America's 40% Overpriced

Joe Queenan has figured out the real problem with the US economy: It's overpriced. Queenan came to this revelation after he and his buddies made a habit of going to see movies on Tuesday nights, when they only cost $6 instead of $10.25. At that price, even bombs like The Losers and Repo Men look good. Now, suddenly, he's not willing to pay more than 60% of the asking price for anything.

“Basically, everything in this society is way more expensive than it should be. That's why we're still in the doldrums,” he writes in the LA Times. “MRIs should run $875, not $1,500. Yankees tickets should run $180, not $300 apiece. And it should only cost $60,000 to buy a congressman's vote, not $100,000. … This is a six-buck society trying to pass itself off as the $10.25 model.” (More economy stories.)