Alice Rivlin Quotes & Sayings

The job of the Central Bank is to worry. — Alice Rivlin

If simple, painless solutions to public problems existed, they would have been found long ago. — Alice Rivlin

The 'American dream' ... means an economy in which people who work hard can get ahead and each new generation lives better than the last one. The 'American dream' also means a democratic political system in which most people feel they can affect public decisions and elect officials who will speak for them. In recent years, the dream has been fading. — Alice Rivlin

It's a technical, fairly difficult job that has no particular political connotations, so I doubt there are any big campaign contributors dying to be on the Fed. And remember, it doesn't pay very well, certainly by Republican standards. — Alice Rivlin

One would hope that you would have a CBO director who does not let ideology get in the way of making good estimates, [Congress] values having a credible institution that they can rely on to give them the best estimates possible. — Alice Rivlin

Most economists, like doctors, are reluctant to make predictions, and those who make them are seldom accurate. The economy, like the human body, is a highly complex system whose workings are not thoroughly understood. — Alice Rivlin

Politicians pay more attention to interest groups than to the public interest. — Alice Rivlin

Cynics about government find much to be cynical about. — Alice Rivlin

The federal budget deficit is the biggest single impediment to revitalizing the American economy. — Alice Rivlin

The increase in inequality in income is a longtime trend, but the pressure on middle- and low-income workers is going up rapidly. Especially if they live in an area where there are high housing and gas prices, like California. — Alice Rivlin