Being braver than George Plimpton, playing Pollyanna in the State Department, and other matters. LOOKING BACKWARD
(FORTUNE Magazine) – This being the 12th anniversary of Keeping Up, it seemed like a good idea to review certain major findings presented in this space since December 1976: -- Michigan has a law barring discrimination against fat people. -- The federal government would save about $60 billion a year if it abolished all existing antipoverty programs and just gave poor people enough cash to bring them over the poverty line. -- Federal spending on occupational safety is positively correlated with the number of workplace accidents. -- A fellow wondering about the order in which to don 11 standard articles of clothing in the morning has 5,327 choices. -- Family income rose more rapidly for blacks than whites during the Reagan years. -- Japan's average IQ is nine or ten points higher than America's. -- Bisexuals are effectively exempt from sexual harassment laws (since they do not discriminate based on sex). -- Nexis searches repeatedly demonstrate that the media use ''ideologue'' as a synonym for ''conservative.'' -- New York State law says employers may not inquire into job applicants' past criminal behavior. -- Money buys happiness, but the research tells us that the relationship is not linear, as happiness rises only about as rapidly as the cube root of income. |
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