community

The metaphor is almost perfect. The Republicans are in the Tampa Convention Center, a kind of exclusive gated community accessible only to the wealthy, privileged, and powerful, while millions of ordinary people around the Gulf may soon be fighting to stay alive with Hurricane Isaac swirling around them. It's not a pretty picture, and Republican planners are well aware of how these scenes will look on a split-screen.

Republicans are only concerned about it now because the contrast in imagery will be so graphic. But in a very real sense, this is the picture of how a future America under right-wing Republicans will look all the time if they manage to take control of the Federal Government. The only thing that makes this worrisome to their leadership is that this picture will not require much imagination to envision, thanks to the weather.

The Republican Convention is truly like a heavily guarded, gated community, full of people not much involved with the problems of everyday folks. They will undoubtedly need to cut back on the lavish parties and festivities that would normally have taken place at the Convention. However, it's not much different, except more concentrated, compared to what goes on throughout the country all year.

I'm glad this dichotomy-- a 21st century tale of two cities-- will be on full view. If the message gets through, it may cement defeat for the Republicans in November. If disaster assistance is needed from Washington, as it likely will be, the competence of the Obama Administration could be showcased. Equally important, it would demonstrate that under the Democrats, ordinary people's needs are a top priority, and assistance is readily provided. Under Republican leadership, by comparison, this is the kind of problem that would be left to cash-strapped States and localities to handle by themselves--unless of course big business interests were involved.

Fend for yourselves, say these hard-hearted Republicans, professing over-riding concern about deficits. We've got ours and intend to keep it that way. In fact, we'll see if we can't increase our share of the pie even more if we succeed at the polls. Sorry about your problems; we'll have the clergymen doing the invocation and benediction at the Convention say a prayer for you. But don't try to get in here; it's invitation only. You won't see any of our delegates, privileged guests, or lobbyists struggling to stay alive in the face of a storm. That's the benefit of living in a gated community.