In 1993, the late New York Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan published a report called "Defining Deviancy Down." The report, subtitled "How We've Become Accustomed to Alarming Levels of Crime and Destructive Behavior," was shocking not because of its blunt assessment of today's culture, but that it was written by a popular "liberal."
I put the word in quotes because Moynihan defied such plebian classification. Rather, we can more truthfully label him a rare "intellectual" in the field of politics. Indeed, true partisan liberals decried Moynihan's report while conservatives cite it favorably to this day.
In light of the current debate on the Fiduciary Rule, Moynihan's 1993 argument offers some alarmingly instructive insights. For instance, read this passage from pages 100-101 of "Defining Deviancy Down":
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Christopher Carosa
Chris Carosa has been writing a weekly article and monthly column for BenefitsPRO online and BenefitsPRO Magazine since 2011 and is a nationally recognized award-winning writer, researcher and speaker. He’s written seven books, including From Cradle to Retire: The Child IRA; Hey! What’s My Number? – How to Increase the Odds You Will Retire in Comfort; A Pizza The Action: Everything I Ever Learned About Business I Learned By Working in a Pizza Stand at the Erie County Fair; and the widely acclaimed 401(k) Fiduciary Solutions. Carosa is also Chief Contributing Editor of the authoritative trade journal FiduciaryNews.com and publisher of the Mendon-Honeoye Falls-Lima Sentinel, a weekly community newspaper he founded in 1989. Currently serving as President of the National Society of Newspaper Columnists and with more than 1,000 articles published in various publications, he appears regularly in the national media. A “parallel” entrepreneur, he actively runs a handful of businesses, including a small boutique investment adviser, providing hands-on experience for his writing. A trained astrophysicist, he also holds an MBA and has been designated a Certified Trust and Financial Advisor. Share your thoughts and story ideas with him through Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/christophercarosa/)and Twitter (https://twitter.com/ChrisCarosa).
