John Kenneth Galbraith Dies at 97

Noted Keynesian, coiner of the term "conventional wisdom", advisor to four presidents--Galbraith was a legend in his field. The economist's seminal work, "The Affluent Society", was an early warning about how an increase in wealth in elements of the private sector doesn't preclude--and may in fact encourage--a lack of conscience in the public sector towards those most in need. The disparities in income he write about in 1958 seem almost quaint compared to the obscene divide between rich and poor today. Despite his dry profession, Galbraith was a quick wit and his oeuvre is peppered with original and memorable phrases. A sample for those at Fox tripping all over themselves to defend Organized Oil's record profits: The modern conservative is engaged in one of man's oldest exercises in moral philosophy; that is, the search for a superior moral justification for selfishness.