Not a blog but a "q-and-a" (pronounced "quanda"), this page is about the basics of economics. Its premise: there are no stupid q's. And if some a's seem dim, take heart: I can brighten them up in response to objections, corrections, refinements. Comments on posts feature yours, and my responses. Enough of you now frequent and query the quanda that I post most every day. Haven't seen your q yet? Send it again. All a's should be taken with a shaker of sodium chloride, if not a Lot's-wife's-worth. And speaking of salt, the mustache and "hair" in the photo has a lot less of that condiment, and rather more pepper, than can be seen on TV. Think of it as time travel.
Harley Davidson was a success story in your "Rust Belt" series, but I understand that their workers were recently given unpaid leave. How do you reconcile this?
Name:
Michael Robertson
City & State:
Oceanside, Calif.
Question/Comment: You used Harley Davidson as a success story in your "Rust Belt" series, but I understand that their workers were recently given unpaid leave. How do you reconcile this?
Paul Solman: Because the workers still have good-paying jobs. Unpaid leave is pretty standard in manufacturing, which experiences inevitable ups and downs. If there were a lot of unpaid leave, then Harley wouldn't be such a success. But talking to the workers, they seemed pretty happy with the way things have been going for many years. And compared to other U.S. vehicle manufacturers. ... Hey, I'm taking a train back from New York to Boston as I write this, and the guy across from me, one Gerry Heggie, just heard me muttering about Harley-Davidson and showed me an article about the company on page 20 of the Nov. 26 issue of Barron's. The headline reads in part: "Its long-term prospects are bright. No wonder some savvy investors are hopping aboard."
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Harley Davidson was a success story in your "Rust Belt" series, but I understand that their workers were recently given unpaid leave. How do you reconcile this?
Question/Comment: You used Harley Davidson as a success story in your "Rust Belt" series, but I understand that their workers were recently given unpaid leave. How do you reconcile this?
Paul Solman: Because the workers still have good-paying jobs. Unpaid leave is pretty standard in manufacturing, which experiences inevitable ups and downs. If there were a lot of unpaid leave, then Harley wouldn't be such a success. But talking to the workers, they seemed pretty happy with the way things have been going for many years. And compared to other U.S. vehicle manufacturers. ... Hey, I'm taking a train back from New York to Boston as I write this, and the guy across from me, one Gerry Heggie, just heard me muttering about Harley-Davidson and showed me an article about the company on page 20 of the Nov. 26 issue of Barron's. The headline reads in part: "Its long-term prospects are bright. No wonder some savvy investors are hopping aboard."
