The article I read this week titled “Should Americans Work More? To Hit 4 Percent Growth, We Would Have To”, was posted in the New York Times on July 14th, and was written by Josh Barro. This article discussed the employment issues in America and addressed one of Jeb Bush’s comments on how he hopes the real annual economic growth can reach 4 percent (which we know from economics class is very low). This is such an important topic right now because many Americans are working fewer hours than they’re expected. Barro explored the different viewpoints in this article by using the rhetorical technique of logos. The use of logos throughout this article is essential for Barro to convey his message. The facts and statistics give actual reasoning to support the claims made. An example of the author’s use of logos is: “People who would work an extra hour if they got to keep 100 percent of their pay may be working less because they get to keep only 90 or 80 or 60 percent of that hour’s pay after taxes.” This is an important idea that was discussed multiple times throughout the article, this statistical support is essential for proving the main point that many Americans would rather work less, than pay the taxes for working more hours. This proves that they simply would make better use of their time doing something other than work. Another use of logos was used to prove the opposing side that Americans are working a substantial amount is “The fact that workweeks are already longer in the United States than in places like Germany and Britain suggests we’re doing a pretty good job of not discouraging work too much.” Comparing the united States to these other countries is important because it helped to prove that Americans are working enough as is, especially when compared to other countries.
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Davi Seguine says
I really like your interpretation of this article, although it would have been nice to read the article from a link. Great connection to our Econ class!
tmb5839 says
I really enjoyed reading the article you have chosen. I liked the connection to economics class and the application to the economy today. I was impressed by the way you showed the logos supporting both viewpoints to the issue as well.