The air, Cato says, is 97 percent cleaner. But it was government agencies, such as the Environmental Protection Agency, that forced polluting corporations to clean up. Wages are up since 1900. No thanks come from Cato for the minimum wage laws that helped fuel wage growth. Electricity is widespread, indeed, partly due to government rural electrification programs.
Deaths caused by infectious diseases are down.
Let s give credit to public health agencies. Home ownership is up. Hail the income tax deduction for mortgage interest a government subsidy and federal and state programs that encourage home-buying. The work week, Cato claims, is 30 percent shorter. It may not feel that way to most of us, but that stat should cause us to appreciate unions and workplace legislation.