, Columnist
Ode to a Washing Machine
Trump's tariffs on solar panels are bad for the U.S. economy and the environment. Let us not forget: So are his tariffs on the hero of the laundry room.
The washing machine is the unsung hero of the feminist revolution. There’s a lively argument that the washing machine is actually what enabled the average woman to work outside the home. When finally adopted, it certainly liberated women from the brutal labor involved in doing laundry with lye and a washboard. (Now we complain about the comparative delights of folding the stuff!)
These days, according to the Census, more than 85 percent of American households have a washing machine. Almost all of the rest have access to shared machines. They are ubiquitous in our lives, and collectively represent an almost unimaginable wealth of shared prosperity.