Having done a significant amount of programming in both Python-like and statically typed languages, I think the idea that they offer similar productivity (i.e.,

Having done a significant amount of programming in both Python-like and statically typed languages, I think the idea that they offer similar productivity (i.e., time to correct, maintainable implementation) is simply false. And in a number of cases I've turned an existing program in a language like C or Java into a faster program in Python. One of the benefits of a fluent language is that you can explore more of the possibility space and look for better solutions. That's difficult and costly in static languages.