Tow #5 How to End the Gridlock, Richard Parker

As America enters into its the second week of government shutdown, economist Richard Parker writes “How to End the Gridlock” to propose his own ideas. He utilizes an honest although sarcastic tone to suggest a possible but improbable plan to the people who will be affected by the government’s decisions. 

To establish his credibility Parker explains, “I’m an Oxford-trained macroeconomist, who has taught macroeconomics policy at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government for the past twenty years,” immediately gaining respect from his readers. This single sentence in the article grabs the audience’s attention explaining why they should listen to Parker.

In the piece Parker writes with a very honest tone that develops into a sarcastic one at the end. He proposes an experiment to “do all the cutting in just the 80 or so congressional districts of the most ardent Tea Party Members,” without knowing what the outcome would be like. He continues to explain, “we develop a theory imaginatively” allowing the audience to know that there is no concrete data showing whether or not his theory will work. Parker’s honesty allows the readers to fully understand his concepts to end the gridlock without false advertising or bias. Later in the article he employs a sarcastic tone. He states, again honestly, “As a profession, we’re still very poor at predicting results,” contrasting the Tea Party’s claim “with inerrant certainty--omtells us what Obamacare will mean: in a word, national bankruptcy.” He uses this mockery to juxtapose the how different people address this situation. Parker’s honesty and sarcasm together to propose his solution make his argument reach out to the general public. He allows normal citizens into the discussion of America’s future by coming across straightforward.

In a seamless article Parker utilizes both an honest tone and a sarcastic tone to propose his own experiment to end the government shutdown.