“The economy is booming, and immigration is one of the main reasons,” said a front-page headline on Feb. 28. And these two clauses provide an indication of President Biden's low approval ratings.
Does “roaring” bring serenity? The labor market's “extraordinary recent growth” is boosting gross domestic product, which is “expected to grow by an additional $7 trillion over the next decade.” Why isn't everyone cheering for the government?
But as I recall, Senator Cory Booker (NJ) said a few years ago in the Democratic presidential primary, “GDP doesn't appeal to my voters.” Mr. Booker pushed back against President Donald Trump's obsession with growth.
Most people don't care about GDP. For the MAGA people in particular, the things they thought were great are on the rise. They get lost in all the “growth.”
It's not just the MAGA audience that's worried about where we're losing. I am independent and appalled by all the increase in noise, traffic, housing developments, red lights and congestion in general. I love the mix of people from all countries, but the “extraordinary recent growth” scares me. Not the individuals, mind you; it's the sheer number of them.
The United States can barely handle “$7 trillion more” than the current bloated economy that threatens our landscape, our way of life, and even the climate on which we so fundamentally depend. What we need is a conservation ethic, some ecological economics and a political remedy to the obsession with GDP growth.
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