America: What Went Wrong? (and other stories)

[JHB]

I originally posted this to GD, but this may be a better forum to bring up this sort of resource.
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One of the things I find that comes up when talking with people about the economy, globalization, etc., is many peoples' belief that it was all rather inevitable, so complaining about it is like complaining about the tide: you can do it, but it's pointless.

I don't have to wonder why they think that -- the "liberal" media has repeated the theme for nearly thirty years now -- but sometimes I wonder how it is that I became "inoculated" against this. Why am I so sure things didn't have to play out this way and that deliberate political decisions were at least as important as "the invisible hand" in bringing about what Paul Krugman called "The Great Unraveling".

Well, part of it was what I'd been reading. I can't exactly give my full reading list for the last 20 years, but I can recommend a few books that will help when it comes to fixing the "What's the Matter with Kansas?" and "Talking to an Elephant" problems.

Reporters James B. Steele and Donald L. Barlett wrote a series of articles, some for The Philadelphia Enquirer, some for Time, on how the changing economy was playing out for ordinary people. The first, published in book form in 1992, is a little dated, but that actually works in its favor now, since it's entirely pre-Clinton. The later series/books followed up on the same or similar themes, and collectively they serve as quite an information source and teaching tool when you try to explain to people just how far this "squeeze the middle" and "starve the beast" effort goes back.

Pick'em up at your library, or at a bookstore, and get

America: What Went Wrong?
by James B Steele, Donald L. Barlett

Paperback: 252 pages
Publisher: Andrews McMeel Publishing (January 1, 1992)
ISBN: 0836270010
"Worried that you are falling behind, not living as well as you once did?..."

AMERICA: WHO REALLY PAYS THE TAXES?
by Donald L. Barlett

Paperback: 384 pages
Publisher: Simon & Schuster; Remaindered Marked edition (March 23, 1994)
ISBN: 0671871579

America: Who Stole The Dream?
by Donald L. Barlett, James B. Steele

Paperback: 276 pages
Publisher: Andrews McMeel Publishing (June 1, 1996)
ISBN: 0836213149
"Let's suppose, for a moment, there was a country where the people in charge charted a course that eliminated millions of good paying jobs..."

The Great American Tax Dodge: How Spiraling Fraud and Avoidance Are Killing Fairness, Destroying the Income Tax, and Costing You
by Donald L. Barlett, James B. Steele

Paperback: 302 pages
Publisher: University of California Press; 1st Califo edition (September 2, 2002)
ISBN: 0520236106
"A woman forms a company to conduct "research" for the benefit of her minor children and writes a monthly "rent" check to her husband to..."

Critical Condition : How Health Care in America Became Big Business--and Bad Medicine
by Donald L. Barlett, James B. Steele

Hardcover: 288 pages
Publisher: Doubleday (October 5, 2004)
ISBN: 0385504543

:patriot:

[punpirate]

1. I'd definitely add...

... David Cay Johnston's Perfectly Legal to that list of "who pays the taxes" books. It's up to date and full of very good examples of who Congress has been helping over the years.

Cheers.

[stevebreeze]

2. I would add my hardy endorsement to yours.

"Who pays the taxes, What went wrong and Who stole the dream" Are all but impossible to find in the stores anymore, but can be had cheap on Amazon as "used" books.

While some of the data is old in these books they stand up very well since the tactics of the right are still essentially the same even though they have made great strides in transferring even more of the tax burden off the rich and onto the rest of us.

[JHB]

4. Not just the tax burden...

...The looting of pension funds is stil very much in the news.

[G2099]

3. You may want to check out . . .

THE DOLLAR CRISIS: CAUSES CONSEQUENCES CURES

by RICHARD DUNCAN

http://www.business-in-asia.com/dollar_crisis.html

I have 2 of the Steele/Barlett books, "who pays the taxes and what went wrong" and yes indeed they are a eye opener. It is just that 85 percent of "we the people" would rather keep their "eyes wide shut."

And yes, Amazon's used books are a great deal; some are actually new and not used; just overstock.