... themselvesignoring or slighting the long-run effects, they are making the far more serious error. They overlook the woods in their precise and minute examination of particular trees.Their methods ... Product"xxi. The Function of Profitsxxn. The Mirage of InflationXXIII. The Assault on SavingPART THREE: THE LESSON RESTATEDxxrv. TheLesson RestatedV4 ECONOMICSINONE LESSON effects ... shop. The shopkeeper runs out furious,but the boy is gone. A crowd gathers, and begins to starewith quiet satisfaction at the gaping hole in the window and the shattered glass over the bread...
... point, there is a chance for an-other fallacy, and the broken- windowites usually grab it.They think of "purchasing power" merely in terms ofmoney. Now money can be run off by the ... the printing press.As this is being written, in fact, printing money is the world's biggest industry—if the product is measured in monetary terms. But the more money is turned out in thisway, ... and income in terms of money,they consider themselves better off as these monetary totalsi8 ECONOMICSINONE LESSON tional income" figures in monetary terms higher than be-fore the ...
... workers instead. At the time of42 ECONOMICSINONE LESSON of machinery employed in pin-making "could scarce make one pin a day, and certainly could not make twenty," butthat with the ... makinggoods cheaper for consumers (as in our illustration of the overcoats), or they do it by increasing wages because theyincrease the productivity of the workers. In other words,they either ... welfare. THE CURSE OF MACHINERY 43 the end of the nineteenth century the stocking industrywas employing at least a hundred men for every man itemployed at the beginning of the century.Arkwright invented...
... have seen, there would be no net increase in the number of jobs provided, no net increase inthe demand for66 ECONOMICSINONELESSON the case of the soldiers, will encourage this. But the officeholders ... predicted inthe sweater industry in England. With the $5 left over they help employment in any number ofother industries in the United States.But the results do not end there. By buying ... getting less than the level of production costs, prices and profits made pos-sible, then they could have got the hourly increase withoutreducing the length of the working week. They could, in other...
... obstacles in the wayof receiving gold as they do in the way of receiving almosteverything else. (On the other hand, of late years theyhave taken to putting more obstacles in the way ... or in- come to the X industry. The taxpayers would lose pre-cisely as much as the people in the X industry gained. The great advantage of a subsidy, indeed, from the standpointof the ... forces investors to place theirmoney where the returns seem less promising to them than in the X industry. It forces workers into industries witheven lower wages and prospects than they could find...
... betteroff. But their increased spending in other directions willgive increased employment in other lines, which will thenabsorb the former marginal farmers in occupations in whichtheir efforts ... engineers,thinking only of production, but by the business men,thinking only of profit. The business men give their ordersto the engineers, instead of vice versa. These businessmen ... "scarcity economics. "These questions and conclusions stem from the fallacy of looking at one industry in isolation, of looking at the tree and ignoring the forest. Up to a certain point it...
... this point, there is a chance for another fallacy, and the broken- windowites usually grab it. Theythink of ‘‘purchasing power’’merely in terms ofmoney. Now moneycan be run offbythe printing press. ... wages because theyincrease the productivity of the work-ers. In other words, theyeither increase moneywages or,byreducing prices, theyincrease the goods and services that the same moneywages will ... As this is being written, in fact, printing moneyisthe world’sbiggest industry(emif the product is mea-sured in monetary terms. But the more moneyisturned out in this way ,the more the value of...
... this point, there is a chance for another fallacy, and the broken- windowites usually grab it. Theythink of ‘‘purchasing power’’merely in terms ofmoney. Now moneycan be run offbythe printing press. ... peacetime in ation. Weshall come back to this moneyillusion later.Nowthere is a half-truth inthe ‘‘backed-up’’demand fallacy, just as there was in the broken- windowfallacy. Thebroken windowdid ... As this is being written, in fact, printing moneyisthe world’sbiggest industry(emif the product is mea-sured in monetary terms. But the more moneyisturned out in this way ,the more the value of...
... this point, there is a chance for another fallacy, and the broken- windowites usually grab it. Theythink of ‘‘purchasing power’’merely in terms ofmoney. Now moneycan be run offbythe printing press. ... wages because theyincrease the productivity of the work-ers. In other words, theyeither increase moneywages or,byreducing prices, theyincrease the goods and services that the same moneywages will ... As this is being written, in fact, printing moneyisthe world’sbiggest industry(emif the product is mea-sured in monetary terms. But the more moneyisturned out in this way ,the more the value of...
... peacetime in ation. Weshall come back to this moneyillusion later.Nowthere is a half-truth inthe ‘‘backed-up’’demand fallacy, just as there was in the broken- windowfallacy. Thebroken windowdid ... this point, there is a chance for another fallacy, and the broken- windowites usually grab it. Theythink of ‘‘purchasing power’’merely in terms ofmoney. Now moneycan be run offbythe printing press. ... employed at the beginning of the century.Arkwright invented his cotton-spinning machinery in 1760. At that time it wasestimated that there were in England 5,200 spinners using spinning wheels,...
... thismoney illusion later.Now there is a half-truth in the "backed-up" demand fallacy, just as there was in the broken- window fallacy. The brokenwindow did make more business ... usuallycareful in their investigations to determine the adequacyof the assets pledged and the business acumen and honestyof the borrower.If the government operated by the same strict standards,there ... beyond the immediate range of their physical eyes. They can see the bridge. But if they have taught themselves to look for in- THE LESSON 7tionary. They are sometimes surprised to find themselvesin...
... dayreading or playing solitaire and does nothing except throw a switch at the beginning and end of the day.” One could go on to cite such make-work practices in many otherfields. Inthe railroad industry, ... permanentlydisplacing men, they were mistaken, for before the end of the nine-teenth century the stocking industry was employing at least 100 menfor every man it employed at the beginning of the century.Arkwright ... credit, that the banker wouldmake his loan. But the government goes into the lending business in 28 EconomicsinOne Lesson EconOne_Prf2_Q5_to_client.qxd 3/3/2008 8:42 AM Page 28EconOne_Prf2_Q5_to_client.qxd...
... just as there was in the broken- windowfallacy. Thebroken windowdid makemore business for the glazier .The destruction of war did makemore business for the producers of certainthings. The destruction ... through the windowofabaker’sshop. The shopkeeper runs out furious, but the boyisgone. A crowd gathers, and begins tostare with quiet satisfaction at the gaping hole inthe windowand the shatteredglass ... reducing the length of the working week. Theycould, in otherwords, have worked the same number of hours and got their total weekly incomesincreased by one- third, instead of merely getting, as theyare...
... reducing the length of the working week. Theycould, in otherwords, have worked the same number of hours and got their total weekly incomesincreased by one- third, instead of merely getting, as theyare ... through the windowofabaker’sshop. The shopkeeper runs out furious, but the boyisgone. A crowd gathers, and begins tostare with quiet satisfaction at the gaping hole inthe windowand the shatteredglass ... lenders. Inthe first place, the moneyiseither their own or has been voluntarily entrusted to them. Inthe case of govern-ment-lending the moneyisthat of other people, and it has been taken from them,regardless...
... are contained in the policy as surely as the hen was inthe egg, the flower inthe seed.From this aspect, therefore, the whole of economics can bereduced to a single lesson, and that lesson can ... which the latter often ignored. But in themselves ignoring or slighting the long-run effects, they aremaking the far more serious error. They overlook the woods in their precise and minute examination ... doubtpredicted — inthe sweater industry in England. With the $5 leftover they help employment in any number of other industries in the United States.But the results do not end there. By buying English...