John Kenneth Galbraith.doc

John Kenneth Galbraith, 1908-2006: He Strongly Influenced Economic Thought in the United States for Many Years VOICE ONE: Im Steve Ember. VOICE TWO: And Im Barbara Klein with PEOPLE IN AMERICA in VOA Special English. Economics is a field based on mathematics. Yet it cannot provide answers toevery problem. Some people question whether economics is a science at all. For many years, possibly the loudest critic was himself an economist, John Kenneth Galbraith. (MUSIC) VOICE ONE: John Kenneth Galbraith?? John Kenneth Galbraith was an economist, liberal thinker, author, professor, presidential advisor and ambassador. He. stood over two meters tall. Hewas excellent at arguing positions and making complex ideas understandable. These two qualities made Mister Galbraith a powerful personality able to influence people at the highest levels of government. He was also a productive writer and an effective critic of many popular ideas of his time. For some, he was an easy person to dislike. He was very sure of himself and his arguments. Yet, he clearly influenced the economic ideas of many people, including politicians and presidents. VOICE TWO: John Kenneth Galbraith was born on a farm near Iona Station, Canada in nineteen-oh-eight. It was a long way from the East Coast of the United States and the political power centers he would come to influence. He learned about politics from his father, William Archibald Galbraith, who was a farmer. He also served in many local government positions and was a community leader. John once said that his mother, Sarah Catherine Kendall Galbraith, wanted him to be a farmer also. But she died when he was fourteen. VOICE ONE: Young John first studied agriculture at Ontario Agricultural College. But he soon found economics more interesting. His studies led him to the University of California at Berkeley. He got a doctorate degree in agricultural economics in nineteen thirty-four. In his early years, Mister Galbraith was greatly influenced by the e