We Need Customers

Heather Boushey argues in the New York Times that we need customers for the economy to grow.

The tax cuts implemented at the beginning of the Bush administration were an experiment in supply-side economics. The logic was that if the American people gave tax cuts to the wealthiest among us—alongside much smaller tax cuts for the rest of us—they would invest, and growth and rising living standards would follow. As President Bush said in April 2001, “Tax relief will create new jobs, tax relief will generate new wealth and tax relief will open new opportunities.”

This experiment failed. The economic recovery over the last decade was the weakest in the post-World War II era in terms of growth in investment. Median family income was lower than it was in 2000, and the pace of job creation was the slowest in generations.

The above excerpt was originally published in The New York Times. Click here to view the full article.

The positions of American Progress, and our policy experts, are independent, and the findings and conclusions presented are those of American Progress alone. A full list of supporters is available here. American Progress would like to acknowledge the many generous supporters who make our work possible.