(Untitled)

[pdanielson]

"This preposterous idea, that things must pay their way or be dispensed with, is perhaps the most intractable legacy of the Thatcher years, so much so that it has become received wisdom even among many liberals. But when you think about it even for a nanosecond, it is perfectly obvious that most worthwhile things don't begin to pay for themselves

Comments

[inertiacrept]

I am reminded of this sentiment, if not this exact quote, whenever I visit or see one of the truly difficult Old World churches, though I suppose they might've done their part as money gathering mechanisms despite themselves.

[gringo_in_tj]

While I hope to never witness railways going out of business for entirely selfish reasons on my part, I point out that Bryson's rant is laughable in the realm of economics. Even Communists and Keynesians believe in the necessity of creative destruction, otherwise we would be a society overrun with buggy whips.

[ihuitl]

Things like the infrastructure projects in that quote need not pay for themselves since they facilitate economic activity in other areas. From a military perspective, they are force multipliers: they don't do any "fighting" but they make much better "fighting" possible.