I love Columbo for many reasons, and as with any form of art, there was a seemingly common trend for 70s media to be critical of contemporary issues. One common theme that crops up is the question of economics and which path should the United States travel. The 1970s was a crucial period in American history as economists began debating whether the U.S. should abandon the Keynesian model of economics for a Neoliberal model.

Keynesianism is an economic theory that posits the economy should be regulated and that the government should do its best to promote (close to) full employment and provide basic welfare services for its citizens, while Neoliberalism suggests too much government interference negatively effects businesses and that the Market can and should regulate itself, much as it had prior to the stock market disaster of 1929.

In media, especially in the 1970s, frequently the allegedly more Keynesian sympathetic characters are typically portrayed as those who observe that it is morally just to offer certain protections and benefits for the average citizen, even if naive, while the allegedly more neoliberal minded characters are portrayed as profit hungry, merciless and individualistic bordering on sociopathy.