Businessweek Archives  What's The Link Between Home And
Economics?  Readers Report   I beg to differ with Gary S. Becker
("Housework: The missing piece of the economic pie," Economic
Viewpoint, Oct. 16). Public policy should be based on sound
economic information, not admirable social opinions.  The gross
domestic product should reflect economic transfers of wealth
related to goods and services. As valuable as child care and
other housework might be when paid under contract, they involve
no measurable economic activity when self-performed. If all such
services were part of GDP, we would also value landscaping,
building maintenance, and appliance repair, among others. In
fact, GDP omits volunteer work and unpaid advice such as mother-
in-law consulting.  Real economic activities, such as illegal
enterprises (i.e., drugs, theft, etc.) and "underground"
transactions (i.e., cash), that do involve economic transfers of
wealth at least as large as the "value" of housework would be
better additions to GDP and would b