Sam Thorpe

@samthorpe.bsky.social

4542 Followers 564 Following

Researching the economics of inequality, tax, capital flows, and industrial policy. Formerly federal fiscal policy @ Brookings; research + organizing @ UChicago.

Daunton digs up an almost comical number of quotes from Richard Nixon and his top officials about their disregard for these problems, including (but not limited to):

“I do not want to be bothered with international monetary matters… I will not need to see the reports on international monetary matters in the future”.

“Political considerations must completely override economic considerations in monetary and trade talks”.

“I don’t give a shit about the lira”.

Treasury Secretary John Connally, who oversaw the Nixon Shock of 1971 and the collapse of Bretton Woods, was not much better. His basic approach is summed up by Daunton in his own words: “The foreigners are out to screw us. Our job is to screw them first”.

My grandparents, shortly after they met while displaced following the end of WWII.