The Gray Area with Sean Illing Paul Krugman on climate, robots, single-payer, and so much more
Dec 12, 2019
In this conversation, Paul Krugman, a Nobel Prize-winning economist and New York Times columnist, dives into crucial topics like the role of economists in the climate debate and the political landscape of Medicare-for-all. He shares his views on why Pete Buttigieg is mistaken about tuition-free college and critiques Andrew Yang's stance on automation. Krugman also discusses the healthcare successes and failures of the ACA, the dangers of means testing versus universal programs, and what it takes to revitalize struggling economies across America.
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Progressive Proposal Financing
- Deficit finance investments like the Green New Deal; don't worry about immediate repayment.
- Pay for moderate programs like pre-K with targeted taxes; large programs like Medicare for All require different approaches.
Demise of Social Security Privatization
- Social Security privatization's demise demonstrates the public's strong support for the program as is.
- The lack of successful privatization examples elsewhere likely contributed to its rejection.
Means-Testing vs. Universality
- The means-testing debate in the Democratic primary revolves around whether programs like free college should be universally available or targeted based on income.
- Buttigieg's critique of subsidizing millionaires with free college sparked controversy, highlighting this division.
