Henry Fair- lie, in The New Republic (Mav 28, 1984). 1220 19th St. N.w., washington, D.C. 20036.
Once "it was impossible to think of the practice of politics without the eloquence with which kings and politicians tried to move individuals and multitudes." Today, laments the New Republic's Fairlie, oratory has no place in American politics.
Of course, television is responsible for much of the change. Before the advent of broadcasting, public gatherings and newspapers were the sole outlets...
Linda E. Demkovich, in Na-
Cloudy Future tional Journal (June 23, 1984), 1730 M St. N.W., Washington, D.C. 20036.
Nobody in Washington wants to admit it before the November elec- tions, but public officials of both political parties who are looking for ways to reduce federal budget deficits are contemplating cuts next year in that most sacred of federal programs, Social Security.
The retirement program itself seems assured of solvency for the fore- seeable future, thanks to the $165-billion...
Samuel P. Huntington, in Politi-cat Science Quarterly (Summer 1984), Vistas 2852 Broadway, New York, N.Y.
10025-0148.
Democracy has planted new flags in recent years, notably in Spain, Ar- gentina, and Greece. But Huntington, a Harvard political scientist, is not optimistic about the overall prospects for the spread of representa- tive government.
For more than a century after the American Revolution, democracy was on the rise around the world. Its momentum faltered around 1920, only to revive...
promoting economic development and free-market economies and increasing its influence in world affairs, the United States may be able to aid the democratic cause.
"Why Trust the Soviets?" by Richard J. Barnet, in World Policy Journal (Spring 1984), World Policy Institute, 777 United Nations Plaza, New York, N.Y. 10017.
Distrust and ill will have poisoned relations between the United States and the Soviet Union since the late 1970s. Yet "it is a dangerous delu- sion to believe that...
govern- ments." This ground swell of public opinion, along with the high cost of the arms race, opens the door to a "historic" transformation of U.S.- Soviet relations.
"Europe's Nuclear Superpowers" byCreating TWO New George M. Seignious I1 and Jonathan Paul Yates, in Foreign Policy (SummerSuperpowers 1984), P.O. Box 984, Farmingdale, N.Y. 11737.
Talk of the nuclear "superpowers" brings just two countries to mind, the United States and the Soviet Union. But...
Great Britain and France could make them nuclear powers of the first rank-and pose nearly as much of a challenge to Washington as to Moscow.
Both of these U.S. allies already maintain small nuclear forces: a combined total of 300 warheads in land- and submarine-based missiles. Moscow's installation of new SS-20 missiles targeted on Western Eu- rope and European doubts about Washington's commitment to defend the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) at all costs prompted the Anglo-French plans....
George
Sternlieb and James W. Hughes, in Soci-
ety (Mar.-Apr. 1984), Box A, Rutgers-
The State University, New Brunswick,
N.J. 08903.
1980, an American home-buying binge that had lasted nearly 50 years had come to an end. But Sternlieb and Hughes, both urban- planning specialists at Rutgers, warn of the dangers of letting the American dream of home ownership die.
The foundations for the 50-year spree were laid during the New Deal. The federal government, by offering insurance on both deposits...
Peter D. Skaperdas, in
Of the States Federal Reserve Bank of New York Quar-
terly Review (Winter 1983/84), 33 Liberty
St., New York, N.Y. 10045.
Most economists' eyes now are on the river of budgetary red ink gush- ing from Washington, D.C. Forgotten is the fiscal importance of Amer- ica's state and local governments.
In 1983, their combined outlays totaled $430 billion, as compared to Washington's $796 billion, notes Skaperdas, a New York Federal Re- serve Bank economist. While the federal gov...
IODICALS
ECONOMICS. LABOR. & BUSINESS
"State and Local Governments: An As- The Fiscal olicy 'sessment of their Financial Position and
Fiscal Policies" Peter D. Skaperdas, in
Of the States Federal Reserve Bank of New York Quar-
terly Review (Winter 1983/84), 33 Liberty
St., New York, N.Y. 10045.
Most economists' eyes now are on the river of budgetary red ink gush- ing from Washington, D.C. Forgotten is the fiscal importance of Amer- ica's state and local governments.
In 1983...
national product in 1950 to 10.5 percent (or $322 billion) in 1982. On a per capita basis, that amounts to a fivefold increase (in constant dollars). He blames the cost explosion on the rapid "monetariza- tion" of medical care.
Before World War 11,medicine in the United States was "quasi- eleemosynary": Hospitals relied heavily on charitable donations, young interns worked at hospitals in return for their room and board, and physicians who sought admitting privileges at a...