Krugman the Inexplicable - August 22, 2003
Times Watch for August 22, 2003
Krugman the Inexplicable
Conan The Deceiver, Fridays
piece from columnist Paul Krugman, takes on the thankless task of defending
California Gov. Gray Davis from the Schwarzenegger juggernaut. Krugman tries to
put Davis basement-level popularity in a positive light, one earned by making
tough but necessary budget decisions: One reason Gray Davis is so unpopular is
that, unlike the challengers, he has actually had to take painful steps to close
the budget gap. Although news reports continue, inexplicably, to talk about a
$38 billion deficit, the projected gap for next year is only $8 billion.
Its really not that
inexplicable. In fact, that figure is in the May revision of the
governors budget for 2003-2004, which on page 3 reads: The adjusted Budget
Gap is $38.2 billion. This gap would have been larger, but for higher receipts
in the last two weeks, which brought current year revenues closer to the January
forecast.
And if Krugman didnt
trust the state budget, he could have heard similar talk from the horses mouth.
As AP reported in December: Gov. Gray Davis announced Wednesday that
Californias budget deficit will be a staggering $34.8 billion over the next 18
months. The higher deficit figures Krugman finds inexplicable have been
confirmed by Davis himself.
Krugmans contention that
Davis has actually had to take painful steps to close the budget gap implies
the budget gap is being closed. But page 7 of the
May budget revision shows its growing-from $34.6 billion in January to the
current projection of $38.2 billion.
For the rest of Paul Krugman vs. Schwarzenegger,
click here.
California
|
Columnists
|
Gov. Gray Davis
|
Paul Krugman
|
Recall
|
Arnold
Schwarzenegger
A
Communist Photographer With a Belief in Progress
Portraits of 'Ordinary' Lives Full
of Poverty and Richness fawns over a Milton Rogovin photography retrospective
at the New-York Historical Society. Times art critic Holland Cotter notes the
politically engaged Rogovin based his work on a humanistic belief in
progress. Yet Rogovin, now 93, was a Communist Party member and remained so
even after Josef Stalins purges became common knowledge.
While
praising Rogovins street scenes of smiling elderly men pushing carriages and
teenage mothers with infants, Cotter soft-pedals Rogovins beliefs: Politically
engaged, he helped reorganize the local chapter of the Optical Workers Union and
served as librarian to the Buffalo branch of the Communist Party. He was called
before the House Un-American Activities Committee in 1957 but refused to answer
questions. When a local newspaper labeled him Top Red in Buffalo, his
optometry practice dried up, and he lived largely on his wife's salary as a
teacher. Interested in optics, he began to fill his time by taking pictures of
the neighbors near his office.
Mark
Sommer of the Buffalo News interviewed Rogovin July 27 and got a few more
details: He didn't admit his affiliation with the Communist Party for years,
but was-and still is-drawn to the socialist ideal of equality, full employment
and free medical care, even though he had little regard for its actual
application in the Soviet Union. I guess a lot of people were in the same
situationthey defended the Soviet Union but didn't like Stalin.
Thanks to Nikita Khrushchevs denunciation of Stalin in March 1956, Stalins
purges were well known when Rogovin was summoned before HUAC. Yet Rogovin didnt
give up his Communist Party affiliation.
Sommer
adds: When Rogovin worked on his mining series, he found authorities he
encountered on a trip to the Soviet Union to be the least cooperative. That was
the only country where I took all the photographs and tore them up. That's not a
place I wanted to show, he said.
Now thats
intriguing: Why would the Communist Rogovin, renowned for his pictures of
workers and the common man, tear up pictures from the Soviet Union, home of the
ideology that professes to let the common man rule? Had Rogovins photos
unwittingly revealed appalling truths about life under Communism? Its one of
many challenging angles Carter could have taken to his controversial subject.
Instead, Carter is content to celebrate the Communist Rogovins humanistic
belief in progress.
For the rest of Holland Carters
review of Milton Rogovins photography,
click here.
Arts
|
Communism
|
Holland Carter
|
Photography
|
Milton Rogovin
|
Josef Stalin
