Don't Worry, Be Happy
Deacon Kurt Godfryd | Thursday, July 29, 2010 at 6:00AM As a student of politics, I have always been interested in how words have a tendency to bounce back and bite. Take, for example, the U.S. Presidential campaign of 1976. Then candidate Jimmy Carter, in a debate with President Gerald Ford, asked the American people if they were better off than when President Ford took over. He described the so-called 'Misery Index,' which aggregated the unemployment and inflation rates. During the 1976 campaign, the Misery Index totaled 12.
Four years later, then candidate Ronald Reagan asked Mr. Carter the same question. "Are we better off after four years of your administration?" Pointing to the Misery Index, he noted that the number had risen to 20.
In 2010, the Foundation for Economic Education has shown how far we have come from the "Misery" of the 1970s. Today, they announce the 'Distress Index.'
