"In the world of politics, however, the actual content of an academic movement may be less important than the way it affects the tone of the discussion. During the 1970s there was a growing public sense of disillusionment with government, which first fed grass-roots tax revolts in California and , then helped elect Ronald Reagan. And there was also a determined effort by a few extremely conservative journalists and politicians to promote radical tax-cutting plans. No matter how careful the research of conservative public finance theorists like Martin Feldstein might be, in that political climate it was inevitable that it would be widely seen as basically confirming popular prejudices. There was a huge intellectual gulf between Feldstein or Boskin and the sweeping claims of Arthur Laffer; but in the public mind, they were in effect allies."
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Academics from the United StatesEssayists from the United StatesColumnists from the United StatesBloggers from the United StatesEconomists from the United States
Original Language: English
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Ch. 2 : Taxes, Regulation, and Growth
https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Paul_Krugman
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Paul Krugman
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