One Billion Americans Quotes

“Economic life, fundamentally, is competitive. Even someone lucky enough to make a living doing something truly enjoyable is always going to be faced with the prospect of someone else who is more successful at the same thing, or someone younger who is threatening to close the gap. More emphasis on relationships with our kids, our friends, our nieces and nephews, or the children in our neighborhoods is something that’s much more accessible and egalitarian. And while Congress can’t pass a law mandating that people reorient their thinking in this way, such a reorientation would naturally be both part of the case for stepping up investment in family life and a consequence of doing so.”
― Matthew Yglesias, One Billion Americans: The Case for Thinking Bigger

“returning to America’s geopolitical posture at its best, not domineering but self-confident that our country is secure and strong and that our economic and social system is in fact superior and will be adopted at the end.”
― Matthew Yglesias, One Billion Americans: The Case for Thinking Bigger

“the idea of work as an ultimate source of meaning tends to set people up for failure and frustration over and above the practical problems of overwork. One of the nice things about emphasizing relationships with family, friends, and community as a source of meaning is that this is an attainable goal for virtually everyone.”
― Matthew Yglesias, One Billion Americans: The Case for Thinking Bigger

“think of how much healthier our politics would be if there were really a debate about how to accomplish great things rather than a food fight over semi-imagined offenses to “real Americans” that serves as a mask for an endless procession of tax cuts for the rich.”
― Matthew Yglesias, One Billion Americans: The Case for Thinking Bigger

“What’s more, while we don’t have a great deal of experience with suburban population decline, there is reason to believe that once it sets in, it may be an even tougher cycle to escape than the urban variant.”
― Matthew Yglesias, One Billion Americans: The Case for Thinking Bigger

“Suburbs, by comparison, tend to be poorly differentiated. If a given place’s tax base begins to erode due to population loss, forcing higher rates to maintain equal service quality, there is relatively little to stop additional people from moving away in search of a better value proposition.”
― Matthew Yglesias, One Billion Americans: The Case for Thinking Bigger