"MISERY, MISERY, ALL I SEE IS MISERY!!"

John Kerry is just plain miserable. He’s gone out and searched through the myriad of factors that make up our economic life and cobbled together seven that make George Bush look bad (“No!!”) and at the same time make Clinton and Carter look good. He looks at the cost of fuel, health care, college, median income, personal bankruptcies and homeownership to judge if people are better or worse off.

He calls it the Middle Class Misery Index.

As Michael Graham points out, Kerry has to create his own misery index because using the traditional Misery Index (inflation plus interest rates) makes the country under George Bush look downright ecstatic and prosperous. The Bush Misery index is 7.7, compared to a second term election index for Bill Clinton 8.4.

Whatever, you say, the indexes Kerry has picked are important and I would agree. I also agree with Michael Graham when he says why would the cost of fuel be any better indicator of “misery” than say, food prices?

“Nobody would disagree that expensive gasoline and health-care costs are bad news, or that fewer bankruptcies would be a good thing. But in addition to the fact that, adjusted for inflation, the price of gas is relatively low, is it any better a measure of the health of the middle class than, say, food prices? Rent prices? The cost of clothing?

A fair-minded person could put together an economic index using these three indicators, along with net tax rates, new business starts, the Dow Jones average, and home-equity values and get a completely different result. What would it prove?

This is why, since the Johnson administration, the "Misery Index" has been a combination of the two most broad and important indicators: unemployment and inflation; Do you have a job and how much is your paycheck really worth?”

To me, Kerry’s Misery Index also shows what a Big-Government-As-Babysitter Democrat John Kerry really is. He blames rising costs in all of these on George Bush:

- College tuition
- Health premiums.
- Gasoline prices
- Plus Bush is also responsible for increased personal bankruptcies.

How exactly is it George Bush’s fault that states spent money like it grew on trees and then raised the cost of college tuitions when the tree died? If it is his fault, shouldn’t the blame be put on Bill Clinton, because he was President when states were increasing spending at untenable rates?

And health care? Again, why is it George Bush’s fault? What is he supposed to do, try to pass tort reform to cap crazy lawsuits and reduce malpractice premiums? Oh, wait, he is doing that, it’s Kerry who is voting against that. Moving on then, nothing to see here…

Gasoline prices? So maybe George Bush is responsible for the increased driving done over the winter, using up the winter mix quicker than expected. Kerry may be right here, after all, people were out spending more because of the tax cuts and positive economy.

Finally, personal bankruptcies. Why are people going bankrupt? Because people are out of work and prices are going up? The traditional Misery Index seems to say no. Maybe it’s because we like to spend irresponsibly and then walk away from our debts, saying. “It’s not my fault!” coupled with NO social stigma against walking away from your debts. (Remember my “loss of social norms” post.)

What John Kerry wants is Big Government to be responsible for all of these. A true Massachusetts liberal stance. A conservative, even a mediocre one like George Bush, would look upon these as no place for Big Government.