The Myth of the Overworked American

A perennial debate that has become even more sharply contested in recent months concerns the size and scope of government participation in markets. Free-market proponents believe that unfettered economic competition delivers the greatest prosperity level for the citizenry. Opponents challenge the record of private enterprise to improve the standard of living of individuals from all walks of life. A specific claim is that U.S. workers are increasingly being faced with the unpleasant option of either working ever harder—and enjoying life ever less—or consuming less and watching their material comforts diminish.