Douthat (R) and Moyn yuck it up over 'the tyranny of the elderly'
NY Times conservo religionist columnist Ross Douthat is at it again (July 30, 'How Older Americans Hoard The Future') this time uniting with a Yale 'anti-gerontocracy'' prof (Samuel Moyn) to attack average seniors. Recall Moyn is a guy who'd I'd earlier skewered in a post, e.g.
Yale Econ Prof Claims "Older People" in U.S. Are A "Gerontocracy Stealing From the Young" - Where and How He's Off Base
Douthat barks:
"Forget fascism. Forget socialism. What if the real threat to
American democracy is the tyranny of the elderly? "
Adding a bit later:
"The American welfare state, built by
your left-wing forebears, is designed heavily around retirement protections —
Medicare, Social Security. These are the third rails of American politics.,"
These two gentlemen, however, might want to get a more informed perspective on who the real 'hoarders' are by checking out the WSJ Review piece ('When One
Nanny Isn’t Enough, ‘CEO Parents’ Hire a Whole Team', July 25-26, p. C4 ) wherein we are first introduced to the lead -in:
"One nanny isn’t cutting it anymore. Some parents are spending
upward of $250,000 on teams for their children. Luxury services offer
potty-training, baby chefs and bike-riding lessons."
Then learn this about one 27-year old multi-millionaire mother:
"As a mother of two, there are certain tasks Christine Landis
won’t do. She has never clipped her children’s toenails—too anxious for that,
she said, so the nanny handles it. Most nights, the family assistant takes care
of bath time. Landis also hands off what she calls “repetitive play,” reading the
same book five times or watching her toddler open and close a door for 45
minutes.
To make this possible, Landis, who lives in San Diego, spends
roughly $250,000 a year running a household staff that includes a family
assistant who lives on the property, a weekend nanny, a personal chef and a
housekeeper."
But hold strain, this one example doesn't even scratch the surface of these uber wealthy hotshots, as we then learn about the 'Pavilion Agency' which helps staff wealthy homes with nannies and other assistants:
"The agency often serves clients who rotate across their 5 to 10 homes, with full staff at each proprerty"
And according to CEO Seth Greenberg (ibid.):
"We are busier than ever. The environment, the economy, it's just producing these millionaires and billionaires."
And it ain't retired oldies but mainly Young Turks who made their millions or billions from a debt-fueled, overpriced AI stock market.
Quoting one "max 3 hour mum" in her early 30s"
"'Cutting sandwiches into special shapes? That was never for me.'
She relies instead on nannies, cleaners, a chef and a chief of staff. For families who want full time dedicated staff, a travel nanny costs 4120,000 to $170,000 a year. For a private governess add $200,000."
And then Moyn - and now Douthat- complain about retired oldies using their high medical expenses and Social Security to deprive the young? Gimme a break. Methinks you need to look at these high roller Yuppies as opposed to the elderly exercising a "tyranny of the elderly". Just sayin'.
See Also:
by Robert Reich | July 30, 2026 - 5:17am | permalink— from Robert Reich's Substack
Friends,
As Trump’s tariffs and his war with Iran drive up prices of everything from oil to steel, you’d think big American corporations would be screaming bloody hell. Presumably, Trump’s tariffs and war are squeezing their profits just as they’re squeezing the wallets of average Americans.
To the contrary, corporate America is quietly encouraging both Trump’s war and Trump’s tariffs. Why?
One possibility is they’re raking in money off the war as defense contractors and suppliers.
Some surely are, but this can’t account for the acquiescence if not outright support by most big American corporations that have nothing to do with the defense-industrial complex.
And:
by Robert Reich | July 28, 2026 - 5:08am | permalink
— from Robert Reich's Substack
A primer on what's happened — and what to do about it
Friends,
Many of you have asked for a video that sets out simply and clearly how wealth inequality in the United States spiraled out of control, why it’s a huge problem, and what we can (and must) do about it. So here goes:
» article continues...
And:
Youtube videos:
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