More than a year after the COVID-19 pandemic first disrupted daily life, local economies are reopening and vaccine distribution is exceeding expectations. The country is poised for a historic economic recovery.
Despite this exciting potential, however, there is a growing risk that public policy could derail the pursuit of the American Dream just as it gets back on track. Embedded in the PRO Act, which recently passed the House of Representatives, is a provision that would all but destroy the gig economy and significantly damage the livelihoods of many freelancers—diminishing opportunities for everyone.
To say that 2020 was a tough year for Americans would be putting it lightly. Yet most Americans never lost hope that the situation would improve. According to a survey conducted last summer, although 45 percent of Americans reported that COVID-19 had pushed the American Dream further out of reach, only 11 percent said that it was unachievable. The same survey asked Americans what they thought was essential in achieving the American Dream: Contrary to popular belief, becoming wealthy was the least common answer. Instead, the vast majority of respondents—82 percent—rated freedom of choice in how to live as essential to their vision of the American Dream.
Continue reading at Real Clear Markets.
Ben Wilterdink is the former Director of Programs at the Archbridge Institute. Follow him @bgwilterdink.
Economics of Flourishing
More than a year after the COVID-19 pandemic first disrupted daily life, local economies are reopening and vaccine distribution is exceeding expectations. The country is poised for a historic economic recovery.
Despite this exciting potential, however, there is a growing risk that public policy could derail the pursuit of the American Dream just as it gets back on track. Embedded in the PRO Act, which recently passed the House of Representatives, is a provision that would all but destroy the gig economy and significantly damage the livelihoods of many freelancers—diminishing opportunities for everyone.
To say that 2020 was a tough year for Americans would be putting it lightly. Yet most Americans never lost hope that the situation would improve. According to a survey conducted last summer, although 45 percent of Americans reported that COVID-19 had pushed the American Dream further out of reach, only 11 percent said that it was unachievable. The same survey asked Americans what they thought was essential in achieving the American Dream: Contrary to popular belief, becoming wealthy was the least common answer. Instead, the vast majority of respondents—82 percent—rated freedom of choice in how to live as essential to their vision of the American Dream.
Continue reading at Real Clear Markets.
Ben Wilterdink
Ben Wilterdink is the former Director of Programs at the Archbridge Institute. Follow him @bgwilterdink.
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