Robert Samuelson's column explores political, economic and social issues. He helps readers comprehend swarms of facts, figures and conflicting claims to produce common-sense conclusions on baffling subjects.

Samuelson began his journalism career as a reporter on The Washington Post's business desk in 1969. After four years he left the paper to free-lance. His articles were published by the Sunday Times of London, the Los Angeles Times, The Boston Globe, The New Republic and other publications. He joined The National Journal as an economics correspondent in 1976 and began writing its "Economic Focus" column. He started writing a column for The Washington Post in 1977.

In 1984, Samuelson left The National Journal and became a contributing editor at Newsweek, for whom he wrote a column until 2011. His book, "The Good Life and Its Discontents: The American Dream in the Age of Entitlement, 1945-1995," was published in 1995 by Times Books. "Untruth: Why the Conventional Wisdom is (Almost Always) Wrong," a collection of his columns, was published in 2001. "The Great Inflation and Its Aftermath: the Past and Future of American Affluence" was published in hardcover in late 2008, and a revised paperback edition came out in early 2010.

He joined The Washington Post Writers Group in January 1996. Samuelson was born in New York City. He is a 1967 graduate of Harvard with a B.A. in government. He is married to Judith Herr. They live in Bethesda, Md., and have three children.